Don't be afraid to share your influences from "summary" of Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon
When you're starting out, it's easy to get hung up on imitating your heroes. You figure that if you can just mimic that style or that tone, you'll be just fine. But there's always that voice in the back of your head that says, "You'll never be as good as your heroes." So you hide your influences, and you try to come up with something original on your own. The problem with this approach is that it's impossible to create anything truly original. Everything is a remix. Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of what came before. So why not embrace your influences and wear them on your sleeve? Share your favorite books, music, movies, artists, and ideas with the world. Show people where you're coming from. Give credit where credit is due. By sharing your influences, you're not only paying homage to the people who came before you, but you're also giving your audience a roadmap to your creative journey. You're saying, "This is what inspired me. This is what got me here." And chances are, your audience will appreciate your honesty and transparency. They'll see that you're not trying to hide behind a facade of originality, but that you're standing on the shoulders of giants. Sharing your influences also opens up a dialogue with your audience. They can see how your ideas have evolved over time, and they can join you on your creative journey. They might even introduce you to new influences that you never would have discovered on your own. It's a win-win situation. So don't be afraid to share your influences. Embrace them, celebrate them, and let them guide you on your creative path. You never know where they might take you.
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