| I make my living by stealing from others. I'm a newspaper photographer and when I see a great shot from another shooter I file it away, I sometimes even write it down. That way, when I find my self in a similar situation, I can think WWHCB do? That's "what would Henri Cartier-Bresson do" or whoever. Then I blend it with my own situation, style, historical period and — viola! — an "original" picture.
I'm also a folk music performer by trade and we call this the "folk process." Take an old tune, write some new lyrics and presto. It worked for Dylan, it worked for Woody Guthrie and it worked for every ancient traveling bard who ever used the same tune with new words to flatter a king.
I don't care if I'm breaking new ground as long as it's new ground for me. |