What makes a deck original?

BrightEye

Since I've started creating an oracle deck, I've been asking myself this question. It's less an issue with Tarot I feel since the originality would lie in the way one interprets or re-interprets the traditional archetypes.

With a free-flowing oracle outside of any particular tradition, like the one I'm trying to create, I'm at a loss. I'd appreciate any thoughts people might have on this topic.
 

ana luisa

Hi BrightEye! Congratulations on your newest venture! I wish you enjoy the journey as well as the result :thumbsup: Your question is a bit complex. I say this because oracles, to me, can be almost anything in life. A flyer that the wind blew over your feet saying something relevant can be an oracle. A particular scene in a movie can give you powerful advice at a time you need it most. Words are also superfluous. You can use flowers, shells, cookies, the changes in weather, etc to "read" the world. So, freedom may be a double-edged knife. It usually emprisons me but it shouldn´t you :) If I were to make an oracle, I would be true to my taste, to my artistic style and not make the messages too obvious. The richness of symbols is in the person reading them, not on the symbol itself. If you dig animals, go for it. If you prefer gore, do a more somber type of oracle. You KNOW you won´t be able to please ALL the readers. Taste is a very finicky thing.
So, in short, work on something you like, that you are good at, make it challenging but not so challenging that only YOU will be able to figure it out. PLEASE think a lot about the other practical stuff which also plays an important part in a reader´s choice: borders (or lack thereof), card stock, use of color (some will fade with wear). As to size, I believe it really depends on your art. Shadowscapes suffered tremendously because of resizing which was a shame. If you need cards to be bigger, go for it. There´s a public for everything. Good luck and keep us posted !!!
 

Glass Owl

Congratulations on your new project. To answer your question, I suppose for something to be viewed as "original" most would say it needs to be new and different. The problem with "new" is that all ideas have their roots in something else, it is all recycled. I think the creativity and "originality" comes in when one starts making choices about what is used and how those parts are put together. Personally, I like it when decks (and for that matter, things like books, movies, and tv shows) have some sort of foundation, something to build up from.

Depending upon the nature of your Oracle, you may find it helpful to consider what could tie your cards together. One thing I really like about the decks by Lucy Cavendish and Jasmine Beckett-Griffith is that there is a theme running through each deck, one that goes beyond just vampires/animals/etc. The shapeshifters deals with change and les vampires addresses personal power and power struggles.

I also think that a lot of "originality" comes down to how much of "you" you put into it.
 

BrightEye

Thank you very much for your thoughts, ana luisa and Glass Owl.

Originality is perhaps an outdated concept. I was thinking in terms of how I can make it different to existing oracle decks, create myself a niche in the market, yet take care that it remains readable at the same time. You both gave me lots to think about. I think the most important thing to remember is to be true to myself. Quite a few of my drawings are erotic and I know that's not to everyone's taste, but I can live with that. The thing I struggle with most is a unifying narrative, but I'm working on that.

I'm also thinking more about the practical aspect of making a deck since I experimented with my Tarot. So I'm a Little bit wiser there than I was a year or so ago.
 

nicky

Originality is perhaps an outdated concept. I was thinking in terms of how I can make it different to existing oracle decks, create myself a niche in the market, yet take care that it remains readable at the same time.

The thing I would ask is why you feel the world needs a new oracle - what are you missing from the ones out there - what hole is it filling for you - that should inform you as to your question. In theory, if the oracles/ decks etc out there are falling short then the missing part that you create should make it different.
 

BrightEye

- what are you missing from the ones out there - what hole is it filling for you - that should inform you as to your question.
Not enough work in greyscale out there. That would be one thing. That's a great question!
 

Zedrex

Great thread, and something that I've been pondering too.

The easy answer is that an Oracle can be original as easily as not having the words Sacred, Spirit, Nature, or Wisdom in the title :D

But seriously, for me it's all about filling a need. The oracle I'm making is simply something I expected to see but doesn't seem to exist. I wanted something that works with philosophy - particularly existential and post-modern concepts - and I cannot believe there really isn't anything close to what I'm after. (lots of decks use the word philosophy or philosopher in their titles, but it seems to just be a word like Sacred or Spirit lol)

Seemingly most decks seem to be about themes or flavours or easthetic choices, and they are judged purely on the artwork. I'm not interested in reading with hallmark cards. I want a colllection of sophisticated ideas that speak to the human condition and are integrated into a cohesive and usable system, so that's what I'm shooting far (and will probably fall short of achieving lol)