Blog 11: Embrace the Remix - Kirby Ferguson

For my third post, I chose the TED Talk by Kirby Ferguson, "Embrace the Remix." 
Obviously evident through his title of the speech, his main point is this: "Nothing is original, everything is a remix. But does it really matter?"

I chose his speech  because I was personally interested and connected to his main point. I really do think that it does not really matter as long as the remix of original and new idea is novel from the original idea.

In the speech, he proposes the idea that everything we create are taken from an inspiration that has come before. To back up this idea, he presents numerous evidence that ranges from simple borrowing to complex legal system. He attempts to summarize a lot of his conclusions and says, "our creativity comes from without, not from within. We are not self made, we are dependent on one another. Admitting this to ourselves isn't an embrace of mediocrity and derivativeness -- it's a liberation from out misconceptions, and it's an incentive to not expect so much from ourselves, and ti simply begin." 

He gives conclusion that is somewhat controversial to audiences: "stop trying to reinvent the wheel and instead build off of everything that has come before." I personally agree with his conclusion as I believe that most of all artists create something that are influenced by everything around them. There has to be something that inspire us to create something new--therefore, it is an inspiration that is built on original idea. He goes on saying that, we should not consider this as "stealing." Originality does not really exist, artists simply rework what is already existing in their own way. It's important here to highlight the part "in their own way." Interpreting in your own way is a key point that differs from just copying the original work. It goes through the filter of individual's perspective and mind that gives character to what have been created.