Unconscious input

“Never mistake the power of influence.”

Every single thing you do is a result of influence.

Today, I started to brainstorm the creation of art. Originality is a topic that has always perplexed me. It is hard to believe that originality even exists because the mind cannot create something out of thin air. Every single thing the mind creates is based on something that it has experienced before.

The power of influence is present even when you don’t realize it.

Images, sounds, feelings are constantly being processed through the mind. Every second of every day is recorded in the memory. Sometimes these memories make their way to the subconscious and only come out when you aren’t expecting. 

It’s like when you hear a kid swear. The parent instantly asks “Where did you hear that word?!?” The kid responds with “I don’t know.” They could very well be lying but the truth is, they might not know. They might have no idea where they took the word from, but it made its way into their mind and soon became an output.

Creativity is never original. What creativity is, rather, is a conglomeration of everything that has gone into your mind processed in a unique way. Every single creation takes its influence from somewhere. Those who believe they are completely original are mistaken. They are not original. They are rather unconsciously being influenced by something else and believing that they are original because they don’t recognize the influence.

Oftentimes writers will create allegories without even intending it. People will say “doesn’t this movie/song/book resemble ____?” The creator will completely deny any influence (who’s to say if they’re telling the truth) and say that the creation was original. Even though they may not have intended it to be influenced by some other piece of work or event, it was. It was influenced by everything that the creator consumed. 

If you want to synthesize something successful in an area of topic, consume the best material from that area of topic.

Each day you wake up you are being formed by your surroundings.

You are like a mountain. Slowly changing shape based on what is happening around you. 

The more you can control your environment, the more you are able to control the shape you ultimately take.

You are influenced whether you like it or not. Most of the time you are unconsciously changing to fit your environment. 

If you don’t want to be a slave to your environment, be conscious of what is happening around you. Control your consumption. Monitor your input. Optimize your output.

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Thank you for reading!

My goal is to inspire self-improvement in others through my personal stories and experiences.

This is The Exploration.