At What Point Is It Enough?

I do not normally post so frequently about the same subject, but I have found that at my age the longer I wait between question and answer, the more likely I am to forget what to say.

There is confusion between artists on the subject of creativity, originality, the nature of derivative work, leaving many people polarized.  When is work different enough from some inspirational source to be original?

I’ve found the best measure for any work is defined through this quote from the movie Jurassic Park, where Jeff Goldblum’s character, the Chaotician, confronts the genetic scientists:

“You didn’t require any discipline to attain it, you know.  You read what others had done and you took the next step.  You didn’t earn the knowledge for yourself so you don’t take any responsibility for it.  You stood on the shoulders of genius to accomplish something as fast as you could and before you even knew what you had…”

It seems sensible to me that every artist should develop the discipline, earn the knowledge, and take responsibility for what they produce.  

I have a rule about my own blog posts: if I have to warm up my coffee before I finish reading, then they’re too long.  Perhaps we will continue this particular dialogue in the near future.

I am adding a link to an excellent post on Making a Mark by guest author John Kinney that contributes to this fascinating discussion.  I  hope you will check it out.

Comments

[sue smith]

Thanks, Katherine. I really appreciated the way he discussed the importance of both ritual and conceptual thinking in artistic practice. here is the link: http://makingamark.blogspot.com/2011/03/practice-experience-and-style.html. I've also added it in the body of the post at the end.

[Katherine Tyrrell]

Excellent quote Sue - I'd not come across that one before. It's certainly very relevant to the concept of daily practice in relation to professional development!

I've got a post about the importance of practice in relation to development coming up on my blog today. It's comment by somebody other than me.

[Denise]

I love your work and your blog posts are always informative and inspirational to me. Thanks for that!