Have an idea.

God, just grant me one original thought. Just one thing that hasn't been done, created, or conceived by another artist! Just one thing that's my own, that hasn't been borrowed or gleaned from someone else's work. It doesn't have to be the most amazing original thought. I would settle for something small and rather forgettable, as long as it's the jumping point for more significant ideas, or maybe the catalyst for a movement.

Rabbit and I were sitting in a Portland restaurant having eggs and potatoes. He'd picked up a neighborhood guide that had a list of shops, galleries and restaurants cleverly laid out with a small map and an index. On the front of the guide was a now familiar spray of artwork. Starting from the upper left corner was a curly, flowery, multi-layer stenciling in graded shades of purples and blues, little birds and stars and clouds accenting the curly-cues. It looks like something that started as street art and is now easily Vector produced, meant to give the message that something is urban and a little edgy, but very accessible. We had a short conversation about how prevalent that design is in modern advertising. I commented that I wished the idea had been mine.

That's what I'm talking about! Just one of those ideas. Just to have that idea that starts with a hand made stencil and 3 colors of spray paint and becomes the meme for urban chic...that would be cool. That's what I want. One original idea.

I'm not complaining that my ideas aren't good ones. The stuff I create isn't reproduction or direct knock-off. The ideas are just not completely original. They're composites of things that have already been done and made popular by someone else, more original and more seasoned. I'm searching for a something, either in technique or in finished product, that is not out there to be copied.