We have been taught the importance of originality, but can there be something original without a model that paves the way? In this talk, Nidesh Lawtoo, concludes the ERC project Homo Mimeticus , not so much by painting, but rather, telling the story of a single, marginalized, mimetic protagonist that has been relegated to the backstage of academic discussions in the past, yet deserves to be brought on the TED-stage to inspire the future.