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Do great artists actually steal?
What does it mean that great artists steal?
Is it wrong?
Does that make us unoriginal?
At one point I was extremely adamant about ensuring my ideas were as original as possible.
As a young writer, I wanted to forge my own concepts, ideas, and work without references to other work.
I wanted to be the first person to come up with an idea, and have it be completely my own.
This is a foolish way to think.
All artists borrow, whether they realize it or not.
Great artists steal because they understand that appropriation, mimesis, and synthesis are all essential aspects of creativity.
When we appropriate, or borrow, from other artists, we are taking what has already been created and making it our own.
This can be as simple as incorporating a phrase or quotation into our own writing, or as complex as borrowing an entire melody or structural element from another artist.
The key though is to make it our own.
Whatever the case may be, appropriation is a way to add originality to your work, and it’s essential for any artist interested in making anything new.
