Stolen Ideas

Copy paste from PursuerOfDarkness Nii-san's journal

I recently hear from a friend that certain deviantArt users (I won't say who) have been declaring flame wars against users who they perceived as "stealing their ideas and techniques/styles". Well, in my opinion, this sort of view that "their ideas and techniques are stolen" by their peers is pretty damn retarded.

First of all, let's talk about the theft of ideas. This is the internet, loads of information flowing through it everyday. Sure you may come up with something you think is original, and if it's interesting someone is bound to like it and come up with their own based on your awesome "idea". But in the end, I will not believe you if you say you plucked that idea out of thin air, because there's no such thing as original ideas anymore. Your "original idea" is actually a culmination of all of the things you see, hear, touched and experienced. So in short, YOU stole other people's ideas as well.

Besides, there is nothing wrong with drawing inspiration of other people's works. Just don't use it as if it's your very own, or at the very least, you might wanna credit them. But for people who bitch and moan when their peers came up with something close to their own is rather immature.

Second, stealing techniques. To this day I still can't believe that anyone could find fault with people who used the same techniques or style as themselves (if you are offended by this, you're prolly the kind of people I hate) Some people want to improve themselves, to learn, and that is exactly they will mimic their favourite artist. Hell, I'd do it too. And I did, and slowly I will learn. Like ideas, your technique is a culmination of your efforts and experiences in the past, therefore you can't exactly claim it as your own and ban other people from mimicking you. Because deep down, you probably stole those techniques too.

In short, I do not think gaining inspiration or experiences from other people as an act of theft. It is a way for us to grow into something much more, resulting in a unique individual. Hell, is like bearing children, to simply put, as the child will gain traits from its parents. Even if you want to completely come up with something original, you cannot. Because you will always be influenced by your surroundings, the people you meet, the things you see and hear.

So to the people who would bitch and moan when people "steal" your ideas/techniques/style....