You will have heard me say it before, ‘comparison kills creativity’, but it’s worth repeating because current circumstances have us scrolling online more than usual. You will see some awesome artwork and inspirational pieces, and you’ll see people in all different stages of their creative journey. And if you’re not self-aware you may end up in the abyss called “comparison”. Be careful that you don’t feed the inner child who’s afraid of not being good enough. Catch and destroy those unhealthy destructive thoughts. When you look at someone else’s work you actually have no idea of the journey they are undertaking, or how many thousands of hours they have invested in honing their skills. Absolutely nothing is stopping you creating your own exquisitely beautiful art, except yourself. Creativity is a gift from God but it’s likely to take blood, sweat and tears, and practice, practice, practice.
It is not a competition
Comparison Kills Creativity
In a conference call about what we’ve all been creating lately, Joel McKerrow said, “Do not shame yourself for wherever you are right now”. It is okay to not know how to do the next step. It’s not okay to put yourself down for it, and it’s absolutely not okay to let it stop you moving forward. A creative constantly wants to improve their own work.
You may be striving to improve, experimenting, learning, and trying again. That is completely normal and exactly how the creative mind works. You create/edit, create/edit, create/edit. It’s like a rollercoaster. Your editing is part of the creative input/output cycle, but don’t let your editor muck up what your creator is doing. Don’t let your editor be your standard of validation. And definitely don’t let comparison steal your joy, but rather let it elevate you to fulfil the ‘more’ that you know you’re capable of. Used properly and intentionally, comparison is a tool to spark your own ingenuity. As you scroll, be grateful that you have access to a wealth of output from your fellow creatives, and let gratitude fuel an inner satisfaction with your works-in-progress.
INTERVIEW coming – 21st June 2020
