“Be a little different… someone else is already doing this exact thing.” This was a comment I recently received on a Tik Tok of mine. I posted a video of me reading the Day to Day for that day and someone responded with the above quote.
Did I take offense, grow upset, become aloof, question my methods? No, not for one second. Instead I realized how incorrect this commenter was. Nobody in the world is doing what I’m doing and no one ever can.
There’s not a single person who has or will ever see the world as I do. No one will ever be able to think my thoughts or write them in the same way as me. Everything I create is unique to me and my life. No one can be me.
No one can be you. Whatever you are creating is 100% you. The lyrics you write come from your mind. The art you make spills out of your hands. Your thoughts, your emotions, and your ability to express them are unique to you and you alone.
If we weren’t allowed to do something someone else was already doing, no one would be able to do anything. So what, I’m not allowed to read a blog post on Tik Tok because scroogeMcDuck69420 is doing that? I’m not allowed to paint a beautiful scene of Crater Lake because someone else already has?
The works we each create are not copies of someone else. Each of us is inspired by the world around us and we choose to express that in our own ways. I write, paint, and podcast. You produce music, make movies, and write poetry.
However it is that you can put yourself out into the world, do it. Whether someone else is already doing it or not. The one thing no one else has or ever will have is your mind, body, or experiences. So create, share, and explore.
June 8, 2022
