Journal Prompt: How a lack of authenticity breeds contempt

We live in a world that is obsessed with presentation. Every day, we scroll through feeds filled with lifestyles and creative projects that look effortless. It is completely natural to see someone doing something beautiful, whether it is painting, baking, or starting a blog, and feel a spark of inspiration. Most of the time, that kind of imitation is just a normal part of life.

But there is a sharp line between being inspired by someone and trying to mirror their identity.

When we pick up a hobby, a style, or a voice simply because we saw someone else get attention for it, things get complicated. You cannot fake a real connection to a craft. Genuine interest is built over a long time through personal memories, history, and real curiosity. When someone tries to replicate the outer shell of someone else’s creative outlet without having that same internal drive, the project eventually starts to feel empty.

That empty feeling is exactly where the trouble starts.

When people realize they cannot match the consistency or ease of the person they copied, a strange shift happens. The initial admiration turns into frustration. Instead of looking inward and realizing they just need to find their own path, they project that frustration outward.

Suddenly, the very thing they tried so hard to do becomes "cringe." The hobby they eagerly adopted a few months ago is suddenly beneath them.

This is how a lack of originality breeds bitterness. It is a defense mechanism. When people cannot find fulfillment in a space they forced themselves into, they try to tear down the space entirely. They criticize the medium because it is much easier to call an art form foolish than it is to admit they did not have the patience to sustain it.

Real creativity does not look sideways to see who is watching, and it definitely does not care about looking cool. For me, writing is just about the simple choice to put thoughts on paper, like looking out the window on a rainy afternoon. The best thing we can do when faced with outside noise is to just keep creating anyway, firmly rooted in our own truth.

-E.