There’s a strange balance you have to strike as an artist. A balance between too much and too little influence.
Too much influence, and you become so cluttered it’s impossible to create anything unique. This bombardment of outside influence sabotages all your creative efforts.
Why can’t I play guitar more like he does? Why can’t I write more like they do? The colors in her art are brighter.
But too little influence, and you’ll find your creativity running on fumes. Everything starts to sound the same. You only have the well your own experiences to draw from.
If your art is stale, find something new to experience. And if you can’t play a chord progression without thinking you’ve heard it somewhere before, you’d better take a breather.