I research the ways in which youth build on the Internet, and what I find most amazing is their ability to remix without any fear of not being original. They take something that exists, remix it, mutate it, and come up with something new, without worrying about originality in a way that makes many older artists incapable of producing anything. Until recently, I believed this was a lesser kind of creativity. I think it is closer to real creativity than we give it credit for.
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The originality myth
We learn to revere originality, an ideal where we create something out of absolutely nothing that is totally novel. The truth is, the notion is a myth that isn’t quite true. Very few of the things we consider original are actually anything more than a brand new combination of parts from pre-existing ideas. Everyone learns from their predecessors, takes things apart, and makes something new.
This myth has been debunked by the younger generation of artists who blend and borrow freely, combine styles and genres, and use existing culture as mere material rather than as something divine. It’s not an absence of creativity; it’s merely the act of creativity working as it normally does minus the pretense. And unencumbered by the pressure of having to create out of thin air, they produce with great frequency and joy, much to the chagrin of many stuck adults.
Combination as a creative engine
Combination is one of the most potent sources of creativity imaginable. Pick any two ideas that seem like they won’t necessarily connect, combine them into something else, and watch the magic happen. It is frequently unexpected, unique, and entirely new, despite every idea being borrowed somewhere else. That’s how new genres are created, how new inventions are conceived, and how culture evolves. The people combining elements all the time online, for fun, understand one of the greatest secrets of creation.
The whimsical urge to blend and transform should be encouraged, especially since technology enables the process to happen quickly, thus allowing a much wider range of combinations to be considered. Something as simple as a pokemon fusion generator captures the principle perfectly, letting a young creator combine elements and instantly see a new result, which is exactly the kind of play that teaches creative combination.
Why this matters beyond play
What children learn to do by combining ideas while playing is exactly what drives innovation in grownups. An inventor who takes two concepts that have been used before and uses them to create something entirely different, a scientist applying one discipline’s approach to solve a problem in another, an artist merging different artistic techniques, are all using the exact same process that kids use while creating their playful mashup creations.
That’s why I no longer believe that the remix culture stifles the creativity of youth. On the contrary, the truth is that they are learning how to create, combine, mutate, transform. The fear of losing originality that hinders the work of mature artists was never necessary for the real thing, and youth do not need it.
Unlearning the fear
To the older creator who is immobilized by the need to be original, the key from the younger remixer is freedom. Do not worry about invention from scratch. Instead, try mixing elements you enjoy, elements that intrigue you, and elements which are perhaps unlikely to work together, and discover what comes of it. You’ll make something original through your tastes and choices, even if originality is not your starting point.
Create like a kid
In case the urge for originality has got you stuck, permit yourself to do some remixing. Mix, mutate, transform, and know that you will add your own unique twist to it. Playful tools like the ones at faddyai are a low-stakes way to practice creative combination and rediscover how generative the remix instinct really is.
Remix culture isn’t a debased form of creation. It is creation stripped of the notion of originality, exposing the truth about how new things are created: by borrowing from and transforming the old. Youthful creators know this in their bones, and that is why they create without constraint. The rest of us should unlearn our insecurity and create as they do, fearlessly remixing our way to something new.
Combination as a lifelong skill
The instinct of remixing that children do while working on fun stuff isn’t something they just outgrow; it’s an innovation muscle whose dividends are paid in a lifetime if it isn’t beaten out of them. When a person combines two industries that have nothing to do with each other to form a business, when a scientist uses a tool from another industry to solve a difficult problem, when an artist uses combinations no one ever thought of before, they are basically using the same engine a child uses by putting together their interests.
What frightens me is how completely we teach this sense out of people as they mature, replacing the joy of mixing freely with the nervous veneration of originality that freezes more often than it inspires. The artists are correct here, and the rest of us could learn a thing or two by being as fearless as they are. Originality is not a prerequisite that you must have before you start, but a consequence of the unique combination of unique influences by a unique individual.
