I’m sure you’ve all been around people who for some reason or other are have little or no ability to create something without having to look for someone other’s creation from which to copy. Seems whenever reading the financial section of the news, there is some person or company suing another person or corporation for copyright infringement. It seems either to start at the top of the ladder of success or even possibly the bottom. We find these days fewer people who spend a great deal of their free time creating something while everyone else is busy copying that which was already designed. The copying of styles is at its zenith with the young. Whenever there’s a style popularized by either a singer or actor, there becomes a movement by their fans to copy not only their clothes, but also their hairstyles and makeup. I’m not sure where the resurgence of popularity in tattoos got started, but I can say it is definitely widespread with the young men and women.
The copying is also very much present in the real estate market in Mason City and North Iowa. Here you’ll find many cookie cutter homes of very similar design that have been built in the newer districts. Rarely does one find a home that was specifically designed by an architect; they’re usually modified designs from another home that was built in the area. I know of one particular home design that was copied many times around the city with minor changes in floor plan. It sort of reminds me of the Sears Homes that were built back in the early 1900s. I’ve walked into many of those homes and could walk from room to room blindfolded and talk about the design. It may sound terrible, but I don’t find home designs that have been re-skinned from existing homes very exciting at all. I’ve worked with a certain builder from time to time over the years and I can say he’s one of the few who prefers to build off the plans of original designs. He said the joy of building someone’s new creation is more exciting than building something that already exists elsewhere.
Some years ago, I had a client who absolutely refused to wear anything off the rack of a clothing store. She didn’t own that many clothes, but the ones she wore were stunning. She had a seamstress in the area who she used to create the piece of clothing after she went to great lengths to have the pattern created as well as purchase the material she wanted used.
This is yet another example of less is more. I would rather see people owning less but having more of original design. Perhaps Mason City could become a mini-Milan and be branded the design capital of Iowa. While writing this, the above video popped into my mind. It always makes me smile when listening to it.
