Can't Create.....but Can Do

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Dick Mahany

Dick Mahany

Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2012
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323
Location
Palm Springs, CA
I'd like some input here................I love to make things, anything, just love the gratification of having made something that wasn't there before. I'll bet most of us here can relate to that.

What I find most difficult however is developing a unique concept or idea on my own. I have seen so many great ideas and excellent specimens here that give me the inspiration to continually push me to new limits. So I often find myself recreating someonelse's work.........just to prove to me that I can do it.

I don't sell my things and always credit original ideas to where I learned them from.

Just curious how many others feel the same way. I'd like to be an "Arteest" but am in awe of those who truly are...............what do you think ?? :):)
 
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I am the same way -- artistically challenged. I can do something once I see it, but I have trouble visualizing new and/or original things. My career paths (military and IT) taught me things are mostly black and white and to stay inside the box whatever you do. Hard to break 49 years of straight-jacketed thinking.
 
After many years of trying to find "original" inspiration (I think my muse is a complete lush and always at the bar), I finally admitted that I was better at "copied" inspiration... once in a blue moon I may create something cool and unique, but it's not very often. That said, I do think I can improve upon most of the ideas I "copy", which is my main impetus for taking on the project on the first place.

I see nothing wrong with honing your skills by copying someone else's work, but you should also explore by changing small items along the way. You may be surprised by what you come up with...
 
I have always advocated that "Design" is the hardest part. Mechanical skills are easy. It takes me 6 months to make a mediocre design no matter how hard I work at it. A lot of us take and copy some one else design to see if we can do it but then say I think that this would look better or maybe this would look good or "I think I will try this instead". This can lead to an original design "Inspired" by another's original. Some can not be improved on.
 
Chrissy is probably responsible for 75% of our creative process. Almost all of our segmenting comes from her along with blank/kit pairings. I'm just the skilled labor at that point.

The only real creativity on my part is when I do kitless work. She typically doesn't have any involvement in that.
 
Don't be upset - all of us (fortunately in my opinion) are blessed with different skills, talents or whatever.

In my own life I was a test engineer and could be as creative as I had to be (and perhaps a little more so) when find a way to test a new product. I sometimes had to be a lot more creative than the product designer. But I had a lot of years of background and experience to draw on.

In other areas I am much less creative. And, really not all that great at copying either. I can do many things (plumbing is not one of them, it seems everything I do there leaks) but not create much that's new.
 
I am by no means an artistic person, But I love making unique things. Normaly what I do is take an existing "thing" and think about how I could change it to make it unique. I keep doing that in my head until it no longer really resembles the original product but still serves the same basic function.
 
I find creativity in the blank and component pairings, trying to analyze the blank and seeing the finished pen before it is. I'm not really into a lot of the creative shapes with pens that I see, I like sleeker lines so bottle stoppers are fun for shapes. I have come up with my first original idea that will be done in the PITH and that's been fun....at least I think it is original, I've searched and haven't found where anyone has done it. In that case I wasn't sitting there looking for inspiration (with my beret on as usual:biggrin:)
 
I'm always trying to thing of someting different or unique. Although I don't thing I'm all thet good at it I do take others ideas and mix them together or add my own. I have copied others because I liked what I saw but I do try to come up with things on my own to set myself apart from the group.
 
Creative adaptation IS creativity, but not necessarily art. I've made pens out of horse hair, toenail clippings, cremains, bones, and a long list of other items. There really is nothing new under the sun, but there are new adaptions to long existing concepts.

I've never had a problem dreaming up new things to try, I do have a problem deciding which new adaptation to try next, and I have even more problem with sorting out the good ideas from the bad.
 
Chasper said:
Creative adaptation IS creativity, but not necessarily art. I've made pens out of horse hair, toenail clippings, cremains, bones, and a long list of other items. There really is nothing new under the sun, but there are new adaptions to long existing concepts.

I've never had a problem dreaming up new things to try, I do have a problem deciding which new adaptation to try next, and I have even more problem with sorting out the good ideas from the bad.
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Hmmmm.....sorta goes to show that creative adaptation isn't necessarily a very good thing....:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
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I like to think that I can be a bit creative when I'm in the mood.:rolleyes:
I believe that sometimes it's better to break down the process into two parts. First design something and sketch out your idea the way you envisage it. Only then should you think about how you can actually make it.
A logical mind trying to do both at the same time means you most often end up with a mess. Or a poor compromise of your original concept :wink: Because you will change the design to suit an easy method of manufacture
I actually get a bigger buzz out of solving the method of manufacture than the designing or even the finished product. I can easily spend about an hour coming up with a design I like, then several days figuring out how I'm going to make it, then only a few hours to actually make it. :)
 
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I think if you are gonna copy someone's work, the least you can do is do it to the same level or better and then give credit to the artist that you are copying. I find it embarrassing to the copier if they try something and it looks horrible(which is seen on here often), go ahead and post the pics expecting great feedback. but not many are willing to call a spade a spade. Just my opinion
 
Dan
Watch part pens, are a great example, 360 herringbone might be another, THe steam punk metal foil blanks would qualify.
 
Dan Masshardt said:
What would be an example of copying / adapting someone else's work?
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There are ton's of examples...someone post a picture of a "kitless" pen and someone else copies the design and a month later posts their own picture. In the birthday bash, there was a contest of pens that used some of Russ Fairfields designs with the maker's adaptations....
 
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