There’s a very thin line between these three: Inspiration, Innovation, and Imitation.

Einstein said, “the secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”

Albert Von Szent Gyorgy said, “discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what no body has thought.”

And then there’s the famous, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” by Charles Caleb Colton.

To quote Maria Popova of Brain Pickings, as many of the recent posts on Drempt have been doing,

“..creativity is simply the sum total of your mental resources, the catalog of ideas you’ve accumulated over the years by being alive and alert and attentive to the outside world.”

This last feature on remix culture is from a post on Brain Pickings called Similarities.  Its about posters and pictures from the past that have been reused in advertisements and promotional art of today!  And just as all the research in these Brain Pickings posts have been captivating, the comments following this particular post were just as fascinating!

Its like déjà vu all over again! You really have to see to believe, so check out the link!

So then the final question is, where do ideas come from? Are they drempt?

Funny you should ask, because I just saw a TED Talks video featuring an author who asked almost exactly that, and wrote a book about it: “Where Good Ideas Come From.”

Steven Johnson‘s presentation really summed up this research on remix culture and creativity I’ve been doing.  Around the 6:47 mark he explains how innovation happens!

I’ve learned so much about these creative concepts, from my introduction to remix culture through “Walking on Eggshells: Borrowing Culture in the Remix Age“,  to “Everything is a Remix“,  to “RiP: A Remix Manifesto“, to “Versions“, and now “Similarities” and “Where Good Ideas Come From“!

Which post did you like the best? Hard to choose, I know!

What a way to start the year!..Now back to work, more inspired than ever!

~Arielle