#Originality

Touted as the ability to generate novel ideas, creativity is often nothing more than a last-minute mashup of existing concepts under looming deadlines. In corporate circles, it's the magical get-out-of-jail-free card'demanded irresponsibly and blamed on the individual when results fall flat. Genuine solutions frequently drift far from market or customer needs, acting more like a grand illusion. True merit lies in the boldness to appropriate someone else's idea and label it "original." Artists and innovators alike indulge in the romantic notion of the agony of creation, as if suffering confers authenticity.