You will never not be served by thinking intentionally about why you are making a particular choice for your creative work and understanding at least some of the history that led up to you making that artistic choice. You will never do this perfectly because it's an impossibility, but knowing your influences, your influences influences, and making actual decisions about how to use all of those things will improve your art
Everything in creativity is a choice, sometimes conscious, sometimes out of convenience, sometimes not thought about. But they are all choices
