Originality Is Extinct

The earliest cave painting known to archaeologists is approximately 40,000 years old. Think about that for a moment. We, as a people, have been creating for 40,000 years.

However, humans didn't begin to farm until about 11,000 years ago. That means that we, as a race, decided that creating was more important than consistently feeding ourselves. And we wonder where the idea of the "starving artist" came from.

With 40,000 years worth of painters, storytellers, and singers that came before us, it's hard to imagine that any idea or thought is truly our own. That no one has ever considered such a thing. As a people, we haven't learned anything. We continue to create for the sole purpose of making ourselves happy, even if our work isn't entirely our own.

AND THAT'S OKAY. 

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No matter what your idea is, someone else had already done it, or thought of it.

AND THAT'S OKAY.

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It doesn't mean that you should give up. You can't worry about whether or not someone's already done it. Whether everyone's already done it. Whether they did it better.

What makes your idea special is that it's yours. You bring something else to it that no one else can. 

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AND THAT'S OKAY.

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If an artist doesn't put a bit of themselves into the art, then what's the point of creating it in the first place? There isn't one. There never was, and there never will be. 

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AND THAT'S OKAY.

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We don't need a reason to create. Originality is extinct, yet we will create anyways. And that is precisely the way it should be.

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This lovely little rant is brought to you by Reveur.

Why It’s Okay to Revamp Your Characters

I would like for you to remember your very first character. Do you blush at the thought of it (and its possible neon hair and ultimate power), or do you have fond memories of the scenarios you would think up involving this character? You probably were young and had no idea how to make one, or you made the character very recently. Regardless, original characters (OCs) and fan characters (FCs) are often very dear to us. I know I think of my OCs and FCs as my babies.

However, it’s often how inconsistent they are or how illogical their story is, maybe even how bad the design is, that drives us to recreate these characters. Some people claim that keeping OCs and FCs the same can help take you back to how far you have come. Others say that the original version is what they are comfortable with.

However, think of this.

If you decide to never change your art or the characters you create, your improvement will stagnate. Look at Bugs Bunny (below) and how his design has changed over the years.

Not only did his design change, but the art style changed.

I cannot for the life of me understand why people get so upset over art and writing styles changing over time. I can understand that stylistic consistency is a very nice thing to have, but you shouldn’t feel forced to keep your style the same.

*Phantasma has dropped the mic*