One of a Kind--Aubrey

 

Originality: [​noun]​ “a work not received from, copied from, or based on other works.” In today’s world, so chock-full of new books, music, paintings, and buildings, we often strive to be original, to create something new no one has ever seen before that will amaze the world. However, for all those who claim originality in their work, they fail to realize that they as humans are the culmination of thousands of previous creators who left their mark on these ‘visionaries’, and inspired the new wave of talent. As a result, hardly anything we see today is original, just products of hundreds of thousands of long-gone artists who laid the groundwork for new generations of creators.

Despite this, originality is not required for a piece of art to be considered valuable, or for an artist to be considered competent. Originality is something that our society praises, and yet the vast majority of creators are influenced by artistic movements, whether they are conscious of that fact or not. It could be something as simple as hearing a composition that inspired you to make your own in that same key, or a painting style with colors you wanted to emulate, or even a piece of literature with a particular theme that resonates with you. All of these things do not determine the success or the validity of a piece of art, but instead merely demonstrate that things produced in this modern era often have a backstory and don’t require originality to be important.

An example is Ancient Rome. Ancient Greek architecture, philosophy, religion, and society were all replicated (and in some cases improved upon) by Ancient Romans, and yet Roman society is still considered to be incredible despite the lack of originality. As a more modern example, fashion trends build upon previous years’ products and evolve into newer pieces that preserve the original concepts while expanding on different creative aspects. Consequently, originality is not required to be good at something or be considered an artist or creator.

Additionally, creativity and originality are not mutually inclusive. Creativity can present itself in a number of ways, such as adding a bold new interpretation to a famous painting, making poems out of other authors’ work, improving on a certain concept, etc. Creativity knows no bounds, since there will always be someone who is able to perceive the world and its art in new and exciting ways. To make originality a goal for creators is a herculean task, one that when undertaken stifles creativity to the point where all a creator can think about is, “Has someone already done this? Is this one-of-a-kind?” and no longer revolved around making something they care about. I, for one, attempted to think of something entirely unique to write about, and was unable to put more than a sentence together, as I was attempting to reach an impossible goal of completely original writing, when I came to the realization that originality isn’t as important as we’re led to believe.

It’s okay to not be original, because the only thing that truly matters is making your mark through the aid of your own unique perspectives. Even if you take heavy inspiration or key ideas from someone else’s work, your interpretation will invariably be different than someone else’s, and thus make your insight and contributions worthwhile, despite them not being your own original concepts.

The moral here? If you’re creating something you like, originality doesn’t matter. The only thing of importance is that you strive not for perfection and originality, but for creating something that you can genuinely say you enjoyed making and are proud of. You do not require originality to be considered good at your craft, but instead a love of what you do and a sense of happiness at producing your art. When you finally come to this conclusion, your creation will always be one of a kind, and the world will recognize that your work is the culmination of all the experiences, art, and people you’ve encountered in your life, and is better off for it.