No idea is truly new under the sun. Even when we think we have had an original thought, chances are someone, somewhere, has already imagined something similar.

 

That is why invention is not just about having the idea. It is about execution. To only think is to be a philosopher, which is still valuable, but it does not automatically make you an inventor. Invention needs action and proof. 

 

But in the age of digital media, even thinking and executing is no longer enough. Ideas now travel through visibility. They spread through creators, communities, algorithms, tutorials, conversations and cultural repetition. So the person who makes an idea popular is just as important as the person who first introduced it.

 

That is why Painted By Esther is getting the support she rightfully deserves.

 

The conversation around Patrick Ta’s transition blushes shows the difference between invention and cultural ownership. 

 

Painted By Esther has openly credited Kevyn Aucoin as an early reference for the transition blush technique and Patrick Ta is not the originator of the idea either. So the debate is not simply about who is the “Inventor”.

In fact the blush technique is not new and is look we have seen in Modern East Asian make up. In fact can be traced back to Ancient China Jiuyun Zhuang make up style. What is new is to see a style of make up that was not accessible to black dark skin women be perfected to such a high standard. 

 

The real point is that Painted By Esther helped bring the look into today’s modern western beauty conversation. She made it feel desirable, accessible and culturally relevant for a new audience. She made it visible…popular.

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So when a beauty brand commercialises a look closely associated with a creator who helped popularise it, the issue is not just originality. It is recognition.

 

Because in today’s culture, visibility has value. Making people care has value. Popularising an idea has value.

 

Patrick Ta may have assumed that because Painted By Esther did not invent transition blush, the cultural credit was up for grabs.

 

But that misses the point.

 

Cultural impact is not only about who did it first. It is also about who made it matter. 

 

And in a world where attention drives influence, community and commercial value, the person who makes an idea popular deserves the  credit and the space to capitalise on it there own way.

If there is one good thing that we can takeaway from this is that the internet and brand can write a wrong in real time. With brands like MAC, Danessa Myrics showing support out loud and creators flooding the feed with Painted by Esther inspired looks a message has been sent:

Credit should reflect impact