“Creative Imitation”–Good or Bad?

Hi Diane!

Quite a fun discussion we have going here, huh?

Thanks for your comment to my guest post over on Alex Mandossian’s blog. I’ll be responding to your comment later today – right now I’ve got to get ready for a 8 am 2 hour presentation to the Asian Internet Marketing School in Singapore – I’m excited!

For now, three things:

1. I am not OK with what has been done

2. I do not support the person who has done it

3. And my response to Stu McClaren’s comment is below so you can see some of my thinking on this…

Here is my response to Stu’s comment:

“Hey Stu -

Thanks for taking the time to contribute your comment to my guest post on Alex Mandossian’s blog. I think we have the beginnings of a really good discussion here, and I hope we can keep it going.

The curious thing is that you and I are on the same page about creativity. My post was not intended to frame “creative imitation” as an end-to-end solution to be used at all times.

My definition of creativity goes like this:

“Creativity is simply looking at something that has always been there and seeing something that has never been seen before.”

From that definition I pull these two additional definitions:

“Creative activation” – what most people would call invention, I look at as seeing something that has never been seen before and creating something new. A good example would be the work of Walt Disney.

“Creative imitation” – learning from someone else’s work and using it as a jumping off point for putting your own, sometimes better, twist on it.

Having said that, there was another point being made in that blog post.

I don’t know if you had the time to look at the link to Eric Gruber’s course or some of the other comments.

The intention of the two examples given were twofold:

1. To highlight how my “creative imitation” of Alex Mandossian helped me to launch my teleseminar business and all I have been able to create in the short time since then.

2. The second example was intended to highlight how someone has taken my work with http://www.ArticleWritingandMarketingSecrets.com and done something other than creative imitation. I’ll let others and the comments of others on this blog name what they think that something might be.

Again, Stu, thanks for taking the time to contribute your comment and for starting a discussion about this on your own blog.

I hope we can have a discussion that benefits us all.

And all the best to you too,

Jeff”

Again, this is a great discussion, and I hope we can keep it going.

Thanks for your support!

Take care,

Jeff

hello Dianne!!

a pleasant day!!

I am interesting in your site about the topic creative imitation good or bad?
since it is the topic we choose for our defense in RESEARCH subject.

I’ve read a while ago the comments of Jeff herring ,well its quite convincing !!

but i have some question here.

Is this what we call us imitation products is not allowed in the country?

which particular Law that it is unacceptable ?

i am hoping that all of this question will answer by anyone

Good Day