--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I came up, it was all about…" description: "\"When I came up, it was all about originality and collective research. There is an awful lot of imitation going on now.\" — Steve Lacy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/steve-lacy-13386_advertising-agencies_when-i-came-up-it-was-all-about-original_2422449.jpg" --- # When I came up, it was all about originality and… ![“When I came up, it was all about originality and collective research. There is an awful lot of imitation going on now.” quote by Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/steve-lacy-13386_advertising-agencies_when-i-came-up-it-was-all-about-original_2422449.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/steve-lacy-13386_advertising-agencies_when-i-came-up-it-was-all-about-original_2422449.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/steve-lacy-13386_advertising-agencies_when-i-came-up-it-was-all-about-original_2422449.jpg) > “When I came up, it was all about originality and collective research. There is an awful lot of imitation going on now.” [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The artist reflects on a shift from a culture of originality and collaborative research to one dominated by imitation. **In simple terms:** Original collaboration has been replaced by widespread copying. Key Takeaway Encourage genuine collaboration and innovation. Themes creativity collaboration authenticity culture Mood critical concerned hopeful Type analytical cultural reflective When to use this quote - music production - academic research - team projects Key Concepts original work imitation research dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms can protect originality? - How can communities foster authentic collaboration? A Different Perspective Imitation can stifle progress and reduce diversity of ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advertising agencies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising-agencies/) [Awful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/) [Came Originality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came-originality-4283412/) [Collectives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectives/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Imitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imitation/) [Imitation Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imitation-going-6135278/) [Originality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originality/) [Originality Collective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originality-collective-6135277/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) ## Related quotes > [As a young artist, especially in rap and at that time that I came out, originality was big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/as-a-young-artist-especially-in-rap-and-at-that-time-that-i-came-out/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [It is a most extraordinary thing, but I never read a patent medicine advertisement without being impelled to the conclusion that I am suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/it-is-a-most-extraordinary-thing-but-i-never-read-a-patent-medicine/) [Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) > [I remember those great days when we were at $176 million before the Reagan Revolution came to town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-dicks/i-remember-those-great-days-when-we-were-at-176-million-before-the/) [Norm Dicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-dicks/) > [I was delighted to have lines when they came - learning lines for film isn't a problem, but television is a little different, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-selby/i-was-delighted-to-have-lines-when-they-came-learning-lines-for-film/) [David Selby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-selby/) > [Though, with the ascendancy of Louis, the political power of the nobles finally came to an end, France remained, in the whole complexion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lytton-strachey/though-with-the-ascendancy-of-louis-the-political-power-of-the-nobles/) [Lytton Strachey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lytton-strachey/) > [Neoclassical economics insists that advertising cannot force consumers to buy anything they don't already want to buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/neoclassical-economics-insists-that-advertising-cannot-force/) [Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/) > [Advertising agencies don't care about a better world in the end. They are servants of their client: what the client wants is what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliviero-toscani/advertising-agencies-don-t-care-about-a-better-world-in-the-end-they/) [Oliviero Toscani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliviero-toscani/) > [Advertising is much less powerful than advertisers and critics of advertising claim, and advertising agencies are stabbing in the dark much more than they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/advertising-is-much-less-powerful-than-advertisers-and-critics-of/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [The first American ancestor of our name was a younger son of these old Devonshire people, and came to the Virginia colony in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sergeant-wise/the-first-american-ancestor-of-our-name-was-a-younger-son-of-these/) [John Sergeant Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sergeant-wise/) > [I came literally to the table with a wealth of knowledge by simply understanding how food should taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rocco-dispirito/i-came-literally-to-the-table-with-a-wealth-of-knowledge-by-simply/) [Rocco DiSpirito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rocco-dispirito/) > [When comics came along in the 1930s there was a talent pool waiting. And one reason is so many areas were closed to Jews.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-robinson/when-comics-came-along-in-the-1930s-there-was-a-talent-pool-waiting/) [Jerry Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-robinson/) > [You have to be very rich to afford Labour, with 66 tax rises since they came in power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-redwood/you-have-to-be-very-rich-to-afford-labour-with-66-tax-rises-since/) [John Redwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-redwood/) > [I believe in advertisement and media completely. My art and my personal life are based in it. I think that the art world would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-koons/i-believe-in-advertisement-and-media-completely-my-art-and-my/) [Jeff Koons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-koons/) > [The traditional model for a company like Coca-Cola is to hire one big advertising agency and essentially outsource all of its creativity in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kao/the-traditional-model-for-a-company-like-coca-cola-is-to-hire-one-big/) [John Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kao/) > [I'm supposed to be taking time off. But I'm still writing and I have this Gap advert lined up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stone/i-m-supposed-to-be-taking-time-off-but-i-m-still-writing-and-i-have/) [Joss Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stone/) ## More by Steve Lacy > [Kenny G, I have to be grateful to him for proving that the instrument can be played all different kinds of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/kenny-g-i-have-to-be-grateful-to-him-for-proving-that-the-instrument/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [Risk is at the heart of jazz. Every note we play is a risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/risk-is-at-the-heart-of-jazz-every-note-we-play-is-a-risk/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [Circumstances can be very important. Find the right people to work with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/circumstances-can-be-very-important-find-the-right-people-to-work-with/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [The more original something is, the more of a threat it seems until the people catch up with it. That happened with Thelonious Monk.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/the-more-original-something-is-the-more-of-a-threat-it-seems-until/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [If you're trying to invent something new, you're going to reach a lot of discouraging points, and most people give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/if-you-re-trying-to-invent-something-new-you-re-going-to-reach-a-lot/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [Bamboo is not a weed, it's a flowering plant. Bamboo is a magnificent plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/bamboo-is-not-a-weed-it-s-a-flowering-plant-bamboo-is-a-magnificent/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [There is an awful lot of what I call recreational jazz going on, where people go out and learn a particular language or style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/there-is-an-awful-lot-of-what-i-call-recreational-jazz-going-on-where/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [Saxophone is one thing, and music is another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/saxophone-is-one-thing-and-music-is-another/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [If you have music you want to play that no one asks you to play, you have to go out and find where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/if-you-have-music-you-want-to-play-that-no-one-asks-you-to-play-you/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [When I found the music of Monk I finally found music that fit that horn. Every one of his tunes fit it perfectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/when-i-found-the-music-of-monk-i-finally-found-music-that-fit-that/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [I've always been extremely lucky in playing with great people who knew much more than I did. That's how I got from there to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/i-ve-always-been-extremely-lucky-in-playing-with-great-people-who/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [It starts with a single sound. If there's something in that sound, then it's worth continuing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/it-starts-with-a-single-sound-if-there-s-something-in-that-sound-then/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [Nobody was playing the soprano saxophone and certainly nobody was trying to do anything with it. So I was all alone. I didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/nobody-was-playing-the-soprano-saxophone-and-certainly-nobody-was/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [Before the work comes to you, you have to invent work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/before-the-work-comes-to-you-you-have-to-invent-work/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) > [Register is very important. Music sounds best in a certain register.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lacy/register-is-very-important-music-sounds-best-in-a-certain-register/) [Steve Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) [Explore all 50 Steve Lacy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lacy/) ## More Advertising agencies quotes > [I'm supposed to be taking time off. But I'm still writing and I have this Gap advert lined up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stone/i-m-supposed-to-be-taking-time-off-but-i-m-still-writing-and-i-have/) [Joss Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stone/) > [The traditional model for a company like Coca-Cola is to hire one big advertising agency and essentially outsource all of its creativity in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kao/the-traditional-model-for-a-company-like-coca-cola-is-to-hire-one-big/) [John Kao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kao/) > [I believe in advertisement and media completely. My art and my personal life are based in it. I think that the art world would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-koons/i-believe-in-advertisement-and-media-completely-my-art-and-my/) [Jeff Koons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-koons/) > [You have to be very rich to afford Labour, with 66 tax rises since they came in power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-redwood/you-have-to-be-very-rich-to-afford-labour-with-66-tax-rises-since/) [John Redwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-redwood/) > [When comics came along in the 1930s there was a talent pool waiting. And one reason is so many areas were closed to Jews.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-robinson/when-comics-came-along-in-the-1930s-there-was-a-talent-pool-waiting/) [Jerry Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-robinson/) > [I came literally to the table with a wealth of knowledge by simply understanding how food should taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rocco-dispirito/i-came-literally-to-the-table-with-a-wealth-of-knowledge-by-simply/) [Rocco DiSpirito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rocco-dispirito/) > [The first American ancestor of our name was a younger son of these old Devonshire people, and came to the Virginia colony in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sergeant-wise/the-first-american-ancestor-of-our-name-was-a-younger-son-of-these/) [John Sergeant Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sergeant-wise/) > [Advertising is much less powerful than advertisers and critics of advertising claim, and advertising agencies are stabbing in the dark much more than they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schudson/advertising-is-much-less-powerful-than-advertisers-and-critics-of/) [Michael Schudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schudson/) > [Advertising agencies don't care about a better world in the end. They are servants of their client: what the client wants is what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliviero-toscani/advertising-agencies-don-t-care-about-a-better-world-in-the-end-they/) [Oliviero Toscani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliviero-toscani/) > [Neoclassical economics insists that advertising cannot force consumers to buy anything they don't already want to buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lasch/neoclassical-economics-insists-that-advertising-cannot-force/) [Christopher Lasch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lasch/) > [Though, with the ascendancy of Louis, the political power of the nobles finally came to an end, France remained, in the whole complexion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lytton-strachey/though-with-the-ascendancy-of-louis-the-political-power-of-the-nobles/) [Lytton Strachey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lytton-strachey/) > [I was delighted to have lines when they came - learning lines for film isn't a problem, but television is a little different, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-selby/i-was-delighted-to-have-lines-when-they-came-learning-lines-for-film/) [David Selby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-selby/) > [I remember those great days when we were at $176 million before the Reagan Revolution came to town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-dicks/i-remember-those-great-days-when-we-were-at-176-million-before-the/) [Norm Dicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-dicks/) > [It is a most extraordinary thing, but I never read a patent medicine advertisement without being impelled to the conclusion that I am suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/it-is-a-most-extraordinary-thing-but-i-never-read-a-patent-medicine/) [Jerome K. 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