Create your own unique original by filtering through your own perspective—not by stealing, but by imitating!

Right off the bat, you might want to point out that stealing and imitating are the same thing, but I would like you to accept that the 'stealing' and 'imitating' I am talking about here are similar but different. I'd like to write a bit about that. (^_^)b

First of all, when we say 'stealing,' we use it to mean the act of taking someone else's work or content as it is, whereas 'imitating' is used differently, meaning to use something as a model and follow it.

Therefore, to break down the title, it means that instead of copy-pasting someone else's content, you express your own unique worldview and values by filtering what you want to learn from that content through your own perspective while imitating it. (^_^)b

If you really look into it, it's questionable whether a pure original even exists in today's world. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that everything is the result of countless stages of imitation and arrangement, leading to things that are similar, or things that aren't similar but share the same source. 😅

Besides, 'imitating' is actually the etymological root of the word 'learning' (manabu), and it is precisely because we humans have endlessly passed down the act of imitating that we have been able to achieve our current civilization and culture. (^^ゞ

Therefore, imitating is neither something to be ashamed of nor an act to be servile about.

However, what you must be careful about is committing the mistake that leads to the crime of stealing when you intended to imitate. 🤔

It is common for people to be inspired by encountering other people's content, causing the vague ideas within them to suddenly take shape and materialize, but if you are always thinking only about stealing, I think the effectiveness of such a catalyst will fade. (^_^)b

What is important is to respect the subject you want to imitate, understand that using it as a model with the intention of learning acts as a catalyst for yourself, and keep your own antennas well-tuned.

And when you encounter content that can serve as a model, I believe that taking it into yourself with a learning mindset and expressing it in your own words as your own thoughts and values is what it means to filter it, and that is what gives content its originality.

In the world of master and apprentice, there is a saying, 'The blue comes from the indigo, but is bluer than the indigo,' which means that by imitating and learning, there is a possibility of surpassing the model you used. (^_^)b

To that end, I personally believe that it is essential to have a store of experience, knowledge, ideas, and inspiration that can act as fermenting bacteria to further sublimate the learning you have acquired by imitating a model. 🤔

Imitating a model well leads to good learning and becomes the basis for a good catalyst.
It means that just copying from left to right won't help you internalize it.

It means that by once chewing it over and fermenting it, you can output it as your own original. (^_^)b

They are similar and confusing, but I think you should clearly distinguish between stealing and imitating, and create your own unique content. 🤗

I think the person being imitated should also take pride in being used as a model.

Instead of getting angry, you should accept it as a joyful thing, thinking that your content helped contribute to the creation of content that surpasses your own model. (^_^)b

I think that as things go around and around like that, the quality of content will improve over time.

Well, I thought about that, so I wrote this article. (^^ゞ

So, this time, I talked about something like a mindset for content creation:
“Create your own unique original by filtering through your own perspective, not by copying, but by imitating!”.
*The illustration for the header image was borrowed from Maple Kaede-san.

See you!

Not getting copied, being imitated well, and living carefree

<Here is the article from my main account posted yesterday!>