THE MYTH OF ORIGINALITY
“Millions of men have lived to fight, build palaces and boundaries, shape destinies and societies; but the compelling force of all times has been the force of originality and creation profoundly affecting the roots of human spirit.”
~ Ansel Adams
The word “originality” has too many meanings in play for me to really trust it. The way Ansel Adams says it makes me want to stand up and cheer, but I’m barely out my seat when, out of the side of his mouth, M.C. Escher whispers, “Originality is merely an illusion,” and I sit back down, glad I didn’t embarrass myself.
Then Herman Melville takes umbrage, turns to Escher and says, “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation,” before Ezra Pound joins the fray ...
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