The End of Creativity?

Everything originates from something. This is a simple idea and one many can agree with. However, if we alter the words to read, “Everything is a remix”, it becomes something else entirely that people begin to question. When we think of the term “remix”, most of us will think of it in terms of using something old and changing it to become something new. The word remix in noun form, however, is simply “a different version” (dictionary.com). So using the noun definition to redefine the verb, we come up with: to remix something is to create a different version of it. Using this definition of a remix, I too have come to believe that everything is a remix because everything stems from something.

As mentioned in the video, there is a method to remixing. It begins with copying. The copying of information does not have to be intentional. In fact, we have been doing it our entire life without realizing it. All of us have been influenced by something during our childhood. Perhaps your parents told you what religion to follow, or your friends told you who was a “freak” and who was “cool”, or maybe you just witnessed a stranger do something. Even now in day to day life we see things and subconsciously absorb it all.

After we “copy” information, we transform and combine it. This is the creative side of remixing. In this part in the process, we may reevaluate information and combine it with other information to get the outcome we want. This is how we come up with ideas and develop new technologies. Next time you come up with an idea, think “where did this idea come from?”. The chances are that you can actually trace it back to something you saw or heard. This is a remix. For example, the person who created a refrigerator probably combined the idea of a storage unit and air conditioning. Even though the combination of ideas was new and created something new, it is still creating “a different version” and therefore, is a remix.

The theory that everything is a remix is difficult to grasp. Originally I fought against this idea with all my heart, but eventually the data became overwhelming. I believe everything is a remix, but in contrast to when the author of the video said there are no new ideas, I believe it is possible to have a new idea. Perceptively combining more than one idea into one giant idea is new. If the combination is new then why cant the idea be new? Everything is remix, but it is not yet the end of creativity.