“How we consume art doesn’t need to necessarily influence how we make it.”
Lauren Hom
If you're creative, you probably spend a lot of time checking out other people’s work. It might be on Instagram, Spotify, or anywhere around you. That’s awesome because seeing great stuff can light a fire under your own creativity.1
But here’s the catch: sometimes, when you’re inspired, it’s easy to accidentally start copying instead of creating your own thing.
I’ve got a story for you. A friend of mine is a graphic designer, and she loved following big artists online. At first, she thought it helped her grow, but then she realized her work was starting to look a lot like theirs, which is not her own style at all. So she switched it up.
She started looking for inspiration in random places - old books, murals on the street, even colors she saw on her walks out in nature. That mix helped her find her own groove again.
The point? Let other art inspire you, sure. But don’t let it steal your voice, your style, and your unique sense of you. Your creativity is at its best when it’s 100% you.
TODAY’s CHALLENGE:
Find one piece of art (whether it’s a song, painting, poem, type of new business, dance, etc . . . ) that really moves you. Now, make something inspired by how it makes you feel - not by copying it. Share your unique spin with another creative friend and celebrate what you’re doing for you.
Let’s use the things that we consume to produce something fresh and new.
I first saw this quote on Lauren Hom’s Instagram (dated 2.13.2020).