O·RIG·I·NAL·I·TY

    [uh-rij-uh-nal-i-tee] 

noun

1.      the quality or state of being original.

2.

ability to think or express oneself in an independent and individual manner; creative ability.

3.

freshness or novelty, as of an idea, method, or performance.

I love the idea of writing an original thought.  Hoping that no one else has ever had that thought.  The problem is, usually when this happens I forget it.  When I think of the word original I think about the word origin.  Thats where something began or started.  The genesis of something.    

Me as a child.  Innocent and carefree.

So that being said, where does our originality originate?  Is it something that is we are born with or something that forms over time.  The way that children express themselves is much different than the way that we as adults do.  They are independent and interesting, emotional and sometimes fragile.  But they can, from a young age, distinguish good from bad and eventually they find their voices and want to be heard.  Their innocence is something to be adorned and everyday they are eager to learn.  

Maybe being the mother of twins has helped me to understand this better than I ever have.   This for me is something that I am learning myself, that they are two souls, two separate beings, two people, two personalities, and they are different from each other.  I get to raise two children who are the same age at the same time.  They both have the same parents, eat the same food, wear the same clothes (while I can control that), and they live in the same environment.  Yet they are different and have their own unique personalities.  

Origin of two souls

What about creating something original?  I think about how much I would love to own an original Tom Thompson painting.  The original has a high value, because thats just why, it is the first, unchanged, unduplicated, and the beginning of something.  Not only does an original piece of art open the door to more artists using them as inspiration to create a unique piece, but it then gives those artists the opportunity to create something original in their own right.  Its a continuous circle of giving in an interesting and complex way.  

  Originality I hope begins in your heart and works its way out.