A Case for Reclusive Creation

The worst thing about the deluge of information that surrounds us is the sense that everything worth making is already getting made - but by someone else. And what we build will only be incremental.

What if we did not have this on-tap access? Would it not be easier to work on something deeply, without comparing it to anything? We’d build a thing that’d be native to our perspective, our aesthetic, our experience.

Even if what we make is similar to another, it would - by the process itself - stand out with unique value. We see this in business, music, art, movies, that came before this “constant connection”. They stood out from each other even if they had similar spirit or intent.

The underlying trap in this over-exposure to what everyone is doing is the belief that it is an advantage. That if we know what’s out there we will build better. But that’s not how it pans out. More often than not, we are left running on the treadmill of comparison unable to make any real distance.

When we create in relation to someone else's work, we are bound by their thinking and limits. This is evident in design, UX, product-market fit, and even the stereotypical startup CEO. Trends dictate our moves, and playbooks are applied universally without genuine context-consideration.

It's no wonder everything looks and feels the same – leaders, strategists, and ideas stuck in a cycle of sameness. *This isn't brilliance; it's conformity.*

What we need is Reclusive Creation, untouched by this “what’s everyone doing in this space”. We don’t need people with generic and stale playbooks, but strong players who are passionate about embracing the game in the moment.

Even if we reinvent the wheel, it’d be a unique reinvention. And that uniqueness would create new value.