DIY: The Product of Remix and Copyright

I was reading about remix culture and it was really promoting creativity by using the works of others to create something completely different. At the end of the post, the author posed the question,

"What inspires you, and how will you make something original out of it?"

I thought about that and immediately realized that very concept may be the reason I have been interested in the DIY. The Maker Movement thrives on the desire to share and obviously there is a big controversy regarding the copyright laws involved.

Picture by Dawn Endico

I very much agree with Dr. Burton in his view of the digital world as a sharing-oriented, abundant economy. The maker movement seems to combine the frustration of limiting copyright laws with the idea of remixing content for originality. I'm so excited to keep reading about the impact of the DIY culture and how it combats the issues of copyright and remix.

So to answer his question...

I'm inspired by DIY. It makes me feel good to embody new skills and share the fruits of my labor with others. It makes me want to share what I've created with others. And it makes me feel good to have accomplished something.

The truth is that we really are influenced by everything around us and it's our responsibility to synthesize new, inspiring things from the world around us. The digital world is a constant synthesis of the past and present unifying in a way that reflects our experiences.

We need to be responsible in educating ourselves in copyright law so that we can appropriately use remix culture to express ourselves in a way that everyone can enjoy (insert Dr. Burton's plug for Creative Commons).