Very often, I come across a piece of online content that I find particularly awesome and valuable to me as an individual who has every intent on taking EtherFuture as far as it can possibly go. I then share this content with KOU, expecting him to take it in as the co-founder of this circle. The latest content in question approaches the idea of “originality.”

Seth Godin has the right idea that everyone should attest to when it comes to any artistic process:

It turns out that anyone who produces a totally new idea, something completely out of thin air, is unlikely to be a productive artist and a lot more likely to be seen as a total loon. Every artist builds on what came before.

Fact: I did not design & build this website from scratch using nothing but my own innate will and resourcefulness. The same applies with probably all the stories/ideas I’ve conjured. There has always been something or someone that I’ve been inspired from, taught by, or wanted to emulate in some way. From wherever point I began, my style evolved from those string of influences to remix already existing ideas into something that are injected with my deliberate creative core angle.

Think about high school. Anyone harboring any desire to stand out and/or become influential among others, likely including you, have, in one way or another, gone through similar motions. It’s not very “original” or inherently “new” for any of us.

For me, those that get all up in arms about sources of inspiration, the ones that misuse words like ‘plagiarism’ are rarely actively producing anything of value themselves. They’re merely trolls, eager to join a mob instead of spending their time and energy inventing, remixing and poking.

Though EF does have “original work” to share, we really haven’t reinvented the wheel at all. We utilize manga concepts. We draw from shoujo & shounen influences. I can tell you exactly where my ideas for Dance of Heart came from. However, what makes it “original” is what has been invented and drives the core concept. Aside from that, none of us, as creative individuals, are that much more “original” than the next.

Seth references multiple famous historical figures and blatantly pins them as “thieves”. Yes, they “stole” inspiration from those before them, cultivated it into their own personality and style, and somehow, by some stroke of chance and intent, managed to make history and impact their generation. That is why we’re here: To steal [read: learn] from those past & present (maybe even you) in order to meet a potential need.

If all an artist can do is steal, the truth will out. For the rest, though, a lifetime of consistent provocation, inspiration and generosity can’t help but shine through. Inspirations and all.

If you’re reading this, you likely acknowledge that you too have tried hard to be “original”. So have we. EtherFuture’s very existence is not entirely an original idea, but incorporates what I believe to be a tad avant-garde – working with patient people who have strong, imaginative ideas that entrust us to birth that into existence. We’re all about originality here, but acknowledge our wide variety of inspiration.

There are many artists who have been stolen from in a malicious fashion. In almost every instance I’ve heard, that person was discovered (thus, ironically, not very original). There might come a day when someone who wants to steal what EtherFuture in the same way. You are welcome to “steal” our passion for uniqueness and integrity to be a force within the fandom in your own regard.

In other words, don’t try to be “original”. At the core of everything, despite influences, be you. Understand yourself & be inspired by others who identify with who you are and share what you believe in. If you want to be creative, you probably can’t get any more “original” than that.

So go make something, and contribute to the exchange of artistic inspiration~!