With the passing of Steve Jobs this Fall, the discussion of his fame and cult-like following became inescapable and to some unbearable as they attempted to diminish his capabilities as a creator. This was done, in my opinion, out of annoyance to the buzz revolving his demise.
In discussion during one of my painting courses, someone pointed out that Steve Jobs was not a genius at all, rather all of his ideas originated from a futuristic Utopian novel (if you know this novel please comment) or from pre-existing inventions/ideas such as Alan Kay's Dynabook (Apple's iPad) and Kane Kramer alongside James Campbell's portable music player (Apple's iPod).
I just sat there thinking "seriously?". As artists, nothing is original. No living artist today is original because, let's face it...it has ALL been done. This is why my professors put such an emphasis on educating young artists on art history, because if we didn't steal from others we would not even know how to create. The trick is to steal from the best, as for who the best is, you decide. As an artist, inspiration can come from anywhere, and like Steve Jobs, our job is to take these influences and bring them to life through creation.
As part of this blog, I hope to bring about some enlightening discussion on contemporary artists, issues, and basically just fun creativity.
As a final note, Jean-Luc Godard said it best, "It's not where you take things from--It's where you take them to".
R.I.P. Steve Jobs
