Greatness doesnt come from a single great idea or Eureka moment.
It comes from painstakingly borrowing other peoples work and building on it.
We steal our way to greatness.
Cathryn Lavery
What we perceive as original is often just a rearrangement of what has come before.
This is especially true for creativity.
When I began my career as a writer, I wanted to find my voice.
Whenever I tried to write in what felt like my style, though, it wasnt good.
Inevitably, the style would drift to that of whatever book I had just read.
For a long time, I thoughtreal writers did something different.
Cathryn Lavery
Turns out, thats not true.
We find our voice by writing in other voices.
In other words, we create not in isolation but with the influence of others around us.
So forget the flashes of insight and every other myth youve heard.
Innovation is really iteration.
Ironically, there are others who have been credited for saying the same thing.
Even a quote about stealing is not an original creation.
This work we do is not making things out of nothing.
Creative work involves pulling together old ideas and offering new insights on them.
In a word,stealingthats what creativity really is.
We do not create our way into becoming artists; we rob our way in.
You have to steal, actor Michael Caine once said.
Steal whatever you see.
Stealingthats what creativity really is.
This creative theft is not something you do because you are lazy or undisciplined.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
The most creative minds in the world are not especially creative; theyre just better at rearrangement.
to make it do that, they have to be familiar with their influences.
They have to study before they steal.
Begin As a Copycat, End As a Master
Great artists do not make a run at be original.
Skill gets imprinted through action, as dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp once said.
We create by copying, and as we do, the skill becomes embedded into our memory.
They keep copying until the techniques become internalized.
Then and only then can you create something the world calls original.
Let your influences know you are learning from them and that they are inspiring you.
And as much as possible, cite your sources, giving credit where credit is due.
This wont discredit you.
It will likely endear you to your influences and your audience.
Showing your ability to copy others work will prove that you did your homework.
When you steal, dont just copy and paste the work of your predecessors.
after you grab mastered the form, bring those influences together in a new way.
Curate before you create.
You will be building on it and making it better.
