Your first 3 points are well said and I hope fledgling GMs and creators (hell, even seasoned ones!) take note and feel confident that using settings as inspiration is okay! The latter points are also good advice for creators. I would think you must be ready for criticism and consciously take the time to adopt a listening point of view to it.
If you feel like your feathers get ruffled easily by criticism, don’t stop! However, pause. Reach out to the creative community and/or people you can trust with honesty and express your concerns or even show your work to that smaller circle. That cycle of creation, critique, and learning is great.
