Everything in Life is a Remix: How Creativity Evolves Through Copy, Transform, and Combine
The phrase “everything is a remix” has become more than just a catchy slogan; it’s a way of understanding how human culture, innovation, and creativity actually work. From art to science, from technology to everyday life, what we think of as “original” is often the product of countless influences, recombinations, and reinterpretations. In this blog post, we’ll explore the idea of remix as a universal principle, why originality is often misunderstood, and how embracing remix culture can help us thrive in a rapidly evolving world.
The Myth of Originality
We live in a world that celebrates originality. We admire the lone genius who creates something revolutionary from “thin air.” Yet, when we look deeper, very few ideas truly appear from nothing. The light bulb wasn’t just Edison’s invention—it was the culmination of many experiments by several inventors around the world. The smartphone didn’t appear overnight—it combined decades of advances in computing, telecommunications, and design. Even our language itself is a remix of borrowed words, structures, and cultural references.
Originality is not about creating in a vacuum—it’s about reimagining existing materials in new contexts. By acknowledging this, we move away from the unrealistic pressure to be “completely original” and instead focus on being skillful remixers.
Copy, Transform, Combine
Filmmaker Kirby Ferguson’s well-known framework describes creativity as a cycle of three key processes:
- Copy: We start by imitating what already exists. Children learn to speak by copying sounds. Musicians begin by covering songs. Designers learn by replicating classic layouts.
- Transform: After copying, we alter, modify, or adapt the original. This might mean changing the genre of a song, using a familiar recipe with new ingredients, or reinterpreting a style with personal flair.
- Combine: The most powerful step is when we merge different influences into something new. Hip-hop fused soul, funk, and jazz samples. The internet combined computing with global communication. Even evolution itself is a remix of genetic code over millions of years.
This cycle is not just an artistic process—it’s the engine of progress in every field.
Remix in Art, Music, and Pop Culture
Nowhere is remix culture more obvious than in music and art. The blues influenced rock; rock influenced hip-hop; hip-hop feeds back into pop. Sampling is no longer seen as theft but as a legitimate creative method. Visual artists borrow styles, memes reinterpret cultural moments, and TikTok trends remix sounds and dances globally within days.
But remix doesn’t stop at pop culture. Shakespeare borrowed heavily from earlier stories. Picasso famously said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” Every generation absorbs, transforms, and remixes the work of those who came before.
Remix in Science and Technology
Science thrives on remix. Isaac Newton famously said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Each scientific breakthrough builds upon previous theories, data, and failures. Einstein’s theory of relativity remixed existing physics into a new framework. Today, artificial intelligence is built on decades of research in math, statistics, and computer science.
Technology itself is a living example of remix. Consider the smartphone again:
- It combines a phone, a computer, a GPS, a music player, and a camera.
- It integrates decades of progress in microprocessors, batteries, and software design.
- It reimagines communication by remixing text, images, and video into a handheld device.
The result feels revolutionary—but it’s remix through and through.
Everyday Remix: Life as Iteration
Remix is not limited to the arts or science—it’s present in our daily lives.
- Cooking is remix: recipes are variations of older dishes.
- Fashion is remix: trends cycle back with new twists.
- Conversations are remix: our words are built from shared language, idioms, and cultural references.
Even our personal identities are remixes of family, culture, environment, and experiences. Who we are is a collage of influences stitched together over time.
Why Embracing Remix Matters
Understanding that everything is a remix has practical benefits:
- Reduces perfectionism: You don’t need to invent something from nothing. Start by borrowing and improving.
- Encourages collaboration: Great work comes from combining perspectives.
- Democratizes creativity: Anyone can remix. You don’t need to be a “genius,” just curious and willing to play with ideas.
- Drives innovation: By remixing across disciplines—say, biology and computing—we discover entirely new fields like bioinformatics or synthetic biology.
Instead of fearing that we are “unoriginal,” we should embrace remixing as a natural, even necessary, process.
Conclusion: Remix as a Way of Life
When we understand that life itself is a remix, we realize that progress doesn’t come from isolated genius—it comes from shared culture, collaboration, and reimagining what came before.
Everything we do—whether it’s writing a song, designing an app, or shaping our identity—is built from copying, transforming, and combining. Far from diminishing creativity, this makes it richer and more connected.
In the end, originality is not about being the first—it’s about seeing differently. And sometimes, the greatest act of creation is simply remixing the world around us into something meaningful and new.