Did Bukowski ever spend time thinking about how he could write more like Mary Oliver? Probably not.

Is Adele in the studio working on Mariah Carey riffs? Not likely.

As artists and creators, we have our own voices. Our styles change over time, and we certainly experiment. We might even be similar to others. But our voice is uniquely our own.

It’s our voice that we put into the world. Not someone else’s. Ours.

Ours to love. Ours to cultivate. Ours to share.