It's a tricky game because you do need to be aware of best practices, what works, what doesn't, etc - that's how you grow and learn to stand out.

But at the same time, you always need to return to the question:

"Why do I create? What do I create for?"

And of all the answers that arise, understand your primary and secondary reasons.

For me, primary

Put brutally, the audience should never dictate the direction an artist takes. I say that with all the love in the world, but an artist does not exist to serve his or her audience. The artist exists to serve the idea. The idea is the light that leads the audience and the artist to a better place.