Build your creative work on the works of other artists, but use a different perspective.

Sometimes, getting a fresh perspective on an old source is all it takes to produce creative, unique art. Remember, every new idea is just a mashup or remix of one or more previous ideas.

1. Understand that nothing is completely original.
   There is always an original source from which every artist gets any idea from—no art is created without influence from other works of art.

2. Look for a new perspective on old ideas.
   Draw two parallel lines on a piece of paper. How many lines are there? You might answer two, but you could also consider it to be three lines, as there is the line of negative space that runs between them. So, sometimes, one plus one can equal three.

3. Copy other artists for practice.
   This is not the same as trying to pass another artist’s work off as your own; this is copying the style of other artists as practice, to better understand and develop your own style. However, remember that you need to look into the other artist’s thinking behind their style, as this will help you better understand where they are coming from.

4. Just start.
   Start drawing, writing, painting, creating. You might be scared, but this fear is natural. You might feel like you don’t know what you’re doing, but no one really does anyway. Showing up to do your work is half the battle—just start experimenting with your art, and soon enough, it will feel like second nature to you.