Olena
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What happened to nature?
Olena {The Wizard} Shmahalo (23)
New York
Immortal since Aug 5, 2009
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    Olena’s project
    What happened to nature?
    How to stay in touch with our biological origins in a world devoid of nature? The majestic nature that once inspired poets, painters and...
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    From Olena's personal cargo

    You are unoriginal, and so am I.
    ...But then I think, I've seen this before, too, in some or other form.
    This thing I'm looking at, whatever it is.
    And the realization is that it was never mine or theirs to begin with, but Ours.

    All of this is Ours.

    Sun, Nov 29, 2009  Permanent link

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    collective matt     Sun, Nov 29, 2009  Permanent link
    Thank you Olena, this is so simple, yet moving.
    Infinitas     Sun, Nov 29, 2009  Permanent link
    We are all part of the Whole. Everything is part of the Whole. When you say, "Ours," are you implying humanity's ownership or something more...universal?
    Fast T     Mon, Nov 30, 2009  Permanent link
    Perhaps 'ownership' is in itself outdated and too shallow a term in coming to describe agents of intelligent observation. :)
    Wildcat     Mon, Nov 30, 2009  Permanent link
    Ah! Fast T beat me to it... I was about to write, leave ownership out of it and I 'm with you on this..
    the whole point of realizing unoriginality (which is admirable in and of itself) is the acceptance of the universal common ground of all ideas, concepts and perceptions.. these do not "belong" never did never will
    Olena     Mon, Nov 30, 2009  Permanent link
    When I say Ours, I'm not really implying ownership, but the relinquishment of it. Being part of the Whole, as you say.

    If I take it to a specific place, in art I often see this competitive jealousy and ownership over ideas, the "I did it first" mentality, for example - I mean in myself, also - and truthfully that feels wrong.
    This is to say that ownership of ideas is kind of ridiculous in the first place because it was already there "in some form or other". And as Picasso said, the best ones were stolen anyway...
    But discarding ownership in favor of a group effort to make something stronger is often easier in theory than in practice.
    joonas     Mon, Nov 30, 2009  Permanent link
    I like this. :)
    Wildcat     Tue, Dec 1, 2009  Permanent link
    “Authenticity is invaluable. Originality is non-existent.”
    — Jim Jarmusch
    Olena     Wed, Dec 2, 2009  Permanent link
    Wildcat — exactly :)

    In that respect, I kind of already gave the example: if there are two creators with similar but equally authentic ideas, then they have the choices of competition, teamwork, or ignorance of each other.
    However, teamwork is powerful, but not necessary if the competition is healthy — if we keep apart, but in being apart we focus on strengthening our own work instead of complaining about or trying to sabotage the other.

    Exactly what you said about realizing that it's all common ground, I want to understand how to better put it into practice.
    We already do that in this community, seeking each other out.

    Fast T     Fri, Dec 4, 2009  Permanent link
    In yet a slightly angled perspective, there is the issue of what consists of Value in the present culture. Where 'originality' touches on the residing outlook of economy, resources navigation and system of economy. An interesting 15 minutes talk by Douglas Rushkoff.
    Ilparone     Tue, Apr 20, 2010  Permanent link
    Two exactly similar representation, created/produced/generated by two different entities, remain always unique, different, and distinguishable. The process (that created them) is always unique from the perspective of the entities themselves. The representation (from the perspective of others) are unique as well, since they are never scrutinized or interpreted in the exactly similar context.

    It is the constellation of external and internal, explicit and implicit factors/variables/motivations/intentions/hopes/wishes/etc. that matters, isn't it?
    Olena     Tue, Apr 20, 2010  Permanent link
    Ilparone —
    Yes.
    I'm not sure if you are only adding to the conversation (maybe it needed to be said) or if this was a suggestion that we are not seeing correctly.

    Both ways are right. When I say originality, what I mean is: even in two unique compositions, the elements are the same. The elements that belong to our natural world; even if the case is such that we visit (as some people do under certain influences, whether those be spiritual or physical ("drugs")) a different world, the things in that foreign place are still understood within our own context. The context of our mind, how it compiles information. We are able to describe it to some extent, because of the elements. We can have different mixtures to produce unique results, but the matter at hand is that the basic components of ANY mixture are same. Drawn from our world.

    Lots of people don't take kindly to the suggestion that they are not original, or that nothing is... but this is not meant to be pessimistic. It has a negative connotation due to our cultural values — so yes, it DOES matter, but think: even the "special snowflake" imitates other snowflakes, unique as he may be. He is still made of snowflake things, he does snowflake things; he is similar if not entirely the same.

    Olena     Tue, Apr 20, 2010  Permanent link
    Fast T—

    Thank you for linking to that awesome video! I'm watching it now, it's so relevant.
    Mariana Soffer     Wed, Apr 21, 2010  Permanent link
    Originality is non-existent what has real value is authenticity.Wit is not where you take things from is where you take them to.
    rene     Thu, Apr 22, 2010  Permanent link
    Olena-

    We can have different mixtures to produce unique results, but the matter at hand is that the basic components of ANY mixture are same. Drawn from our world.


    For a sci-fi movie I once asked a number of fine artists and concept artists to design what should look like truly alien plant life. Every single one of them came back with hybrid vegetation made up of recognizable elements of our own biological world, spliced together in surreal "alien" ways. This made me realize that we are so much part of our own environment that we seem incapable to ever step out of it, which would obviously support your theory.
    twistedfork     Thu, Apr 22, 2010  Permanent link
    Thanks for this post Olena, :D I totally agree.

    We don't have to be overly conscious in doing something original because it limits us in doing something different. For me, originality is hinged on intention and authenticity. All of us are inspired by everything around us. That's where we get our ideas. In essence every single idea we can think of was already there even before, we just have to think of different ways to present it.
     
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