Go Fourth and Create

  Our culture puts a high value on originality, on casting away the past & building something entirely new. That's why countless would-be Zuckerbergs are out there hustling to make it big and become a "disruptor." Only one problem: there's no such thing as complete originality. Every creative person learns from what came before, copies it to some extent, and then tries to put a personal spin on it. Isaac Newton knew that when he said "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants." And he was paraphrasing someone else when he said it!
     To put the matter in modern terms: everything is a remix. And that bring us to Star Wars Day.

  

     Star Wars is a remix of all the sci-fi, pop culture, and Eastern philosophy that was rattling around the mind of George Lucas in the 1970s. Fans have for decades shared their own Star Wars-related creations: homemade lightsabers, elaborate fan fiction, Comic-Con outfits, et cetera. Even Star Wars Day was invented by fans before it was embraced by the empire currently ruling the Star Wars universe: Disney.

     So although you could surely celebrate May The Fourth by purchasing official merch and making the House of Mouse a little richer, may we suggest a ritual that costs $0 and is the result of passionate, clever fan remixing?

     Three years ago, a couple of nerdy musicians announced that they had somehow combined Star Wars with the classic Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band. They recreated the music of the Fab Four and changed the lyrics so that the songs tell the story of Luke, Leia and the Death Star. Amazingly...it works. Brilliantly. And the more you know about both the movie and the album, the more you will enjoy the mashup. It's called Princess Leia's Stolen Death Star Plans, and you can enjoy the whole thing on YouTube.

     The goal of these musicians was to turn "these two sacred cows into the ultimate double cheeseburger." Now that's creative.

     Many a book/song/movie/creative endeavor doesn't come into the world because the person who wants to make it sighs: "Eh, what makes me think I can do that? It's all been done before, and better than I can do it." Who cares? Originality is over-rated. You're the only one who can make your thing. Have yourself a double cheeseburger and get started. May the Fourth be with you.