Can we truly be original? Perhaps yes, and perhaps no.

The ideas you and I have now are built on something — our past and how well we connect our past to our present. I might go further and say — what we think of “creative” may be our ability to connect things, filter them through our taste/perspective, and give what we notice a voice.

What’s the filter? The filter is our perspective, taste, our lens by which we see the world. Your filter is shaped through your exposure to things. Listen to enough hard bop (a style of jazz) and you’ll develop a taste for assessing hard bop. Don’t stop there. That same filter can be used for assessing country music.

• If you read a ton of Seth Godin, you will develop a taste for direct marketing and product development. If you work in advertising, you’ll view your work through the lens and filter of someone who follows Seth Godin.

• If you believe college is the only path to a good carer, you will see education through that filter.

• The filter is shaped by our experience. The filter is how we look at and assess things.

What’s the voice? The voice is the medium for transmitting an idea — carriage. The voice can take the form of spoken word, written word, images, music, dance, etc. Like your filter, the voice is shaped by your experience. Your voice and your filter work hand-in-hand.

What’s noticing? Noticing is stilling your mind enough to see things without judgment. To experience the world around you and not judge. You notice an idea, you filter that idea, you give to your voice and others respond.

What’s the response? The response is how your ideas is perceived by others. It’s someone else saying, “hey, that’s a real creative and original idea.” It’s not really creative and original, it’s just something an idea they noticed, they filtered, and they hope to give voice to.