Some Thoughts on Originality

In my early 20s, I learned that there were only 6 or 7 original stories; everything else is a derivative of these basic stories. The lesson I took from this is that there is nothing original under the sun, and at the time, this was a welcome lesson. Facing the pressure to be original in my early 20s, I felt a great weight leave my shoulders. No longer would I have to create something brand new for it to be considered original. Originality is not a marker of novelty, but a marker of creativity and insight. To be considered original was to know how to use what came before to create something new. This lesson was reinforced through hip-hop. A genre known for its use of sampling, the early days of hip-hop were not so much about originality and novelty, but insight. It was realising that the breakdown in disco tracks was the perfect accompaniment for dance and poetry. It was finding new ways to share the music we had grown up with, with another generation. It was building bridges between different types of music, to create a track that resonated with the soul, not just the mind. This is why artists like Kanye West, Dr Dre, Timbaland and Kid Cudi are considered pioneers and originators. Their art paves a road to the future by interrogating, and building upon the past.

Despite the constant validation of this interpretation of originality, the idea that originality demands unforeseen novelty at every juncture animates my every action and aspiration. I aspire to be original, to do what no one else has done before. And yet, it feels as if I have failed. Perhaps because I do not know enough about the past (influences) to pave a way forward. Perhaps because my brain is not configured for originality. Perhaps, I may not even yearn for originality but for competence in replication. The last of these is particularly compelling because it suggests one of two things. If we consider competence in replication to be the first step towards developing originality as a skill, then my desire to acquire competence in the same suggests an earnest idea to acquire the skill of originality. Conversely, aspiring for competence in replication suggests that I am comfortable being a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy. That, perhaps, I do not wish to define myself, but I am comfortable being defined by the world around me. I am more inclined to believe the former because the latter is how crafting an identity works. You see something you like in, or on, someone else and you adopt it for yourself.

I suppose I've meandered enough. The point I'm trying to make is this: originality is more complicated than being the first one to do or create a thing. Originality begins after you've decided you want to copy. It is how you build upon that idea, how it melds with your personality and how you chose to express it. In this respect, many of us are original; even if, and perhaps, especially when, we copy.