Okay...I've been thinking. Yes, you should be worried. Yes, my brain hurts.
This is about the 'Original' JKD people.
Okay, I like to draw. Don't do much of it nowadays, but I'll doodle now and then. I also like playing guitar and bass. I know lots of artists who can draw from a photo, model, or another drawing, and reproduce that image accurately, and sometimes near flawlessly. However, if they ever need to draw something completely original, without some reference to draw from, then they invariably can't perform as well, and the result looks nowhere near as good as one of their works drawn from some reference (model, photo, etc.).
This is true for guitarists. Way back, when I was in a metal band (don't ask...all photos and recordings have been destroyed!), I had a guitarist who could play practically anything from sheet music, no matter how difficult. The most complex, convoluted guitar solo was a piece of cake for him. However, when asked to create an original piece of music, it was like he was all thumbs. He couldn't come up with anything on his own.
Now, do we consider the artist who must have a model to draw from a poor artist? No! I myself cannot draw from a model. I can only draw what's in my twisted little brain. I wish I could draw from a reference, and envy those who can do it so well.
Do we consider the person who can't create original guitar music a bad guitarist? No! I can only dream about playing some of the pieces he'd learned from sheet music. The dexterity and coordination required to play some of that stuff is something that may forever be out of my reach.
So, to drag the point in...
I used to consider 'Original' JKD 'bad' JKD. However, I now think of 'Original' JKD practitioners like I do the above people. Just because they can't or won't create their own JKD doesn't necessarily make what they do bad. The drawing done by the artist who needs a model is still a good drawing. The guitar solo played by the guitarist who can only copy other guitar solos is still an impressive feat of dexterity and coordination. So, the JKD done by the people who've become adept at 'Original' JKD can still be considered good JKD, just limited. Limited because the essential element of creativity and personal expression is lost when one merely copies something else.
Okay. I don't know if I made a point. I made something. Maybe just a big pile of doo-doo.
Cthulhu
This is about the 'Original' JKD people.
Okay, I like to draw. Don't do much of it nowadays, but I'll doodle now and then. I also like playing guitar and bass. I know lots of artists who can draw from a photo, model, or another drawing, and reproduce that image accurately, and sometimes near flawlessly. However, if they ever need to draw something completely original, without some reference to draw from, then they invariably can't perform as well, and the result looks nowhere near as good as one of their works drawn from some reference (model, photo, etc.).
This is true for guitarists. Way back, when I was in a metal band (don't ask...all photos and recordings have been destroyed!), I had a guitarist who could play practically anything from sheet music, no matter how difficult. The most complex, convoluted guitar solo was a piece of cake for him. However, when asked to create an original piece of music, it was like he was all thumbs. He couldn't come up with anything on his own.
Now, do we consider the artist who must have a model to draw from a poor artist? No! I myself cannot draw from a model. I can only draw what's in my twisted little brain. I wish I could draw from a reference, and envy those who can do it so well.
Do we consider the person who can't create original guitar music a bad guitarist? No! I can only dream about playing some of the pieces he'd learned from sheet music. The dexterity and coordination required to play some of that stuff is something that may forever be out of my reach.
So, to drag the point in...
I used to consider 'Original' JKD 'bad' JKD. However, I now think of 'Original' JKD practitioners like I do the above people. Just because they can't or won't create their own JKD doesn't necessarily make what they do bad. The drawing done by the artist who needs a model is still a good drawing. The guitar solo played by the guitarist who can only copy other guitar solos is still an impressive feat of dexterity and coordination. So, the JKD done by the people who've become adept at 'Original' JKD can still be considered good JKD, just limited. Limited because the essential element of creativity and personal expression is lost when one merely copies something else.
Okay. I don't know if I made a point. I made something. Maybe just a big pile of doo-doo.
Cthulhu