One thing I’ve appreciated about your content is how often you challenge common assumptions. Recently you’ve questioned assumptions about memory, assumptions about villains, assumptions about effort, assumptions about AI and now assumptions about originality. There’s a recurring theme running through all of it: what feels obvious is often incomplete. This newsletter is another reminder that creativity isn’t about avoiding influence. It’s about understanding it deeply enough to transform it into something personal. Thank you Idris for giving me and the rest of the community the tools to take our creative lives to the next level!
Thanks so much, Brian! I really appreciate you taking the time to share this. It's always encouraging to hear that these ideas are resonating and helping you in your creative journey. 🤩🤩🤩
This made me think about learning dance with my daughter. In the beginning I was so focused on getting the moves right that I didn’t realize how much I was learning just by watching other dancers. Over time certain things clicked, not because I copied anyone but because I understood what felt natural for me. Reading your newsletters has taught me that growth often comes from exposure first and confidence later. Thank you Idris Elijah for the informative and encouraging content!
Thank you so much, Maria! I love that connection to learning dance—it's so true that just being exposed to others helps things click naturally. I'm really glad the newsletter is encouraging for you! 🤩🤩🤩
The distinction between influence and imitation might be one of the most useful things a developing writer can understand. I used to study authors by looking at what they did. Now I try to understand why they did it. That change from surface traits to underlying principles has made reading feel like an apprenticeship instead of entertainment. This newsletter articulated something I’ve been learning slowly over the last year so thank you Idris Elijah for exploring this topic today!
Thanks so much, Chloe! I'm really glad that distinction resonated with you. It's definitely a shift in perspective that changes how we read and learn. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts! 🤩🤩🤩
I immediately thought back to your newsletter about AI and taste. The same principle applies here. Give ten musicians access to the same influences and you’ll still get ten different outcomes. What separates them isn’t the source material, it’s the judgment behind the choices they make. Some of the biggest breakthroughs I’ve had recently came from studying songs I love and asking why they work instead of trying to recreate them. That shift is changing everything so thank you Idris Elijah for the outstanding insights!
Thanks so much, Brooke! I really appreciate you drawing that connection back to the AI and taste newsletter. You're totally right—it really comes down to the judgment behind the choices we make. So glad the insights resonated with you! 🤩🤩🤩
This resonated with me because I spent a lot of time worrying that studying other artists too closely would make my work less original. In reality, the opposite happened. The more painters I studied, the more I started noticing which techniques and approaches genuinely felt like me. What once felt like influence eventually became preference and preference slowly became style. Your point about taste being the real skill is really good and should be made into a t-shirt! Thank you Idris Elijah for another interesting read!
Thanks so much, Jody! I'm really glad this resonated with you. It's so true that studying others actually helps us find our own unique voice rather than taking away from it. I love your point about taste becoming style! 🤩🤩🤩
I loved this article and it reminded me of the small conversations we had about my own work. So this was very eye opening for me and I definitely doubt myself less. Great article ❤️
One thing I’ve appreciated about your content is how often you challenge common assumptions. Recently you’ve questioned assumptions about memory, assumptions about villains, assumptions about effort, assumptions about AI and now assumptions about originality. There’s a recurring theme running through all of it: what feels obvious is often incomplete. This newsletter is another reminder that creativity isn’t about avoiding influence. It’s about understanding it deeply enough to transform it into something personal. Thank you Idris for giving me and the rest of the community the tools to take our creative lives to the next level!
Thanks so much, Brian! I really appreciate you taking the time to share this. It's always encouraging to hear that these ideas are resonating and helping you in your creative journey. 🤩🤩🤩
This made me think about learning dance with my daughter. In the beginning I was so focused on getting the moves right that I didn’t realize how much I was learning just by watching other dancers. Over time certain things clicked, not because I copied anyone but because I understood what felt natural for me. Reading your newsletters has taught me that growth often comes from exposure first and confidence later. Thank you Idris Elijah for the informative and encouraging content!
Thank you so much, Maria! I love that connection to learning dance—it's so true that just being exposed to others helps things click naturally. I'm really glad the newsletter is encouraging for you! 🤩🤩🤩
The distinction between influence and imitation might be one of the most useful things a developing writer can understand. I used to study authors by looking at what they did. Now I try to understand why they did it. That change from surface traits to underlying principles has made reading feel like an apprenticeship instead of entertainment. This newsletter articulated something I’ve been learning slowly over the last year so thank you Idris Elijah for exploring this topic today!
Thanks so much, Chloe! I'm really glad that distinction resonated with you. It's definitely a shift in perspective that changes how we read and learn. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts! 🤩🤩🤩
I immediately thought back to your newsletter about AI and taste. The same principle applies here. Give ten musicians access to the same influences and you’ll still get ten different outcomes. What separates them isn’t the source material, it’s the judgment behind the choices they make. Some of the biggest breakthroughs I’ve had recently came from studying songs I love and asking why they work instead of trying to recreate them. That shift is changing everything so thank you Idris Elijah for the outstanding insights!
Thanks so much, Brooke! I really appreciate you drawing that connection back to the AI and taste newsletter. You're totally right—it really comes down to the judgment behind the choices we make. So glad the insights resonated with you! 🤩🤩🤩
This resonated with me because I spent a lot of time worrying that studying other artists too closely would make my work less original. In reality, the opposite happened. The more painters I studied, the more I started noticing which techniques and approaches genuinely felt like me. What once felt like influence eventually became preference and preference slowly became style. Your point about taste being the real skill is really good and should be made into a t-shirt! Thank you Idris Elijah for another interesting read!
Thanks so much, Jody! I'm really glad this resonated with you. It's so true that studying others actually helps us find our own unique voice rather than taking away from it. I love your point about taste becoming style! 🤩🤩🤩
I loved this article and it reminded me of the small conversations we had about my own work. So this was very eye opening for me and I definitely doubt myself less. Great article ❤️
Here’s to doubting ourselves less!! 🤩🫶🏾