Creativity exists on a spectrum. At the far left end of the spectrum is the word RECOGNIZABLE. At the far right end of the spectrum is the word ORIGINAL.

Most of the work we come across on a daily basis exists on the left end of the spectrum. It's recognizable. This doesn't necessarily mean it's bad work. It just means that we've seen it before and we will probably see it again. Work that is recognizable has an easier time being understood by the masses because the audience has plenty to compare the work to. While recognizable work will never change the culture nor make its mark in the broader landscape of art, it tends to be highly commercial. This is a benefit.

Every once in a great while, we get work that is original. We get work that exists on the other side of the spectrum. At first, we might find ourselves hating this work because it's foreign, alien, strange, offensive, bizarre, etc. This is our brains way of attempting to wrap our minds around something we've never seen before. As consumers, it's important that we lean into the work we feel tempted to push away. As creatives who are after original work, it's important that we not get discouraged if it takes time for our work to catch on.

Original is recognized as original until after the fact.

Originality, at first, isn't unrecognizable.