inspiration vs. replication

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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onto today’s topic: inspiration vs. replication ©️ 

i’m sure you’ve read this quote somewhere before:

honestly, i disagree. there’s something extremely flattering about someone taking inspiration from you and spinning an outfit, a blog, or mannerisms of their own out of it; however, it becomes disconcerting once it’s clear that you were copied bar for bar — even if credit was given. 😵‍💫 

claiming something for your own when it’s the result of an exact copy is strange, and i’ve seen it pop up recently multiple times with my blog.

i don’t stake claim over the idea of a blog at all. in fact, i encourage each and every one of you reading this to start one today. on the other hand, i do believe the structure, cadence, and design of my blog is unique to me.

with reference to my blog, let me paint a few examples of what inspiration vs. replication looks like:

inspiration:

✅ also starting a publication using beehiiv

✅ adding thoughts to a topic i’ve previously written about and referencing it

replication:

❌ word-for-word copy paste of specific phrases i repeat in each post

❌ using the exact same styling, structure, and design (even worse without credit)

each of the 3 times this has happened, my first instinct was to call myself delusional. there’s no way they’re really copying me. however, as a one-off instance turned into multiple, i realized that i should be taking more pride into my work and the time i put into articulating my brand and my identity through 475 days of posts.

introspection ft. harsehaj, this publication, is the most meaningful representation of my identity to exist anywhere in the world. i have crafted it with a lot of intentionality and every reader means so much to me — ripping it off with ease and claiming it for your own just feels diminishing.

i always take inspiration from others, that’s how the world progresses, but we’d never move forward if we were all just clones of each other, right? inspiration is a starting point, and you fill the rest of it. ⭐️ 

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