nothing is original
a reminder that creativity isn’t about inventing from nothing
A few weeks ago, I came across an image Tim Walker posted featuring a quote by Jim Jarmusch. “I don’t believe in originality. You take inspiration from whatever moves you, and you find your own voice in these things.” Paired with the caption “Originality: originality in photography is very rare… but it’s impossible to be original at the outset of making photographs. Everything starts by being derivative, and then you find your own voice by mixing up all the things that inspire you.”
Just like any decisive or opinionated take, there are bound to be people who take it to extremes and don’t fully grasp the idea. Some comments praised the quote, while others criticized the idea, claiming that things aren’t supposed to be copied and pasted, ripping off people without credit, and so on.
This quote stuck with me. I’ve read it over a few times now, seeing if my thoughts would change the fourth or fifth time around. Working in creative, when we are in the ideation phase, we are always trying to push the work to be new, fresh, and original. The word original often bugs me because it feels like a very close-minded way of viewing things… because nothing is original. Every idea is formed and shaped from our own personal experiences.
Originality isn’t about creating something from nothing. It’s about being observant enough to notice what already exists and translating it into meaning.
