Musings on originality

Originality is a moving target. 

If, early in your career, you create something that feels original, and that many people resonate with, good for you. But this doesn’t mean you’re a spring of originality. You might not be a visionary. It might just mean that you got lucky. 

If, early in your career, your work doesn’t resonate, and it doesn’t garner an audience, that’s a bummer. But this doesn’t mean you’re not original. You might not be destined for mediocrity. It might just mean that you got unlucky. 

The description of “originality” is usually reserved to describe fresh-feeling art that people like. People don’t use “originality” as a way to describe art they don’t like, even if it is original. 

You could be original today, and played-out tomorrow. Someone could bite your style. The cultural appetite could shift. It’s foolish to chase pure originality because you don’t know where you’ll find it.

I’ve seen some artists have a hit early in their career, and then not know how to replicate it. They got lucky on their first try, and never developed a process for creating work that resonates.