Tag: adapting

Originality is undetected plagiarism

Posted on by philipdodson

This is a famous quote by William Ralph Inge.

We are all influenced by others, every single person and everything that has ever been created has come from a person who is the sum, the cocktail of the influences she has had in her life.

That cocktail is the uniqueness, what we choose to put in the mixer and what comes out is our own take on the people who are our heroes.

Yet we seem all to be searching for that magic gem of something original. There is nothing to be gained from that search, it is far better to be spending our time ‘stealing’ from others. Not in a way where we make an exact copy, but where we take the influences of many and blend it into something that is uniquely ours.

Our own individual journeys through life are ours and totally unique, no one’s life will match anyone else’s. The influences we choose to bring in will be uniquely ours.

So, in fact, it is not stealing, it is flattering all our influencers by taking their work and adding our spin. That is where the originality comes from.

It is important though to give them a mention, for two reasons. One it is totally shitty to claim others work as your own, well copying is stealing, adapting is what we all do, blending, remixing, repurposing. Second, it helps people who see your work to know who influences you, as they may share the same heroes.

This blog was partly influenced by reading the great book ‘Steal Like An Artist’ by Austin Kleon.

The biggest kick in the teeth about change

Posted on by philipdodson

The biggest kick in the teeth about change is people, who have known you for long enough and before you changed, still react to you as if you were still that person before you learnt, adapted and changed yourself.

It’s totally understandable, and not that there ever needs to be blame, it is not their fault. You may have behaved a certain way for a long time and that is what people expect from you.

The things is, I need to be patient more patient and understanding with others when they do this to me. I need to realise that everyone rightly has their own pace of change and learning, and in fact who am I even to suggest that others need to change anyway? I am better off focusing on what I’m up to, as that’s the only thing that concerns me.

The only way to show that you have changed how you behave to others is not by words,and if you have behaved in way that you now recognise was wrong, then it is actions over time and repeating the changed behaviour long enough so that the people who matter, that we may have hurt previously can see that you have really changed.

I have previously thought, almost like buying a bunch of flowers, you can just simply make up for wrong choices of behaviour. It takes time, like everything, to demonstrate to people you are different. It means accepting having a kick in the teeth now and again, as I was the one who needed to change.

Just off now to adjust my gum shield.