Blog Post #4

I definitely agree that everything is a remix. I think I realized this when I first learned what an "archetype" is. When I was younger, I would rewrite my favorite books when I didn't know what else to write about. I drew already animated objects, and it never felt less creative to me than drawing my own picture. It was a lot easier to figure out where to start, too. I'm not even sure if there is such a thing as an original idea anymore. After all, our ideas and beliefs are all founded on ideas, beliefs, and experiences we've encountered. I think we should embrace the remix. Take Shakespeare, for example. Almost all of his most famous works were based on already existing stories, he had just worded things better. Romeo and Juliet was not his original plot, but in his version he coined the term "star-crossed lovers", which has been the basis of so many popular works since. All scientific advancements were made from observing what already existed, and thinking of a way to use that observance. In my opinion, the more brainpower, the better. All my best ideas or paintings or really any accomplishment I've made has been in some way inspired by those of other people. The whole concept of style and individualism come from being different than something else, which requires an original to use for comparison. I have definitely always been one to take everything around me for inspiration, and like Steve Jobs once said, I am also completely unashamed to steal a good idea. It is difficult to accept your own stuff being taken, as the movie pointed out, but honestly I think it’s for the good of everyone that we stop being selfish and share what we’ve discovered or created. If something I draw or write or say or figure out can help someone think of something new, then so be it. I think life is like a chain of dominos, and that every event or discovery or anything that happens just leads to the next event or discovery, and the sooner we embrace that and stop acting like we own everything, the better for everyone.