I recently read
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon and it was one of the best books I've ever read on creativity. One point he makes in the book is that nothing is original. We can't help but be influenced by one another, building off each other's ideas and work. Austin Kleon included this quote by Jim Jarmusch in his book:
Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to."
I love the thought of collecting ideas and weaving them into your work, whatever your work may be (art, writing, music, or something else entirely). Another quote I loved from
Steal Like an Artist is this one by Wilson Mizner: "If you steal from one author, it's plagarism; if you steal from many, it's research."
