Even Kanye wonders. In his song "Stronger" Kanye asks "do anybody make real shit anymore?" Kanye's question might seem a bit hypocritical coming from a guy who in this very song is sampling from Daft Punk. But I'm not so sure what Kanye, and the "Kanye hands video" (below) that sampled from the "Daft Punk hands video," (also below) are creating isn't "real."
During the Academy Awards this past Sunday, after winning the Oscar for Best Song (along with Marketa Irglova) Glen Hansard made a couple quick thank yous as he accepted the award, then ended his brief speech with the call to "make art, make art." This caught me off guard, and I found it to be one of the most beautiful moments of this year's Academy Awards.
When I first saw the "Kanye hands video" I LOVED it, thought it was amazingly well done and extremely creative. Then I saw that the creator of the video was giving props to the "Daft Punk hands video," and I felt a bit cheated. But when I watch the "Daft Punk hands video" I realized that while the initial idea was the same, it was a different video all together (For example: the words on the hands in the Daft Punk video never change, but in the "Kanye hands video" the words are constantly changing and uses mostly video editing to create a whole new idea).
While it might not seem totally "original" or totally creative, isn't making art what Kanye and the Kanye hands video are doing here with their sampling? I'm sure there are those who don't want to classify Kanye's song and the ensuing hands video as "real" because it is sampling another's idea. But I like to say, "Good artists borrow. Great artist steal." Which I actually stole from T.S. Eliot... and which he might have stolen from someone else.
What I am getting at is that "making art" doesn't mean "starting from scratch." I think it means "making art." We are at a place in history where we enjoy a lot of technological amenities (cars, computers, etc.). But none of our present advancements would even be able to be dreamed of in a single lifetime. We live our lives building on top of what has already been built (technologically, artistically, etc.), whether we know it or not. We live our lives because of the effort and grace of those who have come before us.
So give these videos a watch and give these songs a listen, and be inspired. Be inspired to "make art" by something that has come before you and don't fall into the trap of guilt. Be humble, because chances are you are only able to create because of some creation that has come before, but don't feel guilty. Creation is building upon itself, and becoming more beautiful. Learn to play or sing a song that someone else wrote, try copying a line of poetry someone else wrote, edit a film that someone else made... and then see where that takes you. Creating is something we were made to do, whether it is from scratch or not, because as King Solomon said, "There is nothing new under the sun," (which I think he might have taken from a Byrd's song) but that shouldn't stop us from creating.
Kanye Hands Video
Daft Punk Hands Video
