I just finished reading David Perell’s “Imitate, Then Innovate” blog post that he linked in his Monday Musings newsletter – which is my favorite newsletter, thank you, David. 

While I was reading, one thing in particular really stuck out to me: the death of apprenticeships in favor of textbook education.

It’s amazing to me that the apprenticeship form of learning is seen in society as less reputable. “Trust the degree” is the motto, when in reality, shouldn’t it be the exact opposite?

Perell mentions the subtleties that are transferred by imitation that just can’t be translated through a textbook, and he’s 100% right. What could be richer than, say, training under a seasoned professional? Or two? Or dozens? That’s why I personally joined a program called Praxis. I wanted to learn tactile, tangible skills, and not waste my time in a classroom when I could gain invaluable experience on the job instead. 

Experience is truly the best teacher, and that goes for imitation as well. I had a vocal director say something along these lines in a choir class once: “Singing is 95% imitation and 5% personal technique. If you can imitate, then you can sing well. And you’ll spend the rest of your life cultivating that 5% which makes your technique your own.” That blew my mind. When I looked back over the 15+ years I had been singing, I realized that she was completely right. It was through working to imitate the voices I admired so much when I was younger, like Julie Andrews and Natalie Cole, and countless other voices, sounds, and techniques in the years after that I ended up where I am today. 

As Perell highlights in his article, “When you imitate somebody’s work, you’re forced to think about why they made the decisions they made. Through consumption and creation, you weave the threads of other people’s work into a tapestry of your own.”

Imitation is not only a talent, but an underappreciated art form that allows you to cultivate building blocks of technique and skill which would have taken you a multitude of lifetimes to discover on your own. It is the bread-and-butter of quality innovations, unlimited creativity, and the path to achieving true originality.