Originality - Not all it is cracked up to be

A major creative block for most people is the want to create something no one else is heard or seen before. This is a hatchet I have long since buried. Yes, romantically speaking it would be nice to create something so new and fresh it could be classified as being original, but even still that is not all it is cracked up to be.

Look at all of the 'before-their-timers' the people on this earth that were truly original. Most of these amazing minds were never even recognized as being great in their lifetime. Sure, their legacy lives on now, but in their day they weren't original at all, they were just weird. That is because we cleave to some form of familiarity. If something is truly original it is so foriegn that it is almost uncomfortable. That is why so many indie artists hate mainstream music, it is so familiar that it is sickening.

But I'm afraid some people, in fear of being too familiar, are blocking their muses if they don't let what ever is trapped in their mind come out, regardless of how unoriginal it may be. In terms of music I try to 'find the song', similiar to the way Michealangelo would 'find the sculpture' all ready in the rock. It was always there, he just needed to remove the right pieces to reveal it.

When I first find a couple of chords I like I am trying to find the song that is there. Sometimes the song sounds like this band, or that band, but you push through. Don't get bogged down, because inevitably your song will sound a little like someone else's song, especially if it is good. The only way to create a song that doesn't sound like any other song is to write a song with an out-of-tune guitar.

I will use this song 'Just to be Free' as an example. I was very proud of this song when I finished it, not because I created a new idea, or because the imagery or mood was so distinctly different than anyone else, but because the words seemed like words from a song, a real song.

I guess what I am getting at is to not worry about being original as much as just worry about creating something. And then make sure what you are creating is something you like, eventually originality will come naturally.