Merely mastering fundamentals leads to competent but forgettable work. True masters develop a signature style by departing from the template. This personal "flare," which often breaks rules, is what separates them from the masses.
True taste is not an innate gift but a developed skill of seeing subtle patterns. By consuming vast amounts of material in a domain—like Kobe Bryant watching game tapes—one builds an intuitive library that leads to refined discernment and unique creation.
Most people consume content passively based on what algorithms recommend. To cultivate taste, one must actively seek diverse and niche content beyond bestseller lists and trending topics, driven by personal curiosity rather than convenience.
The term "slop" is misattributed to AI. It actually describes any generic, undifferentiated output designed for mass appeal, a problem that existed in human-made media long before LLMs. AI is simply a new tool for scaling its creation.