Possessive is a Word

Possessive is an adjective. Possessive is a noun. In its noun form, it means, the case expressing ownership; in the adjective form, it means, serving to express possession or showing desire to own or control. That's all what the dictionary has to say about this very special word, 'possessive'. Special because, it is significant in the life of every individual, especially an artist - an individual who works with creativity and imagination and believes that ideas, however impossible or infeasible they may seem today, are the means to progress! With due regard to the dictionaries, I have said what I mean by the word 'artist'. You may not be working in a 'creative field' every time; but working with creativity and imagination in whichever field you are, is what makes you creative. That's what I mean by being creative and being an artist; correction, of an artist mentality.

Possessive, as I said earlier, bears special importance in case of an artist as we as artists are possessive about our works. I feel possessive about the thoughts I word, the emotions I portray and the ideas I have...most of us feel that way. You are possessive about your writings, not because you are a great writer or that your words are the most precious ones in the world or that no one thinks like you do. You are possessive because you are a writer, great in your own right; because you value your words, your ideas, your emotions, may they not mean much to the world. And because, not many think the way you do!

What's meant by being possessive about words? Let's take the title for example; Possessive is a word. What does the title mean? It means what it says and it says something that everyone knows; possessive is very much a word, but not like the many words English language has. It's a word, most of us can associate with. As individuals, we are possessive about our belongings (that's why they are called possessions!) and about the people we love (we forget we do not 'possess' them!). As professionals, we are possessive about our workspace, our workstation, our position (both ways). We are rarely ready to part with our belongings; we want our loved ones to remain the way they are. Even at work, we are quite possessive about the things we think we own. As human beings, who can think and feel, we are possessive about our thoughts and emotions. As artists, we are possessive about our works of art, as writers, about words. Possessive is a word and I am possessive about it! And that's how the title makes complete sense...to me at least.

You have an idea, you think of implementing it; someone makes it his own and implements it in his own way! You feel bad. And it is so because you are possessive about you ideas. You think of a word, place it well in your writing; someone changes it for no reason! You feel bad. And that's again because, you are possessive about the use of that particular word at that particular place. Every idea expressed, every expression portrayed and every portrayal exhibited...they have a thought and an effort behind them. This gives you the feeling of belongingness towards your ideas. You become possessive about them. And there's nothing wrong in that. If every expression has a thought behind it, it's natural to feel possessive about it, and you would not want it to be altered or misinterpreted.

My interpretation of something is mine, solely mine. Changing my words or changing the orientation of my ideas is like altering my expression. What I want to say or express is what I want to. It cannot be changed and made someone else's. Actually, no one else can understand an idea better than the one who ideates it. My expression can't be made yours and yours can't be made mine, as we may not be able to understand each other's ideas the way we understand our own.

Generally, a lack of understanding leads to misinterpretation or underestimation of an idea. If you look at the lives of scientists or inventors, you will find that most of them faced opposition from society; it was because people failed to understand the potential in their ideas. Society denounced them but they were firm on their ideas, taking complete ownership of what they thought and felt. Yes, the word 'possessive' has a close connection with taking ownership of what you wish to express. And taking ownership involves being convinced with what you have to say and feeling confident about it. You may not be able to get things implemented every time but you can at least be loyal to your expressions and to your ideas by continuing to believe in them. Don't stop believing in what you believe will work! Be possessive.

Even serious concerns like plagiarism trace their roots to this feeling of possessiveness. Plagiarism is the defeat of an artist's expression. Why do copyright issues arise? It's because originals are stolen and altered. This alteration is painful for the creator of the original. And it's so obvious for it to be that way! If you are stealing images, 'kidnapping' content, borrowing ideas and presenting them as your own, you are disregarding true effort, you are offending emotions, you are insulting creativity. And only a person who is possessive about his creations can feel that way. Being possessive is not about being obsessed; it's about being concerned. It's not about being stubborn; it's about being sensitive.

In whatever I write, I am possessive about every thought expressed, every expression worded and every word written. I am possessive about my ideas, my writings, my words.