The Myth of Originality and the Joy of Copying (2011)

Throughout the article the writer, Adrian Shaughnessy, claims that there is no such thing as true originality. Thus, an idea that is purely original doesn't exist and it must have come from some other idea, in other words, copied from somewhere or something else.

However our today’s society, especially in the commercial of art and design, originality is very strongly emphasized. This is very much inconsistent considering that commercial is all about communication. Yet if something was said that it is absolutely original it would be impossible for us to recognize it or understand it. He criticizes the way that the modern society is misunderstanding the real intention of ‘copying’.

It is very true that copyright laws must be necessary in order to protect creative producers from their ideas to be stolen by others and prevent every good idea to be endlessly repeated by everyone. Nevertheless, today the understanding of copying has become something more severe. Copying and plagiarism is known to be a crime and something to be felt guilty about it. Customers demands for more and more originality creating an infinite cycle of producing and earning profit and force too much competition. As a consequence of the fear about copyright laws naturally everyone is turned to competitors and rivals and nothing is able to be shared.

Although not much will recognize it but we all do copy. This doesn't mean copying the whole thing directly, but copying the idea and ‘montage’ it. And if this is done with some creativity then something good is created out of it. So, this is how everything is created, by copying. Yet people are trying to rationalize it by saying that it is just a reference and inspiration, not knowing that both are forms of copying.