Trying to be original when it feels like everything has already been said
I was recently told that I have catchphrases. Even though UW-Madison is a giant university, my major itself is quite small. There are around 14 other people graduating this spring with my same major. My office, club meetings and in-person classes this semester are all in the same building. Naturally, it means I spend a lot of my time during the week with the same, small group of people who are also in the major. This closeness has led to us adopting each other’s phrases and mannerisms almost subconsciously. Before this group, I wasn’t aware of the many patterns in my everyday life, especially in how I communicate. For instance, I often start singing my words mid-sentence when I’m talking with my friends instead of just saying them. I also refer to my friends as “pal” while we’re chatting. Since this same group of friends had started calling me “pal” as well, or using some of my other mannerisms, I didn’t think of them as uniquely my expressions.
While these little character quirks (if we can even call them that) of mine seemed insignificant to me, my friends viewed them as a part of who I am. This realization caused me to dig into the origin of these “catchphrases.” Something I constantly wonder about is if I’m being myself. Not in the existential crisis kind of way; it’s more of a natural curiosity. Even thinking of the habits that feel like a natural part of my life, I’m not sure where they came from or when they began. Did I create these phrases or did I pick them up from a TV show I’ve seen? I became keenly aware of how much of my life has been plucked from different experiences throughout my 22 years.
Traditional and social media have had a drastic impact on our society, especially those in my generation (Generation Z). From social media influencers to music industry giants, it seems like everyone is recommending the next big product. Most of my makeup products and even some of my clothes were purchased based on recommendations from people I’ve never met before. Beyond even material items, some of my personal opinions and beliefs were formed based on podcasts I’ve listened to or videos I’ve seen. Some of the podcasts I listen to seem to articulate the jumbled mess of thoughts I have in my brain but can’t verbalize. The sheer number of opinions we, the general public, are able to consume everyday is almost unbelievable. It can be comforting to hear other people give voice to the thoughts in my head; however, it also makes me feel like none of my thoughts are original.
There’s a common expression that is along the lines of, “If you can think of it, someone’s already done it.” Having access to so many lives and opinions has made me feel like there’s nothing left to say. We are all human. It seems that for every idea I’ve had recently, someone else has already spoken at length about it in a podcast episode or a social media post. Everyone speaking on these ideas is coming from different life experiences, which gives them a new perspective; however, sometimes it feels like everyone else’s takes are identical to mine, or maybe better. So why should I add to the discourse? This makes it difficult to feel like my thoughts are my own or original in any way.
The line between my own ideas and the opinions of others seems to have blurred beyond recognition, but is that always a bad thing? Knowing that my friends have started saying expressions because I say them makes me smile. It’s like they have taken a bit of me with them. When I drink four cups of coffee while writing an article, I think of my mom. I love country music because it reminds me of my best friend. Whenever I eat pesto pasta, I think of my college roommates during the depths of the pandemic. I am a collage of everyone I’ve ever loved or admired. The thoughts I have might not all be revolutionary, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth expressing.
It’s easy to over-consume media content and get lost in the endless sea of information. The internet has given more people a platform to share their thoughts and find like-minded individuals. This easy access to so many creative people shouldn’t diminish your own creativity. Our originality comes from our hodgepodge of life experiences, and not from being unique in all our actions and thoughts. Most things are not that clear-cut. It doesn’t matter if these little habits my friends noticed are things I’ve picked up from the media or other friends, because they have morphed into something that is mine. If my friends adopt these same phrases, the phrases will become theirs.