I voted you up because it is a valid point and you shouldn't be downvoted as much.
I think it is a matter of deciding how original do you have to be to earn the badge of creativity for yourself.
If you think of the great pop artists, Warhol and Peter Blake for example they all sampled from popular culture but they did it in such a way that they created a visual look that defined art for the generation they created it in.
Equally with music some of the best modern music has used samples to good effect, think of DJ Shadow's work and one of my personal favourites The Avalanches - they took small fragments of other people's work but arranged it in such a way that what they created was an original work in its own right.
In the creative industries we all are influenced by what's around us and artists who do not sample are no different in this regard they just use their influences in a slightly different way.
I think it is a matter of deciding how original do you have to be to earn the badge of creativity for yourself.
If you think of the great pop artists, Warhol and Peter Blake for example they all sampled from popular culture but they did it in such a way that they created a visual look that defined art for the generation they created it in.
Equally with music some of the best modern music has used samples to good effect, think of DJ Shadow's work and one of my personal favourites The Avalanches - they took small fragments of other people's work but arranged it in such a way that what they created was an original work in its own right.
In the creative industries we all are influenced by what's around us and artists who do not sample are no different in this regard they just use their influences in a slightly different way.