Everything is a remix: Kirby Ferguson at TEDxFortWayne

Summary

The 'Everything Is a Remix' series explores the true nature of creativity, revealing that all innovation builds on what came before. Using examples from music, film, and technology, it demonstrates that new ideas emerge through copying, transforming, and combining existing works. From early hip-hop sampling to Star Wars, Picasso, and the creation of the Mac, the series debunks myths of divine inspiration and lone genius. By showing that creativity is iterative and accessible, it encourages everyone to experiment, illustrating that even simple remixes are part of the same creative continuum that has driven historical breakthroughs and cultural evolution.

Takeaways

• 🎵 Remixing is the foundation of creativity: new ideas are often created by copying, transforming, and combining existing works.
• 🧠 Creativity myths, like the divine inspiration or lone genius, are largely misleading; real creativity is iterative and cumulative.
• 📚 Domain knowledge is essential: mastering the language and conventions of a field through copying and emulation is the first step toward innovation.
• 🔄 Transformation is key: modifying, inverting, expanding, or making mistakes with existing ideas generates new creations.
• 🔗 Combining unrelated ideas can lead to breakthroughs, as seen in innovations like Gutenberg's printing press or the World Wide Web.
• 🎬 Popular culture, such as Star Wars, demonstrates that even iconic works are remixes of prior influences across multiple sources and genres.
• 💡 Historical inventions like the steam engine, typewriter, and light bulb were improvements on existing technologies, not entirely original creations.
• 💻 Technological innovation often involves merging existing tools with new contexts, exemplified by Apple adapting Xerox’s ideas to create the Macintosh.
• ⚖️ Ideas are not property: multiple people can possess and develop the same idea, highlighting the difference between copying and stealing.
• 🚀 Small creative acts, like uploading a remix video, use the same underlying principles as major innovations and can develop into larger accomplishments.
• 📈 Persistence, experimentation, and iterative effort are more important than innate genius for achieving creative breakthroughs.
• 👥 By recognizing influences and building upon existing work, anyone can participate in the creative process, making creativity accessible to all.

Q & A

What is the central theme of the 'Everything is a Remix' series?

The central theme is that all creative work involves remixing existing ideas, meaning that new creations are built by copying, transforming, and combining prior works rather than being completely original.

How does the speaker define 'remix' beyond music?

The speaker defines remix broadly as creating new stuff out of old stuff through processes like copying, transforming, and combining existing materials, applying this concept to art, film, technology, and other domains.

What myths about creativity does the speaker challenge?

The speaker challenges myths such as the notion of divine inspiration, the lone genius who creates in isolation, and the idea that originality is solely owned by individuals.

What are the three core elements of creativity according to the transcript?

The three core elements are: 1) Domain knowledge—learning the language of a field through imitation, 2) Transformation—modifying existing ideas, and 3) Combination—merging unrelated ideas to create new innovations.

Can you give examples of how music illustrates the remix principle?

Early hip-hop, like Sugar Hill Gang's 'Rappers Delight,' sampled Chic's 'Good Times.' This sampling demonstrates how musicians create new works by reusing and transforming existing material.

How does the transcript illustrate remixing in film?

Star Wars is used as an example, showing how George Lucas drew inspiration from Joseph Campbell's mythology, Flash Gordon serials, Akira Kurosawa films, and classic Westerns to combine existing ideas into a new work.

How does technology demonstrate remix and combination in the transcript?

Examples include the light bulb (Edison improving existing bulbs), the typewriter (Scholes adapting piano layouts), the printing press (Gutenberg combining screw press with existing printing tech), the Mac (combining Xerox Alto with consumer-focused design), and the World Wide Web (hypertext over the internet).

Why does the speaker argue that ideas are not property?

Ideas are intangible and cannot be physically taken. Copying an idea does not remove it from the original creator; instead, it allows multiple people to build upon it. Thinking of ideas as property creates unnecessary possessiveness.

How does imitation contribute to mastering a field?

Imitation allows a person to acquire domain knowledge by learning the 'language' of a field, understanding its conventions, and practicing the basic techniques before innovating.

What message does the speaker leave about the accessibility of creativity?

The speaker emphasizes that anyone can engage in creative work using the same core techniques of copying, transforming, and combining. Even small-scale projects, like remix videos, are part of the same creative process as world-changing innovations.

How does the transcript show the role of transformation in creativity?

Transformation is illustrated by examples like James Watt refining the steam engine, Edison's iterative testing of filaments for the light bulb, and artists or writers modifying existing works to create new expressions.

What is the significance of combination in driving major innovations?

Combination is crucial because merging unrelated ideas can create breakthroughs. Examples include Gutenberg's screw press adaptation, the Macintosh combining the Alto interface with a home-friendly design, and Tim Berners-Lee layering hypertext over the internet.