ORIGINALITY- is it real?

ORIGINALITY — Are We Truly Ever Original?

We like to think of ourselves as individual, original people, and in many ways, we are. Cultural background, upbringing, education, genetic predisposition, the specific environment that shaped how we see the world — all of it makes each of us genuinely unique. But when it comes to concepts and creative ideas specifically, I think true originality is far harder to claim than we'd like to believe.

We're one of nearly nine billion people alive right now, on top of everyone who came before us and everyone still to come. Even unconsciously, we're shaped by ideas constantly, absorbing influence throughout our entire lives without necessarily realising it. There's no shame in that. Being inspired by something doesn't erase your own identity from what you make with it — it just means you were never starting from nothing.

This isn't just a personal theory. It's something creativity researchers and thinkers have circled for years, often under the term "combinatorial creativity" — the idea that new ideas are almost never created from a blank slate, but assembled by connecting existing pieces of knowledge, skill, and inspiration in a way nobody had quite connected before. Filmmaker Kirby Ferguson built an entire documentary series around this exact premise, arguing that everything we make is a remix of what already exists — our own lives and the lives of others, layered together. Even Einstein described his own process in similar terms, calling combinatory play the essential feature of productive thought. Even the people who reached the very height of success in their field were shaped by someone, or some idea, before them.

In fact, real mastery is often built on the opposite of originality. The paragon of excellence in any skilled craft usually comes from learning techniques that have already been tried, tested, and refined over time, then consistently reproducing them to a high standard. That consistency is what becomes known as mastery. Geometric standards, technical skill sets, the "rules" of any craft — none of that is original to the person using it. It was taught, by masters who learned it from masters before them. What you can do is learn those techniques properly, and then add your own flavour or essence on top.

So there's real advantage in leaning toward applied excellence, toward mastering what already works, while still adding your own novelty within it. That combination — skilled foundation, personal signature — tends to be what actually holds up in a competitive field, far more than chasing "never been done before" for its own sake.

My advice, for what it's worth: know yourself, know your limitations and your strengths, and show up rooted in that truth. It will either be well received or it won't — but at least it will have come from an integral place. Whenever I've personally strayed from my own integrity, principles, or values, or let misplaced loyalty override my own judgement, things didn't tend to work out for the better.

Just keep learning. Just keep growing.