Some of you will remember a post I did a little while back called {note to self} asking people to join me in writing a letter to yourself and sending it to me for safe keeping until I pop it back in the post to you later in the year.
Not long after that I heard about someone else doing the exact same activity, which had me wondering. Don't worry, I hadn't suddenly started thinking that I'd invented letter writing, or even the idea of writing a letter to yourself. I did however think that I was unique in suggesting to people that they should send their letters to me and that I'd post them back to them down the track.
Yesterday I was reading Kat's blog. She posted about an assignment she did as part of a Mondo Beyondo Dream Lab where she sent a letter to herself off to Andrea Scher in October last year, and how it had arrived back in her mailbox yesterday. So it turns out that here I was thinking that I'd had this original idea and it wasn't original at all. I guess it just supports that theory of a greater creative consciousness that we're all tapping into in some way.
More importantly though, I was mortified to think that anyone might think that I had taken another persons idea {not to mention someone who I deeply respect and admire} and claimed it as my own. Particularly given that there are people who read my blog who would have participated in the Dream Lab and done the assignment.
Integrity and respect are two of the things that I value most deeply in this world and that I hold myself highly accountable to. I'm also extremely passionate about ideas and their value. Sure, like everyone, I take inspiration from the world around me. From blogs, from people's stories, from art. I know that it filters into my conscious and subconscious and shapes all of my work. BUT I definitely know the difference between being influenced by something and simple theft. AND I couldn't bare the thought of a single person thinking that I might be an ideas thief.
That said, I'll return to my blogging break {which is helping balance things immensely and giving me much needed time to settle into my new job} and I'll hope to see you soon.
you are just the sweetest. missing you!
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Thank you Cathy for mentioning the Greater Creative Conscious also known as the "The Collective Unconscious" as stated by Joseph Campbell...if more people knew about the collective unconscious then there could be more understanding to the fact that it's possible for two people to have similar ideas at the same time though they may be at opposite sides of the globe.
ReplyDeleteHaving encountered the idea of writing a letter to myself and giving it to another for safe keeping is in no way a new idea since I first encountered it back in 2003, long before Ms. Scher included it in her e-course.
I'm sure no one who knows you well or follows your blog considered you to be 'stealing' this idea, which clearly is not a new one =-)
Please do enjoy this time you are taking to transition into the new job Cathy!
Cathy.. what a lovely thing to write. Hope the new job's going well. . come back soon.
ReplyDeleteOh Cathy, this is a lovely post AND i soooo believe in collective consciousness as I also included this as an exercise in my Big Dreams, Small Wonders class!!! I had first heard of it from Andrea's blog a while back and I think its great you are doing something like this too! The more dreaming, writing and celebrating we do, the world will be a better place and be as one. Hope all else is good with you. Xx
ReplyDeleteHey Cathy,
ReplyDeleteAnyone who reads this blog will know that you are coming from a good place, that everything you do comes from a place of love and integrity, and that you are generous with your time and ideas.
When I read your blog post, I was rapt that someone had the initiative to offer this sort of treat in Australia. As you and I have discussed on many occasions, so many of these good things are based in the U.S., making it hard for us down under to participate.
The more people spreading this sort of love, the better, I think. And I'm sure the gorgeous Andrea would agree.
Keep on keeping on. You're ace!
Kat xxx
when I was at art sschool we were told by one particular teacher "there is no such thing as a completely original idea" we are all influenced by some tiny way even if we don't know by something we have seen or heard or read even years ago and then we develop these ideas in our own way and style, I think that is so true. It was a cermaics class but I think it applies to all media etc
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine anyone thinking that youwould steal someone's idea and present it as your own. You are an artist. You creat notsteal. And nothing you have ever written gives off a feeling of lack of integrity. Cherrie
ReplyDeleteThey say that there is no such thing as a new idea, it is just expressed by a different person, at a different time, perhaps in a different way. Who knows where ideas come from? We all know your thoughts are your ownXx
ReplyDeleteHope you are well. Creative consciousness - like ideas, no matter where it came from, or who got there first, it's a great idea. Lovely actually. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit there's things I've made that never make it to my blog because right when I'm in the middle of making them someone else will go and post something similar and I'll start worrying that I'll be seen as copying. We need to throw this idea away. While there's a small percentage of the blog community who do intentionally copy, most of us are just inspired by similar things and therefore have similar ideas. I never thought your idea was copying :) Enjoy your hiatus.
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