Yes, I believe you take influences from people, and create your
OWN ideas -- and that makes you original. Take Britney Spears, for example. Britney Spears is truly one of the most original pop artists on the scene, in terms of both music AND style. She constantly states that Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and Madonna influence her, however, you don't see Britney Spears making an "Alejandro" video or creating a "Born This Way" single
just because Madonna inspires her. Spears draws from the people who influence her and infuses that into an entirely fresh, forward-thinking idea. Britney Spears is not here for reliving the past, she's here for giving us something new and inventive... and she succeeds in doing that with every single album. Nothing sounds like "Femme Fatale," "Circus," "Blackout," etc. She keeps progressing forward and within the process, she gives brief shouts out to her "faves," like in the Toxic video, for example. That's how you incorporate influences with a wink and a nudge as opposed to making something that blatantly resembles another artist.
...Vin