Originality Is Overrated; Resonance Is Underrated.

When navigating a congested landscape of ideas, attempting to squeeze ourselves in, what should we create?

Dec 07, 2025

“What has been will be again, what has been done, will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” —Ecclesiastes 1:9

Spotify Wrapped season is upon us. Our timelines are flooded with favorite artists, best albums, ridiculous listening minutes, and the absurd amount of genres we obliviously consume. The weird and unexpected tastes of people I know have been amazing to witness. You think you know someone until they share their playlist. The revelations: shocking.

Note: Apple Music Replay, or whatever YouTube and others have, are intentionally not mentioned. I not only prefer Spotify, I judge and am prone to discriminate against Apple Music users. For what reason, you ask, in utter disgust and offence, oh you Apple music user, cursing, with every vein and artery in your body, at my holier-than-thou, self-righteous, I-esteem-myself-highly stance. Simple: we like what we like.

I kid. Of music streaming platforms, to each their own. And, as I have a personal rule on reading, “read what you like; none should be judged on the subject of their literature but by the content of their character.”

In the final Episode of The Pen And Pulse Podcast’s first season, my guest, Sharon Matongo—co-founder of Charity Drive Zimbabwe, a graduate of Columbia Law School and, a Kofi Annan Changemaker—poses the question: In a world characterized by information overload, where ideas I hold are already echoed by other people out there, as a writer, why should I add to the conversation? This, she asks, as an extension to the question: why do I write?

My off-the-top answer ran all over. My convictions, however, were clear. I’d no illusions about the attempt at writing. Regardless of what I thought, or how intimidating the existence of a more profound, well articulated, marketplace of ideas was, what I felt, or found interesting, I’d to pen down. Else, at night, laying down to rest, thoughts of not indulging the paper would haunt me. The thought that someone out there had already expressed, in a deeper way, an idea that interested me, shouldn’t be a deterrent.

I’ve soon learnt that there exists a billion unique life experience combinations. There’s a plethora of music genres, artists, philosophies, and many other variables, all amplifying similar narratives in different perspectives. Largely, all expressions reflect how we personally experience the world. While I’m forever inclined to judge hard rock fanatics(Because, why? Have they ever heard of Whitney Houston?)I understand that we consume art that mostly resonates with us. Given a similar beat and lyrics, say on love, I’d still pick J Cole over Kendrick. Yes, the implication is intentional. When my brother recommends podcasts to me, while the topics of conversation would work, “It matters the packaging,” I always say. Again, all this, because we like what we like. It seems, therefore, that no two people can express an idea the same, if building from their experiences. And no one person resonates with everyone. Which is what my guest on the podcast goes on to state.

“...there’s a group of people that exist that is only connected to you,” she says, “like a unique set of people that exist that will only hear conversations from you as a source.” From this lens, freedom to create manifests, at least for the creative willing to reach out and just create regardless. Thus, in a congested idea space, writer Austin Kleon says to the creative in his book, Steal Like an Artist: “If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original, we can stop trying to make something out of nothing, and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it.” For Kleon, nothing is original.

So, why do I write?

Of all the forms of self expression, how we experience and share our realities, writing compels me more. Cliche? Maybe. But, frankly, for the longest time, I’ve felt it is the Pen that gives life to my Pulse. And, on which ideas to share and which to shy away from, because, well, they’ve been said already, with this meditation, maybe there’s no question at all.

In full awareness that I may be judged… I present to you my Spotify Wrapped: