The disappointment of hearing something someone has already said can be completely crushing. From a stand-up comic doing a crappy version of a previously brilliant joke, to a musician mimicking an artist who was adventurous and creative nothing bothers me more than people putting no creative thought into what they say and do.
Oddly enough, there’s a fine line – quoting movies and TV shows as we all know gets very old, but expanding on a character can be hilarious if done in a new and creative fashion. Musicians using ideas from greats and molding it into something of their own is another example of using a founding idea but in a new setting to bring interesting perspective or expand upon it.
Time and again this occurs to me as I constantly challenge myself to say something slightly differently, twist some words or some notes, and wring out something new from my brain. Though I don’t consider myself tremendously talented at this by any means, challenging yourself to be truly creative is a lot of fun and demands not only patience, but the will to fail (that will being something I’m only now discovering and a whole post unto its own).
Too often I see and hear people around me in everyday life as well as ‘professionals’ taking the easy way out. It’s such a let down in so many ways and I never can understand how they can let themselves get away with it. Do yourself a favor and hold yourself to the highest creative standards – it makes the simplest things challenging and can make things terribly funny, astute, and profound.