Lesson 1: Steal like an artist because we’re imperfect mirrors
I was often told in the information lab, ‘Steal like an artist but make it my own. Basically, don’t reinvent the wheel.’ I used to think that everything I did had to be 100% original. Being a perfectionist with immense pride in my work, this is the kind of dogma that I find hard to shake off. More often than not, it takes me a while to adjust my approach, focusing on getting something done rather than spending time thinking about what new thing I can offer.
In one of the thought collections in Derek Sivers’s ‘Hell Yeah or No,’ the same idea was reiterated and reminded me to constantly work on embracing this new perspective. There are so many unrealised ideas living in my mind, and so little execution. It is not because I’m not driven, but rather, I was holding back from producing anything that seems to be an imitation of others.
But, in reality, all creative work is iterative; no idea is truly original but rather the sum of others’ inspirations. Embrace imitation like a pro artist, as we’re all imperfect mirrors, so the output of our imitation will end up very different from the original anyway.
To fully adopt this change, I want to make it a habit. I’ve decided to pick up scribbling again. By no means am I any good at drawing, but who cares? All I want to do is force myself to learn imitating and stop worrying about having an original sketch. Walk the talk, make it a habit. That’s my goal for this year.
“Don’t feel intimidated to imitate. Embrace it! We’re all imperfect mirrors, so the output of our imitation will end up very different from the original anyway.”