I love this quote by Picasso because at first you think he’s being totally shady, then you realize…as Austin Kleon put it “Nothing is completely original. All creative work builds on what came before.”
I completely subscribe to this way of thinking, although it took a bit of getting used to and more than one "harumph, I'm totally original...". As a graphic recorder, I am always looking at others’ work to see how they approach an idea or what cool title someone else has come up with. As a dabbler with watercolors, I bow down to the people who came up with Pinterest and peruse it for inspiration or watercolor tricks all the time.
However, there are some key differences to good stealing and bad stealing. Mr. Kleon once again nails it:
So, the next time you’re feeling like throwing the computer out a window because that little cursor is just blinking merrily away on a blank document, or that canvas seems to be saying “What, it’s after Memorial Day, white is totally in,” you can take a deep breath, smile to yourself, and know you’ve got the Creative Genius of the thousands of years of humanity behind you. All you’ve got to do is tap into it, snag something interesting, then transform it to make it your own.
Once again, thank you from my heart and soul for your support, great senses of humor, brilliant minds, collaboration and what you're each doing to make the world a better place.
Cheers, Karina
Let's talk about your next event that could use a touch of visual storytelling.