Steal like an artist.

The word originality has such an impact among us that we try to aspire it for all means. The countless creations we see today all wants to achieve that one status of being original, yet claiming to be it can only be created by the audience or if you have the confident yourself to proclaim it. But what is really original? With our current form of society we can easily witness how everyone is getting more and more creative, thus limiting the gap of being original. People have thought that this state we are in is not good since all we see is a pastiche culture emerging. At the same time does it really matter?

In Austin Kleon’s TED talk he mentions how people have taken ideas from previous works and created something new out of it. This process has been executed throughout the ages, but it hasn’t reached the same level of awareness due to problems of finding the source. With today finding any information or the answer to who made what can be done with a simple mouse click.

I completely agree with what Austin Kleon talks about. All artists have from the start taken something. From the first moment when we are exposed to anything that made us interested into a thing we apply that into whatever we create. It could be anything, from getting inspired by Picasso paintings and then becoming the new famous painter. Our style, our way of thinking comes from our preferences in the world.

When I have been working a project, I usually take the first idea that emerges from my head. Additionally I also research about different types of artwork that talks to me. So I then try to join my idea with the research I have done and add an extra flavour of spontaneous, execute it and see what was formed. Many times I have failed with projects but I have also succeeded the same amount.  I always watch movies, read, look at pictures when I am going to create something and from all those time I spend doing that I take small pieces from each artwork and put it into mine.

To put this into reflection, when I studied photography we got an assignment on “identity”. The first thing I had in my head then was a box. I didn’t now what to do with it, but a box it was. So I then started sketching and wanted people in it. I wondered how could I use people with and a box and incorporate it with the theme identity. So after remembering the book 1984 by George Orwell I had my idea finished. I wanted to create a feeling where we today pass by each other like drones and mind our own business. Even tough we are passing each other by we got one thing in common, and that is that we are one unity. Skin colour, nationality, gender, preferences does not matter. I wanted to show how we are so caught up in our world and forgets how beautiful life is.

The project was successful, I managed exhibit them and sell to a person owning a gallery.

Without knowing about the book 1984 it wouldn’t be possible for me to have done that assignment in that way. So being influenced by other peoples work is important, only then can you create something by yourself. Austin Kleon said that we are all mashes from our parents, and grandparents, but we are also different. 

From the project "Identity"
Copyright Jonath Mathew