Comparison Trap
It happens too often…. A student rather ashamedly will speak to me about their frustration and discouragement that they are not the best in the class. This generally happens to the more technically talented students, however I believe it is a condition that effects all people whether they are artists or not. THE COMPARISON TRAP. You know the feeling, you are sitting comfortably on the sofa, looking through your Facebook feed, when all of a sudden you notice all the great pics your friends are posting while on their latest vacation. The fancy glass with the umbrellas….the beautiful meal…, you know how it goes. Now, sitting and relaxing alone doesn’t quite seem so nice. “What’s wrong with me you think to yourself, geez I didn’t realize what a bore I am, I haven’t been on a vacation like that for two years now”. Of course your friend’s didn’t post about the argument they just had with their spouse, or that they just made an appointment with a therapist to combat the depression that they have been suffering through. Thats one of the problems with the comparison trap though isn’t it? We compare our worst with everyone’s else’s best? When it comes to our artistic journey however, I believe we need to keep a couple things in mind. The first thing we need to remember, is that we are not creating art for the benefit of others, but for ourselves. As human beings we were created with an innate desire to express ourselves. We are expressive individuals who enjoy creating, it is a joyful process regardless of the outcome. The other thing which I think would help us whether in art or life, is to not compare ourselves with our neighbor, but with who we were yesterday. Perhaps each day, we could be just a little better than we were yesterday. Please my friends, enjoy the process and leave the results up to someone else to worry about.