When you make something new you can copy what has been done before.  Alternatively, you can go deeper and distill contextual information or other cultural references and translate those concepts into inspiration to drive your design effort. Or you can ignore where you are or who your customer is and do what you want.

I see context as the foundation for future growth and if you get it right, what you create will resonate with others.  People will be able to relate to your new product, building, or service and you might just find that it’s also good for business.

What drives your work?

Are you copying the work of others?  Are you deriving inspiration from your world?  Or are you just designing for the sake of designing?  How you answer depends on what you are trying to achieve.