Are You an Imitator or an Innovator?

I’ve been a fan of jazz since I was a little tyke. Throughout my childhood, my dad and I crooned along to Sinatra around the dinner table. It wasn’t always pretty, but all of that practice came in handy when I landed the part of vocal soloist for my high school’s jazz band.

In preparation for our first performance, I listened to hours of songs by the classic jazz greats, determined to mimic every trill and melismatic fluctuation of notes.

I marvelled at how the original artists were such innovators, improvising sounds with genuine soul and skill. I knew that my imitation would pale in comparison, but I felt confident that I’d be decent enough to be entertaining.

Our first concert was lots of fun, and I recall feeling pretty good about myself afterward. That is, until I met Mrs. Burkholder in the hallway. She was my former choir director in middle school.

“I heard you sing,” she said with a raised eyebrow. “You sounded like Ella Fitzgerald.”

My head instantly swelled to the point that I could have toppled over. “Gosh, thanks! I mean, I wouldn’t say that I sounded just like her, but—”

“I didn’t mean that as a compliment,” she interrupted. “You have good skill, Michelle, but you’re a mockingbird. You need to find your own voice.”

The truth hurt, but I knew she was right. To this day, I’m striving to find my own voice—not only in song, but also in writing, graphic design, and in life in general.

I recently came across this quote from Thomas Merton’s Seeds of Contemplation. I believe it captures the importance of daring to be unique:

“Humility consists in being precisely the person you actually are before God, and since no two people are alike, if you have the humility to be yourself you will not be like anyone else in the whole universe. But this individuality... will not be a matter of mere appearances, or opinions, or tastes, or ways of doing things. It is something deep in the soul... And so it takes heroic humility to be yourself and to be nobody but the man, or the artist, that God intended you to be.”

You and I are unique vessels, masterfully created by the Potter’s hand (Isaiah 45:9, 64:8; Romans 9:20-21). Paul says in Ephesians that “we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10).  He shapes us individually with a plan and purpose in mind. Imagine how it must grieve Him when we strive to be something we’re not!

Have you ever felt pressure to imitate someone else’s pattern for success? How do you sense God leading you to embrace your unique design and be an innovator?