Photography, perhaps by virtue of the medium and its readily accessible nature, is a pursuit often learned by copying the work of others at least to a degree. This great video examines the importance of finding an original creative voice and being brave enough to show it to the world.
Coming to you from Teppo Haapoja, this video is a profile of Photographer Joshua Mikhaeil, an Australia and New Zealand wedding photographer whose images have a certain quality of intimacy to them, and in it, he shares his creative philosophy and why he thinks it's important (particularly for those who are just starting out) to not just copy the work of others, but to find their own voice. As he mentions, while this can be a great way to learn technique and to explore styles to find your own, the downside is that it can create the impression in someone that the only acceptable creative style is one they've already seen before, which can lead to a certain form of inadvertent sef-censorship that prevents one from truly finding their voice. If you're just starting out or just in need of a reminder, it's an inspiring and insightful video that's well worth watching.
I do fully agree on the last minute of the video.
I experience it myself. The moment my local populairty started growing, people started shitstorming at me. I started off in a completely new genre of photography: portrait photography. I have colleagues at work who worked before in commercial photo studios. Every day they critisize me that what I'm shooting is not worth anything and they would not be portraits. But it's important to do what you love and to express yourself through photography. those are the people who last, because they are passionate about it and strive for going new ways and doing things differently. I take this shitstorm as an approval that I do something right. Do what you feel and think is right and the best! :)