Originality is a problem in our time today because of fiaul to discover oneself. Talking of been original you have do with the ability to discover yourself, believe yourself, know what you can do well and do it better.
It is not out of place to have a mentor but it become wrong when we try to be like that person. What we should do with people is to see how they are doing that particular thing that make them outstanding and unique, konow their strength and weakness and then use that to build ourselves and model ourself. However humidity and wisdom are the key elements or factors for self discovery and then understand that no matter what you can not be like someone else but be yourself and try to be the best out of your ability.
Been original is just the best thing, because living a pretentious life doesn't pay but the end result is always pain.