The Origins of Everything is a Remix (Part 1)As a teen, I struggled with originality, as I’m sure any creative person does. I idolized artists, especially musicians, and fully believed in innate talent. Some people had it. Some people didn’t. And that was your lot. I had some talent and assumed that was my lot. Sure, I thought I could raise my game, but not a lot because I wasn’t highly gifted. I was mystified as to how anybody could come up with anything original. This itch I had about originality and talent was what pulled me over the years to Everything is a Remix. How do great artists and thinkers create original work? I wanted that answer. That’s where your best ideas come from – some itch in your imagination. Music was the gatewayMusic was the gateway through which I would make my discovery. As a teen, my main thing was music. One album in particular wriggled into my mind like a parasite and slowly grew. That album was Paul’s Boutique by The Beastie Boys. When I first heard Paul’s Boutique I couldn’t truly grasp what I was hearing, but I knew it was a collage. I knew it was samples. I didn’t think they were playing all this stuff. Here’s why that album was transcendent for me. It was like you were hearing so much more than just a band. Because it was this crazy array of samples, from all genres. It had an awesome breadth that a band couldn’t capture. It was like the greatness of human genius smooshed together into one thing. It really stuck with me. And I basically never heard music like that again… until almost 20 years later. I’ll talk more about that later. Back to lifeBig detour after that, I went to university, worked as a graphic designer, published lots of zines and articles. I was just trying to get better at craft. Better writer, better designer, learn new software. I was trying to find my niche. It wasn’t until my thirties that I started to feel like, okay, let’s make something good now, let’s do something new, something people haven’t experienced before. I was making videos at this point, and I’m pretty good but more importantly, I’m improving quickly. And I’m getting some attention. There is momentum. For a year or so I was making comedic video blogs, I was also researching my big idea: how do original things happen? I didn’t know it at the time, but the Immerse phase of the creative process had begun. I’ll explain what that means next time. Have a wonderful week and enjoy your summers, everyone!
Kirby P.S. If you want to learn my filmmaking process directly from me, Everything I Know About Making Videos is your only opportunity. Get your spot now. |
