Creativity and Originality
Normally, it’s quite rare for me to openly express my thoughts on certain topics, whether it be politics, religion, or anything/everything at this point. But, I feel like this is something most people will understand. To be creative and “original” usually means to come up with an idea that hasn’t been used over and over to the point it’s been diluted and worn out due to the amount of times this one thing has been thought of by the masses of people who believe they can somehow make it better. Take the whole vampire and werewolf characterization, both character species were once powerful, monstrous, beings who brought fear into the masses of those who heard of their many stories through out history. Ever since the arrival of Twilight and The Vampire Diaries, the vampire characterization has become nothing more than a prepubescent teen’s fantasy lover. From being a once terrifying creature, to that of a so called “heart throb” of a man who either sparkles in daylight, or whose the “heroine’s” male love interest. Now, do I find a paranormal lover to be a bit interesting? Eh, depends on the situation I suppose. Now, what irks me is that people have now rubbed away the main points that make up a vampire only to leave some pathetic, mainstream view on what was once the normal vampire. Since when in God’s green earth have vampires SPARKLED? Since when did a vampire become a love sick puppy whose over all character is nothing more than a bland and dull man whose only redeeming qualities lies within his physical appearance? Vampires aren’t supposed to be some pseudo-lamenting/depressing creature, they aren’t supposed to be these “deep” thinkers and so on. Now, I’m not trying to say that they can’t be physically attractive, I’m just saying that people need to stop falling over onto the ground because they just had to stop and stare at some sparkling fairy boy instead of doing something other than becoming his obsessive fangirl.
Now, I can happily admit that I’m a fan of werewolves, though my fascination started due to the Native American tales of the skin walkers. My only issue with this species as of now is how they’re portrayed as either: A shifter (turning into a wolf) or that of a physically attractive person whose in constant struggle with not only their inner beast, but must also face off with other species of paranormal figures. I remember when a werewolf was a creature who turned into a beast because of the full moon, who could only be stopped with that of a silver bullet..Now, just like the vampire species, they’ve been watered down to fit the teen scene view on the paranormal. How in the world can a werewolf be considered a teen heart throb or even a suitable love interest for a heroine in a soft core teen romance story? These notions are basically stripping everything that once made a werewolf into something that’s been distorted, corrupted by the ideals of the mainstream creators (authors, T.V. writers, and so on) who want to do away with the true creatures of the night in order to replace it with this overly hormonal teen girl’s fantasy and views on what a true werewolf should be. Once again, the once great figures of the horror genre have become nothing more than a stereotype that’s been created to define these species within this new era of humanity.
Bringing this back to the main topic of which I’m writing about, I’ve been noticing a large amount of characters (whether created by people I know/don’t know, or from any other form of media) become a mere carbon copy of something that’s become disappointingly familiar. From character theft to that of ripping off the personality types of mainstream/famous characters has been becoming the norm within the artist community. These characters, the rip offs, have gone so far as to be labeled as “original” by their creators and their supporters, that if you say anything that proves otherwise will lead to you dealing with a hoard of minions who’re to blind to notice the truth. I’ll be blunt with my view on this..Stealing the design or even the personality traits of a character doesn’t make the abomination a person creates an “original” character. The thing in which has been created is nothing more than a mere false persona that has no originality in creation or history to even stand alone to be labeled and seen as something completely original. Yes, I understand if you’re oh so inspired by a certain thing to the point of wanting to create something similar to it, but for the love of all things holy, separate the creation from the inspiration! A recolor isn’t original, a character who has the gender bent appearance of a main character with the personality type of another character isn’t original either. If you truly desire to create a character, then do so with your own thoughts and ideas. Yes, it may come out as something that’s not liked by a certain group of people, but you’ll have the pride of knowing you created something and the willingness to better your creation within the future.
With this final ending, I have said my views on this subject matter in hopes of inspiring a young artist, writer, or whatever you may be to seek out originality and creativity through your own view point, not that of the mainstream.