Does one thing must be utterly unique with a purpose to be inventive?
How are you going to show if one thing is unique or not?
In spite of everything, if one thing which I produce is just not unique, is it not only a waste of time placing in effort and time creating it?
This can be a problem which might petrify many individuals, and forestall them from making an attempt to supply something inventive.
Consequently, many potential inventive folks by no means even get began.
Whereas it’s true that to ensure that one thing to be inventive, it should be at the very least partially novel, distinctive or unique, what this implies is usually blown out of proportion.
It ends in folks believing that in the event that they create one thing which is in any manner much like one thing which already exists, it has no likelihood of being taken significantly or succeeding. There’s a worry that it’s going to make the creator appear like a fraud, simply copying what others have achieved and never having any unique concepts of their very own. And even worse, being accused of stealing another person’s concepts (which is one thing I hear typically, however is just not one thing you want to fear about).
Typically, this worry of coming throughout as your concept being a replica of what has come earlier than it could possibly paralyse folks with worry.
In sure fields, like doctoral college students in search of analysis matters to research and write about, a research in 2015 confirmed that the perceived must be unique causes important burdens and limits on folks.
But in actuality, each inventive concept builds on one thing which got here earlier than it.
Nothing is only unique.
Each new concept is a remix.
You don’t have to attempt to power originality to ensure that one thing to be inventive and appreciated by others.
Allow us to try to show this with an instance.
Think about you and a few mates have a deck of playing cards, and I set you the problem to “Consider a brand new card recreation with guidelines which have by no means existed earlier than”.
On the one hand, how would you try to discover proof of the foundations for each card recreation ever created? How in regards to the ones that are performed in properties however the place the foundations aren’t revealed?
It will make the duty nearly not possible.
Alternatively, what would occur should you created a recreation which none of you had ever performed earlier than? Which was unique for all of you?
Wouldn’t it then be dangerous if another person had beforehand had the identical concept, however you actually had by no means heard of it?
No, out of your perspective, it was unique. And even when it was not 100% unique, it may nonetheless be inventive and enjoyable.
Concepts don’t must be completely different from every part else on the planet with a purpose to be distinctive.
Typically, they only must be completely different indirectly.
Once we are studying a subject or a set of expertise with a purpose to be inventive, often we start by copying what others have achieved earlier than us. Then we would remodel it barely, making it extra inventive than beforehand. Lastly, we might start combining concepts and points from a number of sources, creating one thing which by no means existed earlier than.
Even when every half is much like one thing which got here earlier than it, the ultimate iteration can be unique and distinctive.
And eventually, allow us to not overlook that nice artists do liberally copy from what others have created.
The key is to not move off another person’s concepts as your individual, however to include them into your individual work.
As Austin Kleon writes in “Steal like an artist“:
Dangerous artists plagiarise.
However good artists steal from everywhere.
So don’t worry about making certain that what you produce is being unique for the sake of being unique.
As an alternative, simply get going and give attention to creating.
Creativity & Innovation professional: I assist people and firms construct their creativity and innovation capabilities, so you’ll be able to develop the following breakthrough concept which clients love. Chief Editor of Ideatovalue.com and Founder / CEO of Improvides Innovation Consulting. Coach / Speaker / Creator / TEDx Speaker / Voted as one of the influential innovation bloggers.
