Love this! You should have more views and subscribers! ♥️

“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.” Salvador Dali. One of my favourite quotes.

Summary of this video: How to not accidentally copy others? - copy them intentionally!

The intro was SICK bro. Great work

“It’s when you start deliberately copying someone else, you are aware that you are doing it, and you are aware that that’s not an acceptable outcome, so you need to change it.” -Jamie Windsor Just wrote that down as an inspiration for later. Your videos are great man.

Excellent video. So good I'm thinking of copying it.

Cryptomnesia has happened to me so many times. Now I know that I'm actually not that funny, creative, or smart, I just saw it somewhere else but forgot lol

Your videos scream quality. You should be proud of your work. I'm certain you're going to blow up in no time.

Excellent video. So good I'm thinking of copying it. (I stole this comment)

THANK YOU for finally naming this phenomenon! Let me explain. Years ago when I had piano classes, I fancied composing a few tunes. One of them sounded really nice, it was a sweet little melody. I eagerly played it to my teacher. She swore she'd heard it before, and pulled up a workbook of songs for piano beginners. And there it was, almost note by note, what "I" had composed. Ever since that, I never felt like composing again. To be so proud of your own imagination to discover it is actually someone else's imagination is extremely disheartening. I never got over it, but at least now I know what it is called!

"New ideas don't feel comfortable". That's a key insight for me. I do creative studies but I've always felt very blocked creatively. Maybe that's why.

I came looking for copper and found gold.

Found this video by accident... and WOW... I’m happy that I still can find something surprising in this sea of videos. The editing and the content are just amazing.

"Good artists copy, great artists steal"

Loving the depth on all of these~

Everything is on point: the photography, writing, soundtrack and fx. I'll copy all of it, thanks. lol

These shot transitions are Amazing! soooooo smoooooth

This is amazing. I can't imagine how much storyboarding a video like this takes. Looking forward to future ones!

Dude, randomly stumbled across your video. I must say, man. It is awesome. Your storytelling is amazing! For gods sake, please keep it up!

Can you add accurate subtitles, instead of automatic one? because it gives me a headache to read it and it have no a full stop in the between, it is just continuing nonstop. I am deaf and an aspiring photographer and filmmaker. It is so hard to be original and creative because everyone already did it.

You're quickly becoming one of my favourite KZfaq channels, man. I'm yet to see a single video from you that didn't leave me feeling educated and inspired. Do you have any background in teaching or giving guest lectures? You're really good at it!

Great video. Very informative. As a Danish author once said (probably copied from someone else): “We are born as originals and die as copies”.

Thank you for making this video. I had my own case of cryptomnesia recently that thankfully didn’t stir any legal consequences, but when I realized I had plagiarized my mind shattered a little and I became unsure if I could trust myself creatively. This video re-instilled my personal faith in my originality. If that’s not a reason to subscribe, I don’t know what is. Thanks a lot Jamie

Hilariously, I have used the “blank canvas problem” technique. About 10 years ago I was making a theatre show. I was hugely influenced by another artist who had a similar style to mine and I loved his show. I saw it many times. I was fresh out of an acting school and wanted to make my own show. I absolutely “stole” his idea, but applied it in a very different context and way and made it my own. Years later I met him, invited him to my show and told him all about it. He did see what I’d done but was happy for how I’d adapted the idea. Since then I’ve been a big advocate for stealing work to make it your own, but I’ve never put it so eloquently as you did in this video, anyone I would explain this idea to thought I was suggesting being unethical. So a huge thank you for your wisdom and eloquence… and for taking my idea 😉 And thank you for your videos. They’re all fantastic.

I think your advice is very good -- personally I find that the most creative ideas come from more set boundaries rather than an empty canvas, as you put it, since it challenges just how far you can take an idea. Something that I find works for me as well is having a very wide range of influences and taking inspiration from many things, rather than just working from within whatever your particular style/medium/etc is.

Sometimes I'll see a photograph or an edit and I'll be "inspired," or whatever, to do something similar, because it be a fun learning process. I always try to give credit though, like I'll say, "so-and-so's photo inspired me." I'm going to take these tips into mind; I'd love to be more original, and your videos have me more conscious about my creativity.

your editing is amazing!

In a world where anybody with a camera can create a video and earn money from it im glad to see someone who really puts effort in his work and who really knows what he is talkin about!! Also I love how your videos are so interesting that they really get into my mind and make me learn useful things and most important inspire me to be better! Thank you for sharing your ideas!!

When I was in art school, one of my best teachers taught us to always do at least 20 quick sketches of an idea before working on a piece of artwork. Because the first five would awful, then the next 15 or so would just be other people's crap that was in your brain. By the 20th sketch, your brain is ready to think, and you're making conscious creative decisions that really are your own. By sketch number 30, you might actually have something original and good. Most people though, even students in his class, would just draw their first idea and never iterate from that.

Very wise words Jamie. Well put video! It is indeed very hard to be "original" and invent something new. I'm at the point where I believe nothing is purely "new" however, everything created is Unique. Cheers!

Will Smith's son Jaden touched on this as well. He said its not fair that its considered wrong to learn from someone else's work and build off of it. Blatantly copying someone is wrong but building off of someone else's idea definitely should not be illegal. I mean nothing in todays day and time is original, if it was we would not have art history or even art school...I mean what would you learn, if your not learning how to build your own style off of building blocks that Picasso etc. already created. Plus that problem is bound to happen when creatives of this day and time have to worry more about being original than ACTUALLY CREATING.

Damn that's a concept worth knowing about for all creative industries. I see it all the time as a makeup artist and also when I was studying photography. I think the most frustrating version of this I have personally experienced is when one of my photographer tutors produced a video piece that has a very similar look and feel to something I created whilst I was one of her students. I don't think it was intentional as it was released over a year or two later but certain elements are there.

Excellent film and hats off for the amount of work that must have taken.

Dude, great video! Just found your channel recently (my friend shared your Dunning-Kruger effect vid) and I'm loving your perspective. Keep up the great work! Can't believe you don't have more subs already

I'm not a photographer, but I watch your videos because of the sheer quality in not only the presentation but also in the content. Not to mention a lot of the subjects of the videos are applicable to other things, or just interesting to listen to. Good job!

The theory you explained at the end is the exact realization I came to in art school when I realized that starting with a "blank canvas" never helped. It just made me feel overwhelmed so then I ended up creating something underwhelming or generic. It's always been better for me to build off of something and naturally making it my own.

Your channel is going to blow up. Wonderful video editing, and love your way of describing topics. I actually have never heard of cryptomnesia before. I feel like I'm back at art school! Keep on going dude, love what you're doing! ❤️

I have a background in filmmaking, and I do Step 5 from 13:00 all the time. The great directors from the 70s, 80s, and 90s (Spielberg, Lucas, etc) have all been known to say things like "This scene should go this way, just like that scene in [INSERT CLASSIC FILM NAME] ". "The character should respond this way." - "Oh, you mean like so and so did in that one film from the 40s?" - "Yes, exactly". They never copied entire films, plotlines, themes, or universes. They built up a mix match quilt of their favorite parts of their favorite films, and then painted the works we know and love today ontop, using past films as a rudimentary blueprint. For the best example of this, look to Star Wars: A New Hope.

i'm not a photographer (yet), but your videos are really enlightening about the doubts that I have with my drawings and other creations, love your videos, keep doing a great work

This is why I love your channel, Jamie. You are telling us to be original while you are original yourself. I'm seeing way too much of the "blurred home office background with a soft contrasted color light in the back wall" kind of videos.. They all look the same. They are starting to sound the same as well with non-interesting content. I love you style of explaning with word dinamics in After Effects and this is only possible when the content is actually a solid one, like yours. Your photography content has a solid base in history and shows perfect examples of whatever you are explainig at the moment. I have learned a lot with you and will continue to learn. Like you said in the end, when you copy someone else's work, it's a great way to learn, and i've been inspiring myself in your video production to built my own experience, but I'm not stopping there, I want to be original. Thanks for all the content that you put out, it's incredible.

I just started following you a few weeks back and I love your creativity, video ideas and editing. Keep up the great work. Greetings from Malaysia.

I like how you copy vlogers and esseyist and combain them together to make something better than the originals. ;-D

I do creative work for a living, but not photography. Every now and then I find myself in trouble or in frustration, either for being accused of copying someone else's work, or for feeling someone has been copying mine. So your video was really fitting and enlightening to my relationship with several aspects of my work also, and it just came to me in such a precisely put moment. Thank you so much for sharing this. You earned a new subscriber!

I once heard a quote about copyright in the context of written work (specifically for film): you cannot copyright an idea, only the execution of that idea.

Great video!! One time I remade the "Lil Wayne - she will" beat, same chords same melody and even the same tonality! It’s only 2 hours after making it that I realized that it sounded exactly the same (but my drums were different though)

Plato's Cave you can't imagine more than what your environment is

Love this. The problem is there is overwhelming inspiration on social media for absolutely anything these days filling our minds, and that makes it so hard to be original.

Hey Jamie! I just wanted to stop and tell you how much I love your videos. Your insight makes me think about photography in ways that I wouldn’t usually. I’ve wanted to take photos of strangers in the streets for years and have only done so on a few occasions but I think I’m going to just spend a day doing this soon! Thanks!

dope video man. you are going places

Just stumbled upon this video at the right time. I was in a similar position and i didn't know how that happened but i have learnt something new today.

I'm a new watcher since today and my, your videos are so well done. And the ideas you convey are absolutely astounding. I'm surprised you don't have more subscribers than you do!!!

That is very clever and I love it! Reminds me of a presentation I had to conduct at the university. Knowing the professor would ask a lot of questions later on, I deliberately let some things unanswered or vaguely explained, so they would stare him in the face and be more pressing than my actual short comings. It is very helpful to know ahead of time which questions you'll be asked.

I agree. Being more wary of cryptomnesia could help. Regarding your step #5, starting with an existing canvas is a fun little exercise, but even better, what if the canvas is one that you've made? The end product is garunteed to be unique.. right?

Reminds me of the times I'd find a video, try to like it and realize that I already liked it some time in the past. Then one time I rolled down to leave a comment somewhere and found the exact text, left by me, from less than a year prior. Yeah memory is a fickle thing.

That intro was spectacular and I practically smacked the subscribe button the instant I saw it. The rest of the video held up just as well! I'm gonna have to go through all your content, love it all!

One time I made an original drawing of a character and someone messaged me trying to call me out on copying her character, when I've never even seen any of her work or even followed her! I felt guilty and afraid of her judgments even though I knew I didn't copy anybody whatsoever. Turns out when I dug deeper that I actually had posted mine months before her character was even created! So I pointed that out and she never messaged me again 😂

You are a GREAT story teller and video editor (and videographer), thank you! Also, how did you go about learning video editing and what software do you use?

These are some great ideas. I think they apply to fields of creativity beyond photography.

This is an amazing video ! Thank you for articulating so well something I've been struggling with so much lately. As a wannabe creator of comics and original stories I often feel stuck in that situation where I'm simply too afraid to create anything and look at anyone else because I'm just. Super afraid of being influenced, I guess. It's a bit silly. It goes as far as affecting my interest in things I haven't even read. Not only that, but some anonymous people (ok, 2, but that's 2 too many) have accused me, without ever mentioning what they were going on about, of plagiarism, and I never understood why, and it WAS indeed one hell of a kick in the guts. I've suspected them to be messing with me, but it still terrified me to be potentially stealing someone else's ideas ... especially unintentionally, since I'd never look at something and go HEY COOL, now I'm gonna do the Exact Same Thing. It would be ... stupid. Of course people would notice. I think that incident sparked that little paranoia. Probably. So I've been walking on eggshells and trying to embrace the ways all the different things I see and experience and enjoy might inspire me and influence the stories I think about, while trying to keep a positive outlook. Thinking "when I'm done processing this, it'll be different". I examine all the ideas I have nonetheless, trying to remember "where in hell I saw that", because yes, if some idea comes right away ... It's coming from somewhere. Now what I really need is some feedback. But I digress. I really enjoyed this video. Thanks. x

Loved this. I already stray away from blank canvas because i do run into issues where i copy more than come up with my own original content. By copying or looking at things for inspiration, i find that i can make my own unique content.

I like the thought behind your theory.. very interesting video!💪

Sir, your videos are outstanding and your ideas very well presented. Thank you for giving me something to think about!

Great idea (blank canvas). As a paranoid person in recovery coincidences have been a problem and fear of falling into repeated work in either direction worries me sick at times and blocks my being active in creating things. I've heard of the amnesia you referred to and it has been an aid to my understanding. Love your tips. In our times of mass creative pursuers and interconnectivity we need clear understanding of this and similar issues.

Literally first person I see in KZfaq that talks not just about the visual part of photography

"Think of your own ideas" says the poster above the computer monitor haha

I was noodling around on my bass guitar last night, and accidentally wrote somebody else's riff. I couldn't think of the name of the song, but definitely was not a false memory. However, i played around w/ the idea for a few more minutes and came up with something radically different and awesome.....Strange that youtube would put this video in my recommended feed so soon after that. I think they're hacking my brain, b/c this is the 2nd time this week they've recommended a video on a topic I had not explored on youtube, but had thought about within 48 hours. Also, you look a lot like Scott Devine lol

Love the whip pan zoom transitions you did in the video. About the plagiarism: What if you used multiple ideas from different artists in one piece / video?

Love the way you don't just explain your opinion, but actually show it in fun and engaging ways! SUBSCRIBED!

Vsauce vibes?

Now I want to do something completely original! As original as others do! :D :D

Mate, I love your videos. I'm just a hobbyist but they're really helping me to develop my own style and think more carefully about the images I'm making.

What a magnificent piece of art. The video, graphics, audio, transitions, and most of all the TALK, absolutely top-notch.

This is very intelligent output. So refreshing. Thanks 😁

A well-considered and important video. Thank you.

Amazing edit, storytelling and production value. I was not expecting much while clicking play but you did hit a homerun with this video. Keep up the good work! Subscribed.

It's my first video of yours that I watched. I loved it! Amazing depth and formatting. Lot's of things left to wonder and think about now...

Good artist copy, great artists steal (Picasso) Insightful video as ever. Thanks.

Really enjoyed that - some great insights, very honestly and intelligently delivered. subscribed. Ta mate.

Your content is amazing and I love all of your topics and how you present them but your transitions keep my eyes glued to the screen and fully engaged every second. You sir are an amazing artist as a storyteller, photographer and videographer.

I love the way you change angles and tell stories this is so entertaining.

Yeah, that totally happens! :) Axel Rose of Guns'n'Roses tells an almost identical story. And this also affected me when I was a musician. I once "wrote" a song, which was pretty much Keith Urban's "Stupid boy" :D :D :D

wow those transitions :D and a cool video

Excellent Video! I really appreciate that you not only put so much energy into researching and talking about personal experiences but also take the time to pay attention to details, like the old film look and the wig in the Paul McCartney bit!

I've been a photographer for 36 year so far. I agree with most of what you said. But!!! When you copy someones work to learn is one thing. I would mark your files as such so you dont use them. The other side of this is we as artists develop our styles by influence from others we have experienced in the same way a musician does and you can hear that influence in their original scores.. It is my opinion that you can get your self into a bind like this by over planning and image, a video scene. I like to take some of my planning and more live in the moment of that shot. This is just my opinion, with that and a $1.50 will buy you a cup of coffee. Love your channel. Keep crushing it!

Jamie this was one of your best videos, very inspirational, thank you!

I. LOVE. THE. TRANSITIONS.

I remember doing it two times without knowing. One was a fanart of Pokémon at the time, and the other was a fanfic about Pokémon too. What I remember now that was a totally copy in that fanfic was the fact that one part is too striking similar to Apollo Justice Ace Atorrney dialogue in which Phoenix says how his daughter was a light in a time of darkness. I remember that I received an award for the fanfic in the site and two weeks later a friend of mine who played the game said that I had copied it, and even made me replay the chapter in which it happens. I didn't actually believe at first that I copied, but after some time I saw that I basically translated all the dialogue to portuguese and used it almost the same, and I got pretty upset because of it. Good video, guy. Subscribing to your channel.

I always try to remember: "ideas aren't created in a vacuum". Which is basically the essence of this video. But this video about this topic is really excellent! I had never heard the term cryptomnesia, but it explains a lot, and I think this video certainly gives good advice for dealing with this subject/problem. I will save it for future reference!

Everything is derivative.

Some KZfaqr should copy this video, upload it and send it to Jamie lol

First, thank you for bringing this up and for you sincerity too. I really think the value of "creativeness" is greatly exaggerated in some circles (such as photography) which leads to discontent and misunderstandings. In reality, very few people can and do have what we can call "genuine creativeness". As long as you don't create a new and unique art movement, you belong to one movement or the other and what you "create" will inescapably be influenced by the works of others, increasing the risk of 'coincidences'. Moreover, the human mind is hardwired for efficiency and always looks for shortcuts like trails in the countryside. We all walk the same paths and arrive at the same results. There's only one Eiffel Tower and only 360 degrees from where you can shoot it. No matter how many multipliers you may add to that, the result will always be finite. An Eiffel Tower+sunset. Eiffel Tower+Longexposure. Eiffel Tower+Paris city lights. There may be a million possible compositions yet with all the people photographing the damn thing, sooner or later you'll end up with the same composition someone else had had before.

I had no idea that there was a name for this! As a niche hobby, I have been posting KZfaq videos on tricks you can do in domino toppling setups, but started off with simple ones that later turned out to have been invented. Even worse, they were from videos I recall watching years earlier. Each time, I forwent any name I had for them and updated my description. However, I'd say this encouraged me to imagine increasingly outlandish ideas to build from the same 1-by-2 blocks, so this story has a happy ending, so far. I think it's great you talked about your experience, Jamie, as complicated scenarios like this need to be public knowledge to avoid innocent creatives (erm, I could get in trouble for using "creatives" as a noun, oh well) getting in heaps of trouble without being able to explain their side. Cheers!

This is quite possibly your best video yet, I was enthralled Allen the way through but the Paul McCartney impersonation will take some beating. When I was a chef I was told there’s only 5 ingredients, protein, fruit and veg , liquids, sugar and seasonings. After that it’s knowing what goes with what and why and even with fusion food it’s highly unlikely you will have an original idea. On your final point, isn’t that how every single university essay is written? I know with law it certainly is, but then again in law you’re pretty constrained by what the Law Lords and legal commentators say. Just make sure your lecturer isn’t one of those legal commentators you use. When I was doing my degree I had a friend whose previous occupation was as a cartographer, and she’d been sued by Ordnance Survey for one of her maps. Although I’m not at all sure how you draw an original map without moving a few towns and mountains. The Rolling Stones get every single penny The Verve make out of 'Bitter Sweet Sympathy' as it’s a carbon copy of 'The Last Time'. Great video, well presented as always, extremely well researched and wonderfully presented.

Ironically, your idea of deliberately copying and modifying existimg works already exists -- its vaporwave And great video btw!

As a graphic designer myself I find that people do not recieve entirely new ideas well. Because we understand the things in the world around us by labelling them, and categorising them by referencing them against things that we already know. For example if you played a song to someone, they are most likely to say something along the lines of, "that sounds like so and so, but a bit more like so and so". They will reference it against songs they've already heard to make sense of it. Entirely new and original ideas are confusing to hear or see for the first time because they are difficult for us to label and understand if we've never seen or heard anything similar to reference against. Which makes people say "I don't get it" and if you're a designer those words ring in your ears. I find the best approach to wowing clients with creativity is to combine an element of familiarity with something new or give something familiar a twist! Experiment balancing familiar ingredients with new ones, or combine existing genres in new and exciting ways.

I think #5 is a great way to move past the copywriting issue. I was tough to make a collage of your inspiration for each project. But your explanation helps me understand why that is so important.

That's a super story and very thought provoking. I like your final idea of avoiding plagiarism by deliberately using an existing artwork as a jumping off point. Ironically, it reminds me of Glyn Dewis's 'Photograph Like A Thief' book…

Should we find good Google guilty of the same since search engines existed prior to them. Nothing is new, everything old becomes new at one point or another But agree with all your points and advise. We are living in a digital world . Being creative is harder

Jamie, this is stellar!!!! I had a similar experience, and I had absolutely no idea that I had inadvertently copied someone's image. Didn't get sued or anything, just a slap on the wrist. By the way, your video editing style is definitely unique, and completely brilliant. 😁🎹📷

Just subscribed, I adore the work you're doing, especially this type of video. In many ways it feels like the mentoring I'm seeking. Not gear, not tips, but experienced advice. Similar to Sean Tucker as well. Thank you, I'm sure it takes a lot of work to make these - they are very much appreciated!