So you’ve just come across a super inspiring piece of work and you’re feeling super pumped about your discovery. You’ve been building your online business for just a short amount of time and you’re eager to learn and absorb as much as you can. But in the middle of creating your next program or product you realize that it strongly resembles someone else’s work. Being inspired without copying can be tough sometimes, especially when you’re so excited about what you’ve learned.
Just this week I started reading an incredible new book called Building A Story Brand by Donald Miller and I’ve been so excited by the work it has given me a new lease on life as a Personal Branding Coach. But how do you be inspired without copying someone else’s work? Well I have a few ideas.
Here are a few ways to stay inspired without copying the work of your peers and role models.
Seek multiple sources of inspiration.
Inspiration is all around you. I know how easy it can be to idolize someone’s work so much that you just want to lap it up and regurgitate it. It seems so aligned with what you want to create in your own business that it’s hard to tear your eyes away. But seeking multiple sources of inspiration will ensure that you stay inspired without copying the work of any one individual.
Before sitting down to work on a project make sure to have sought out learning and inspiration from various places. Find inspiration in books, recordings, seminars, live events, your daily life and even from friends and family!
Click away from what you find inspiring.
Just as you have to seek inspiration from multiple sources, sometimes you have to just turn off external inspiration completely. Click out of your internet browsers, disconnect from social media and spend time just reflecting on the lessons and inspiration in your own life.
Occasionally before writing on a particular topic I’ll sweep the internet to check out other people’s opinions however I never stay for long and I never read in depth.
When you click away from what you find inspiring you are able to spend more time interpreting things for yourself. From this place you may be able to come up with creative ideas that are completely your own.
Listen to your gut feeling.
You know if you’re being a copycat. Once you’ve completed any work that you churned out in response to someone else’s work, take a step back and take it all in. Ask yourself if the work you’ve done feels true for you or if it feels like a replica of someone else’s work.
Several years ago I was heavily inspired by the work of a relationship coach that I came across on Facebook. At the time I was starting out in the field and I was so motivated by the work that I created a course based on the principles she taught.
Without listening to my gut I put the work out into the world. After the first sale I started to feel like something wasn’t quite right and upon revisiting the work I realized it didn’t feel true at all for me. I am embarrassed to say that I had been a total copycat. So down came the course, never to be sold again.
Trust you gut. It knows best.
Give credit where credit is due.
Sometimes the work is just too good to walk away from and you feel like you just have to use it in your work. Some of my favorite teachers and coaches in the online space will often reference the work of other people heavily in their own work. There’s nothing wrong with this if you can be inspired without copying
But give credit where credit is due. If there is a killer quote or a paragraph that you choose to reference then be very vocal about where the original work comes from. This is not only a way to show reverence for another person’s art but also respect for your own creativity.
Is there anything else that you do to make sure you don’t catch the copycat syndrome? Let me know in the comments below!
Hi Candis! This can be soooo hard sometimes when you find really good info that’s similiar to what you want to create. Another bad thing about copying is that you’ll find that it doesn’t always quite match your views. So it’s best to be inspired but put your own twist on it and in your words.
Totally agree with you! I found myself being too inspired by other people’s work in the past that I completely lost myself! There’s definitely a fine line. Thanks for chiming in Karmen!