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Finding one's voice takes time, years, decades even. And when you do its not going to be completely original. Your voice is a culmination of all that you have experienced arranged in a way to identifies you. Its going to harken back to previous things and someone will ALWAYS say its sounds like something else, even if you never intended it to. When it comes to originality, this is a struggle I've had and have seen in young composers. Its not so much a myth, but the way we think of it is. Originality does not come from melody and harmony alone. All originality comes from how those elements are treated. You have to look at your music in a bigger picture and not just in trying to create that most original melody. This is true with all composers. Beethoven's first two symphonies were almost direct Haydn copies, he made them his by putting his stamp on how the material is developed. Even his last symphony borrows liberally from Bach, but the way he treats it makes it his own. This pattern of borrowing something else from what came before and developing it is how you will develop your voice, because you will never make perfect copies of anything you hear. As you grow as a composer, your natural tendencies will come up more and more to the surface and the traits that feel like mimicry will begin to fade. Just remember the big picture and the development of ideas and focus less on making original melodies or harmonies.

*** My biggest problem when it comes to composing is the fear that what I write "sounds like something else" or as soon as I start, it "reminds me of something else". *** The key word in that sentence is fear. And it's not a good thing. It's a remnant of what's left in the wake of Modernism, where originality trumps every other aspect of music. It forces us all to be unique or to be nothing. A lousy choice. There is no middle ground. You must lose this pesky irritant that peeks over your shoulder when you are writing. Don't be afraid of being derivative. People will not judge you harshly if you write something that sounds like something else if it is based on sound musical ideas and construction. You simply need to write, and write a lot, to get better. So if someone dismisses you or your music, you can always say, Sorry, I'm not a Modernist. And the irony of all this is that you WILL become original by not being original.

In both threads you seem to be in search of these two extreme binaries that don't exist in the real music world. Complexity isn't as simple as being virtuosic, nor is simple is just melody and chords. Complexity is a variety of things; it can be a richness in harmonies, rhythm, counterpoint, or even concept. Simple music can have these things within them as well. And whether or not you must write to some complex standard shouldn't be a goal. Complexity should arise from the desire to write it, not the internalized pressure to do so. It should be because you have something to say and more simple means isn't sufficient enough. Composers throughout history have written both complex music and simple music without compromising themselves. Most of the lieder from the 18th century and a lot of the piano music was simple and easy to play on purpose as they were intended for amateur players; yet some of them are held up with great esteem. If you want to get a grasp on complexity and originality, listen to much more music. Listen to it and research the context in which is was made. Analyze it and understand its complexity, its simplicity, and its place in history. Approach the music with no assumptions. But most of all, don't use the music as a measuring stick for your own music. Instead, use it as a guide to grow as a composer in your own right and pace.

All I can say is: "Good writers borrow, great writers steal"