Same or Similar?

// Have you heard it?

The new year is coming on thick and fast and the first Friday of the year has delivered an absolute banger (that’s what they call it right?) as Liam Gallagher teams up with John Squire (from Stone Roses) to create a beautiful song called ‘Just Another Rainbow’.

The song starts with the strong melodic guitar completely sounding just like the Stone Roses and damn, it threw me back.

In the world of sampling and cover songs, I had to second guess myself - I thought it was a Stone Roses song.

And then Liam’s vocals kick in and I thought - damn, this sounds like an Oasis song.

The familiarity and the comfort of hearing something which makes you reminisce about your early twenties listening to music then made me feel good.

The warmth of having something so comforting made it relatable.

Their first song together (their album comes together this year) and it felt like it they have played/recorded together for years.

// Being familiar

Being familiar is a good thing.

It brings down the guard.

It makes you more open, relaxed, and receptive to things that might seem forced if they were unfamiliar.

There are two ends of the spectrum in the content that we can consume - there is the completely original and stand out content which really captures the imagination. This is the pinnacle of content creation, pushing the boundaries on what makes something entertaining.

And then there is the copycat, lip-synced, dance along videos which swarm TikTok and Instagram Reels and drive up numbers because they follow a trend.

Then there is the middle ground - this is where ‘familiar’ content sits.

Familiar content which is something that you’ve seen before, heard somewhere else and it’s reminiscent of old - you can relate to it because you feel like its something which you’ve allowed in once before and you enjoyed it.

Embracing the familiar is like a Sunday afternoon when you’re browsing through the movie channels on Sky and you land upon Superman II - you sit there and just gorge on one of your favourite films - It's a comforting refuge that invites nostalgia, cradling you in its warmth.

The middle ground, where 'familiar' content resides, becomes a haven for shared experiences.

In this space, creativity doesn't always demand novelty, sometimes, it flourishes in the familiarity that accompanies the known.

// Sharing my thoughts.

This is what Liam and John gave me this week, a blast from the past - there are instances where this can happen with your content too.

Sticking to what you know, sticking to a tried and tested formula can help you craft something that sits with someone. Last year I wrote about my struggles when it comes to being ‘original’ and how that frustration and mental block was causing me to set ground rules for myself - avoiding the listicles and the ‘10 ways to..’ type blogs and instead focusing on thought leadership pieces and experience based writing to elevate my style. This has helped me avoid becoming the ‘twerking’ TikTok style of blogging - I don’t want to blend in with my writing but also, the pressure to create a completely unique piece of writing every week which stands out is just not sustainable.

The thing is - when you write from experience, it is familiar and despite you writing a piece of content which could be seen as ‘risky’ - your spin on how it feels or how you experienced it will almost certainly mean that someone resonates with it. It could be similar to something that you wrote the week before but if it comes from a different angle then you’re going to be elevating it whilst still sitting in the same space.

// The Back Catalogue

Another added benefit of exploring familiar content styles is that when you introduce new people to your content, they can easily refer back to the ‘back catalogue’ without the fear that they are going to find some ghastly ghosts in the closet.

The safe zone of showing up with your experiences, your thoughts and your perceptions is that they can’t be wrong (obviously, racist, homophobic and the like are never right).

An opinion is just that - it’s your perception on things and sometimes, your perceptions and beliefs change. It’s what makes us human and allows us to see the world through others eyes. That’s why familiar content is the place to be.

Having a back catalogue shows your thoughts as they evolve but if they’re written by you (not A.I) then there should be an element of personality which drips through and shows that it’s you.

The constant should be you. That’s the familiarity.

// Don’t be the same.

The problem nowadays is that people can see the content which works and they want to reproduce it. I’ve seen creators calling out other ‘creators’ for taking their content and reproducing it verbatim - this isn’t originality, it’s not even content - it’s photocopying someone else’s work and saying it’s yours.

The thing about photocopying something is that it’s never as good as the original and it loses it’s originality - it’s even worse if you see the photocopied content after you’ve seen (quite often) successful original post.

The same goes for A.I content - this is in the same realm as the ‘TikTok’ trend type content because if you are trying to build a presence, you’ll want to have some influence over the audience. You can only do this by being opinionated - A.I sits on the fence.

If you’re trying to have a voice in your content then going with A.I means you’re again deferring over the option to build that presence to someone else (which is why I edit my own videos and write my own blogs).

// In Conclusion

As you reflect on the ever-evolving landscape of content creation, the recent collaboration between Liam Gallagher and John Squire strikes a chord, underscoring the significance of embracing the familiar and avoiding being the same.

Their musical partnership, seamlessly melding the sounds of the past with a fresh perspective, could resonates with your own creative journey.

You should find solace in the sanctuary of 'familiar' content—a realm where shared experiences thrive, and authenticity serves as a guiding light. Navigating the balance between novelty and recognition, I've come to realize that my creative strength lies in the consistent authenticity of my experiences.

In the back catalogue of my content, each piece becomes a chapter in the evolving narrative of my thoughts, inviting you to revisit and rediscover the wisdom and growth that accompanies the familiar.

So, as I continue to navigate this creative path, I remind myself not to conform but to be authentically, unapologetically me.