Many are familiar with that famous quotation from W. R. Inge, Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral: What is originality? Undetected plagiarism. The wryness of Dean Inge’s sarcasm belies an exceedingly simple truth: “pure” originality most likely does not exist, for even the most avant-garde creators require a foundation of some familiarity upon which to support their works, and that is a shared reality for us all, whether artistic or not. We learn our first words by mimicking; we write our first words by copying. Our points of view are made up of a combination of learned ideas, rejected notions, and inexplicable inspirations. Likewise, our imaginations are fed by what we’ve observed as much as what we’ve dreamed. So, it is nearly impossible to create something wholly “original” in every sense of the word. When we create, we take from experience and inspiration indiscriminately, and, often, we cannot tell the difference between the two during and after the creative process. Thus, Dean Inge’s “undetected plagiarism” is not only unoriginal material that gets past an audience, but it may also be unoriginal material that gets past the creator as well! We don’t always know the source of our ideas, and sometimes we take elements from hazy childhood memories or overheard comments or flashes of another’s imagistic work and attribute their conception to our own magical mental wellspring. It is only when another person draws our attention to the true source of our ideas that we realize we’ve inadvertently copied from someone else – and that can really sting! No one wants to be a plagiarist, but, in reality, no one can be purely original. So, how do we reconcile the matter? For me, it comes down to a three-step process:  When we are honest and upfront about the sources of our inspirations, we worry less about originality and find that embracing our creations becomes easier for us and for an audience to do. Just look at the colossal amount of fantasy literature and RPG material that is clearly derived from the works of Tolkien yet is nonetheless beloved by a huge audience. We all know that the creators borrowed liberally from good old J. R. R.; nevertheless, we purchase and enjoy their works. Of course, Tolkien himself admitted his greatest literary achievements were “influenced” by Norse and Finnish mythology, the epic Beowulf, the Nibelungenlied, and many of the works of William Morris among others. Still, the world accepts his creations for what they are, and today they are revered. Ultimately, originality is a rather fluid state, and we should not be paralyzed into inaction for fear of being unoriginal. When honesty precedes the presentation of creativity, the quality of “being original” becomes “being true to a fresh vision of old and new ideas,” and, under this definition, our art may be judged fairly for what it is. - JF |