How To Be Original

“No man was ever great by imitation.”- Samuel Johnson

How To Be Original

1. Keep notes on reference material in your sketchbook or notepad. Use One Note or similar software if it helps to save links to the original material. If you do not, you will forget the source or that you used a reference. If you don’t know whether or not the material is original don’t use it. After so many times of abandoning material because you don’t remember where it came from, you will start to keep better notes.
2. Do not import reference material into new material. It can become confused with the original or result in a 1 to 1 copy.
3. Collect your references, review them and then put them away.
4. Do not use art as source material for art. This is a tricky one, but it is so hard to develop your style when you are constantly trying to mimic someone else’s, or you are regularly concerned about a billion other styles online.
5. Sketch your references twice, once going off the source material and once again going off your sketch.
6. Use your work as a style reference. Pick something from your work that you can use as a reminder of what you want to be.
7. Ask yourself, why me? Am I the right person to present this material? Is it a part of me? Of my experience, my expertise, or my character? If not, don’t do it.
   • If it is not part of you where did it come from?
   • If it is not part of you, then you probably don’t understand the material well enough to present it properly.
   • If it is not part of you, then you likely cannot offer unique material or perspective.
   • If you cannot offer anything unique, then you need to stop and think about whether or not it is necessary to reiterate it.
   • Leave room for voices who have a relationship with the material.
8. Draft a lot and draft quick.
9. Get feedback on all your work from many different people.
10. Don’t put all your faith in one piece. Writers write many books and artists paint many paintings.

Investing In Your Style

I recently watched a YouTube video by Andrei Jikh where he explains the best times of the year or week to invest. He expertly breaks it down to the best days, but in a complete reversal, he says, "If you try to time the market you are probably going to do very badly." This is because the window is not guaranteed, and missing it can cost you big. You are much better off investing in small amounts gradually than trying to catch the market at the right time and buy all at once.

We can talk all day about originality, but in the end ,"If you try to be original you are probably going to plagiarize the heck out of somebody." The window for what is original is teeny tiny, so small we can even debate its existence. Is it there, is it not there? My guess is as good as yours.

“Originality is the art of concealing your source.” -Franklin P. Jones

Remember, lack of originality is not a bad thing. Plagiarism is a bad thing. You are much better off owning up to your lack of originality in every way possible. You are better off taking a little and giving a little rather than trying to give everything at once.

Conclusion

Blogger and author, Austin Kleon, suggests that creatives try to build on existing ideas rather than create new ones. Be honest and transparent about it. For example, many of my blog ideas come from quotes that I run into. I reference the quote and then I just elaborate on what it means to me.

All genuine creativity is the development of ideas that already exist.

​This isn't just a concept in art. The smart phone was not an original idea, there were cell phones before that, and bean cans before that, and face to face conversations before that.

"What a good artist understands it that nothing comes from nowhere. All creative work builds on what came before. Nothing is completely original." -Austin Kleon