How to Find Your Voice
The secret to Originality is not what it seems
First off I must say that the vampire series “Originals” was awesome. however, this is not an article of the said movie (which in all honesty will definitely be easier to write on).
If I do my job well enough, by the end of this post I would have been able to strike a balance between copying others and being yourself.
The Realization
In my years on earth, I have come to the conclusion that very few (if any) people start off thinking that they are copying other people and this includes people with low self-esteem, and are prone to mimicking their friends or people they look up to.
It usually takes some know-it-all to point it to us that we are copying others and then this can plunge us into a full-blown existential crisis. Cue in finding yourself 101.
The Originality Scam
The idea that in order to be original we need to scrub off any trace of outside influence is absurd.
Do you know that there is an ideology in engineering, that seeks to solve novel engineering problems by taking inspiration from nature?
Do you know, that every new invention, is original because it played with previously known ideas?
Nothing lives in a vacuum. Everything has a source. A place it derives inspiration from. A series of events that formed it and we are not exempt. think of one idea that was not inspired by your family, friends or environment. I am sure that you will find no “original” idea. The best you get to do is to tweak it and that is absolutely fine.
To be succinct, the secret to originality and finding your voice is by copying. The problem now becomes how and who to copy.
Copying 101
Let's take a trip back to your childhood. How did you learn how to speak? What type of songs do you listen to and who introduced you to them? What are your favourite foods? How did they become your favourite?
Answering these questions and more would reveal one thing, you are unique because you have copied a lot, from a lot of different people.
In order to find your voice, you need to:
- Make a list of people that inspire you.
- Understudy them. Watch their shows, read their books.
- Try to copy the thing they do that you are interested in.
- Don't be afraid to tweak your copying to better suit you.
- Wash, Rinse and Repeat.
As far as you don't steal their work and claim it is yours, the best you can be is an imperfect copy.
Over time you will find things that work for you and things that don’t. With a better understanding of yourself in the process of copying, you would develop your own style or voice. You will find originality.
Because the truth is simple. Originality is just copying with style.
