One Original and Two Copies

I just have to get somethng off my chest.

Over time, I've heard a lot of creative people talk about things being "original" and it sort of kind of really pisses me off.

Yesterday I received a letter in the mail stating that my dipoloma for an Associate Degree is ready for pick up. I was totally stoked about it, told myself that it was about time and that it's now time to go be original. Well, that's a problem for me. I had a conversation with myself about originality and style, what it is, what it will be, what is my style and am I original? Increasingly more agitated about the word "original" I went into a deeper conversation of the use of the word.

"One original and two copies." This is what you want to send to the court when you send paperwork to them to get filed. Some prefer three copies, sure. Whatever. The idea of something unique and original is great and all, but I started to ask: what the eff is original anyway? Who cares about it? Why do we care so much about it?

Being original is great. It means you thought about something and put effort into it rather than biting off of someone else, which people are known to do. I'm suspect, fo sho. But, the moment something is deemed a copy it soon becomes original. Over time, things change.

Whenever I've had to file something with the court it was common practice to label original copies and copies with "copy." Makes sense. The judge would want the better copy, right? Sure, but the other two copies become part of the file in which the case is being referred to (did I say that right?). That "copy" gets "filed" with the court or maybe "recorded." That "copy" is now an original and gets put into the file. The other "copy" is yours to keep for YOUR file--it too gets "filed" or "recorded" and stamped and is now an original. And what about the "copies" that are sent out for service? Sometimes cases exceed thirty or more plaintiffs and defendants? For these guys the document is surely an original since they had never seen it before, right?

When it comes to being creative, there are probably few instances where I feel something is truly original. Nothing is original, otherwise. Music. Art. Architecture. Woodwork. Everything. It's all based off the same things, other things, and the same type of teachings. And that's where I stand.