In an age and society where EVERYONE is overly obsessed with distinguishing themselves from others, how does one actually achieve that goal with any sort of validity? And considering that there's such a large number of people pursuing this goal, it ultimately results in sameness. The irony.
Within the context of art, it seems as though most people have forgotten the essence and perspective from which the concept of originality was birthed which was simply to offer an alternative take, expression, or approach on/of something that was once stuck in the norm of a particular era. Now it seems to have turned it into one's egocentric desire to feel like they're in "a league of their own" and that only an enlightened-few who live in the same ether can appreciate their divinely inspired ideas.
Granted, there are those rare individuals who indeed are exceptionally unique, innately, and contribute things to the world that are truly progressive and profoundly brilliant, but one could argue that for the extremely small percentage of those individuals that exist, it's highly doubtful that their primary concern is critical acclaim since they're more than likely too busy just trying to get people to understand them and relate to their vision.
The true genius that pioneers, innovators and progressive minds possess lies in their ability to be so rigorously dedicated and immersed in their crafts, ideas, and causes that they're somewhat disconnected from formal criteria, awards, and accolades. For them, it's so much about advancing, enhancing or re-inventing "that thing" that they are inextricably connected to that as they are achieving what their passion and heart has driven them to accomplish, the world begins to realize that its existing measure of what is considered to be the "epitome" of those achievements has been surpassed and needs to be re-evaluated and reconstructed to fit the new peak standard that the genius has set.
Even then, the genius continues to push limits and boundaries because they can't seem to physically manifest the visions they see mentally at a fast enough rate, all the while, still giving little attention to the fame and critiques that accompany the legacy they are building. But finally after an extended period - and sometimes a lifetime - of consistent output of stellar work, they either live just long enough for the world to "catch-up" and thank them (i.e. Michael Jackson) or they die before that opportunity presents itself and the appreciative-value of their work fully blossoms (i.e. Jean-Michel Basquiat). That's originality and genius in it's purest form.
Unfortunately, there are a plethora of individuals who I call "pseudo-originals." These are the people who attempt to appear apart from the masses by following a bogus set of guidelines they've subscribed to as a result of exposing themselves to various pop-culture media outlets and combining what they've absorbed so that they can reflect a new, manufactured-self back out into the world in a very conspicuous manner. They achieve this by making surface-level image and speech adjustments (that are devoid of any true understanding of the origins of that which they are imitating) to create a smorgasbord of tasteless and obnoxious proportions and WALLAH...they begin asserting their originality and will fight tooth-and-nail in its defense with no basis at all besides their empty, yet passionate, conviction.
It gets worse however, when you run into what I call the "pseudo-genius." This is the bold individual who has their sights set on the "avant garde" and will therefore make very extreme statements in all forms of self-expression because they are of the mind that "obscurity" and the "far-left-field" are places worth relishing in. Thus, creating an altogether different kind of eye and/or ear-sore of EPIC proportions.
Sure...we're all inspired by something. On some occasions people build on that foundation of inspiration and create something that's truly original - but by-in-large, most people don't. Every generation is blessed with a few geniuses that change the status-quo while the rest of society adjusts with the rippling effects of those changes. You're not going to like this but I'm still going to say it - IT'S OK TO NOT BE ORIGINAL OR BE A GENIUS. I know, I know...but it seems so cool right? Well the sooner you get over the need to achieve that, the more comfortable you'll become with yourself. I'm not saying no one should aspire to be great at something. I'm saying don't obsess over trying to be something that you're not naturally for the sake of being "different" and don't just aspire to do great things for the sake of "greatness." When you do that, you're no different than the "pseudo-original" and the "pseudo-genius" who are really just insecure posers who didn't get enough attention growing up.
Be-YOU-tiful.
