I think one thing that people seem to forget about is sometimes not so much the style of music in which you write a piece, but the statement being made by a piece. I think a piece can have an interesting back story and an interesting message to send out, and that is what can make something unique and innovative. Write a work that is a social commentary, demonstrating your view of society or that is your musical interpretation of an current situation in the world. In my opinion if its not necessarily innovative, a piece that is inspired by something that the composer is passionate about and feels very strongly about, will always be fresh and new because everyone has something worth saying and they just need to find what that something is.
