During my time as an Intern Chaplain for Hospice, I worked with 2 different Mentor Chaplains:
- The first wanted no info about a patient prior to his visit. He wanted to focus on what he could learn when he was with that person. He didn’t want to be influenced by anything, including what others had observed.
- The second wanted as much info as possible, including interviewing nurses and other staff, right before meeting with the patient. He didn’t want to miss anything that might be important to his work.
In artists, I have observed that same opposition in viewpoint, especially with the topic of giving credit to the “original” creator.
- Does looking at other art interfere with one’s own creativity?
- When does inspiration become theft of intellectual propriety?