Making new things from old parts
Girl Talk – “Hands in the Air”
The above clip is by a DJ named Gregg Gillis, better known as Girl Talk. His claim to fame is taking hundreds of samples from other songs and mashing them together to make a unique work. (He also attended my undergraduate alma mater, Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University.)
Legally, his work exists in a gray area. He does not get permission from the original artists for all of the samples he uses. He argues “fair use,” meaning that he creates a transformative artistic work that fundamentally differs from the source material. While he cannot legally sell his “albums” (since then he would have to pay royalties on the samples he uses — he can offer the album for free download and ask for donations, as the link illustrates), he can perform concerts that consist entirely of other people’s songs stitched together as in the clip above.
While there are some original ideas in The 2-Hour Job Search, most of it is recycled.
What makes it a “transformative work” is the way the pieces are fit together in the most efficient and effective manner possible. 2HJS is an alternative to the “more is always better” approach of heaping advice onto an already-overloaded job seeker, where lack of results are attributed to an insufficient amount of time devoted to searching.
The 2-Hour Job Search (just like Girl Talk) is not for everyone. For a particular audience, I am hoping that it resonates very deeply. It’s a sample solution, rather than a collection of “tips.” If you or a loved one is unhappy with your job search results to date, please check out The 2-Hour Job Search at your local bookstore or library (or download the free sample from Amazon).
And please do join the brand-new LinkedIn Group, “2-Hour Job Search – Q&A Forum.” It’s a great forum for asking 2HJS questions, sharing 2HJS ideas, and posting adorable cat pictures. (Cat picture functionality coming soon…)
