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WHERE DO IDEAS COME FROM?
Where Do Ideas Come From.mp3Do ideas only stem from lonesome geniuses sitting under trees or are they born of influence? The Modernist (read: archaic) view is that ideas only come from above mentioned lonesome geniuses sitting under trees. Postmodernism, thankfully, suggests that invention cannot transpire in solitude.
"The inventing ‘self’ is socially influenced, even socially constituted, according to a variety of theorists,” and invention occurs “when individuals interact dialectically with sociocultural in a distinctive way to generate something." (Burke LeFevre, 1986, p. 33)
Our ideas come from our social and personal experiences and environment--things that we may have seen, read, experienced or heard. Burke LeFevre (1986) adds that “Invention builds on a foundation of knowledge accumulated from previous generations, knowledge that constitutes a social legacy of ideas, forms, and ways of thinking” (p. 33).
Lethem (2007) supports Burke LeFevre’s (1986) theory and adds that “Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void but out of chaos” (para 12).
It is clear that individuals depend upon their social milieu to invent. This analogy is coherent in academic writing as well because, as students, we read, analyze, and draw from others’ work before us. This learning, combined with our social and personal experiences, is responsible for shaping our opinions and aiding invention.
Lonesome genius sitting under a tree
(YouTube, 2017)
(Riverhead Books, 2010)
Steven Johnson creatively explains where good ideas come from
But, if invention is a social act, is everything a remix?
Is Everything A Remix.mp3“Remix is to combine or edit existing materials to produce something new” (Ferguson, 2015, 0.08-0.10). According to Ferguson (2015), everything--music, film, art, literature and even technology--is a remix. He takes us back to Paris in 1961 where novelist William Burroughs coins the term ‘heavy metal’ in the novel called The Soft Machine, a book composed using the cut-up technique--taking existing writing and literally chopping it up and rearranging it… He produces the early remix (Ferguson, 2015, 2:07-2:25).
But remix became popular through its extensive application primarily in the music industry. For example, Led Zeppelin copied and remixed multiple songs from other artists.
(Ferguson, 2015)
Everything is a remix: case study
Led Zeppelin
According to Ferguson (2015), what distinguished Led Zeppelin from other remix artists was that “they didn’t attribute songwriting to the original artist... they didn’t modify their versions enough to claim they were original... Zeppelin copied without making fundamental changes” (4:17-4:39).
So, is imitation a problem?
Is Imitation A Problem.mp3It isn't.
According to Lethem (2007), "Most artists are brought to their vocation when their own nascent gifts are awakened by the work of a master. That is to say, most artists are converted to art by art itself” (para. 12).
Edwards (2016) supports Lethem’s (2007) claim by stating that, “In classical rhetoric, imitation (mimesis/imitatio) was deeply connected to invention, style, memory, ethics, and being” (p. 43). “The significance of imitation rests on early observations from classical thinkers, including Isocrates, Plato, and Aristotle, each of whom observed that humans tended to model those they admire. (Edwards, 2016, p. 43)
Remember drawing the human anatomy for a biology lab? Or that map in Geography? Or that sunset for an art competition? We learned to do these by copying the images in our textbooks or artwork by other artists. Our teachers told us to keep copying till we perfected these drawings.
According to Edwards (2016), this idea of imitation originated in classical Greece and was deeply connected to invention, style, memory and ethics. Thinkers like Isocrates, Plato and Aristotle observed that we have a tendency to imitate those we admire and this imitation helps us hone our skills.
And who are we to argue with Isocrates, Plato, and Aristotle?
“Although Burke LeFevre (1986) did not explicitly mention imitation in her argument, Edwards (2016) also suggests that her positioning of invention as a social process is highly aligned with this classical mindset of imitation” (p. 45-46).
We learn through imitation. Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers, most Disney films, Harry Potter, James Bond, Star Trek, Star Wars (and more) all copy, combine and transform other sources.
Copying other works, combining them, and then adding your own flavour to transform them into an original work is what remix is all about. Therefore, remix--a socially influenced process--gives way to invention.
And yes, in today’s world, everything is a remix!
(Just Read, 2017)
Imitation and intertextuality: case study
Stranger Things
Stranger Things is celebrated for its 80s pop-culture references. This video looks at how the show effectively and creatively uses intertextuality to define themes and characters.
But wait... If everything is a remix, then what about solitary geniuses?
Solitary Geniuses.mp3Before we discuss our lonesome geniuses sitting under trees, let us understand what is genius.
According to Garber (2002), “The thinkers of antiquity suggested that every person had two geniuses, one good and one evil, which competed for influence” (para. 15).
If that is difficult to comprehend, picture Captain Jack Sparrow weighing the pros and cons of immortality with the miniature Captain Jack Sparrows standing on his shoulders.
However, this definition of genius has changed over time.
(Screen Themes, 2016)
(Garber, 2002, para. 16)
Unfortunately, Addison's inflated definition of genius has stuck with today’s society.
Going back to the idea that invention is a social act, Mott-Smith (2017) stands by LeFevre (1986), Garber (2002), Lethem (2007), Edwards (2014) and Ferguson (2015) in saying that, “This image of a lone author capturing never-before-heard-of ideas simply is not supported by writing research, which shows that writers both recombine ideas to create something new and collaborate with others when generating their texts” (p. 250).
The problem is that “Deep within us lies a certain strain of longing for genius, a genius worship, that might be described as messianic: the hope that a genius will come along to save us from our technological, philosophical, spiritual, or aesthetic impasse” (Garber, 2002, para. 41).
Steve Jobs is considered a lone genius. Here is a case study of how Apple implemented the "multi-touch" feature on its iPhones.
(Ferguson, 2015)
Everything is a remix: case study
The iPhone
"Multi-touch" was not invented by Apple. It existed in the technology ecosystem for decades. However, Apple's implementation was unprecedented.
Thankfully, Mott-Smith (2017) points out that, "This image of a lone author capturing never-before-heard-of ideas simply is not supported by writing research, which shows that writers both recombine ideas to create something new and collaborate with others when generating their texts.” (p. 250)
These examples illustrate that everything is a remix and that there is no such thing as a solitary genius.