The Comparison Game of Art

Imagine you are an artist. You have spent hours on a new art piece, possibly even days. You are so proud of the result it turned out almost exactly as you had envisioned it. You excitedly post it on your Instagram. Then you switch to the main feed to browse and see what your friends have been up to. As you scroll down you see an artist you follow. They also just posted a picture of a piece they just completed. Surprisingly the theme is very similar to yours. As you look you begin to realize that their piece is actually a lot better than yours. You begin to wish you had thought of that idea before them. You close Instagram feeling frustrated and inadequate. Why can’t you be as good as them?  This is called the comparison game.

Last month I was working on a video challenge where I taught beginners how to draw. One thing that caught my attention over this process was how easy it was to compare your art to someone else’s. I found myself falling into this trap a few times. This is a problem that every creative type person faces. In music, art, writing, etc. Because when you see something, someone else has made you just see the finished product. In art, for example, you don’t see the countless sketches. The pieces of paper that got trashed to get the picture just right. I know a lot of people who love to look at art but won’t draw because they allow this comparison game to control them. They are too afraid to fail in comparison to others. What they don’t realize is that the great artists they see all started out as beginners at one point. Art just like any other learned skill takes practice.

Why is comparing your work to others a problem? Because you undermine your own abilities. Every time you play the comparison game your self-confidence takes a blow. This reduces motivation and makes your level of happiness decrease. As humans, we like to feel like we’re winning. When it comes to challenges we will only agree to play if we believe there is a chance of winning. If you let yourself fall into the pit of comparison you will no longer believe you can win and will eventually wonder why you are even trying.

The solution? Admire but don’t compare. Admire other’s work and let it inspire you without comparing your own abilities to someone else’s. The key is to not let others define the standards of how you view your own work. You are not them. Their abilities have no impact on your self-worth unless you choose to let them. If this becomes a big enough problem for you a measure that may help is to stop following people who you constantly compare yourself to until you are more confident in your own work.

You can check out my tutorials on youtube if you search Tori Peters or click this link!