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BtAB - "Don't compare yourself to others."

by

Ah see, this one’s a very dynamic answer!

I know a lot of people won’t agree with me on this, but I think it’s actually a REALLY GOOD IDEA to compare yourself to others.

What you shouldn’t do – is let that comparison get you DOWN.

A lot of people seem to get really down and depressed when they find people way better than them at something. Please do be aware, that you’re PROOOOOOOOOOOOBABLY not the best at literally anything. You’re probably not close. There’s probably nothing you can do that someone else can’t do better. And find SOLACE IN THAT. OF COURSE you’re not the best. Neither are the other 6 billion peeps. You should not be concerned with where you’re at in regards to other people – that is an impossible battle that has been lost before you were born.

That’s also not what art’s about, even remotely.

I think the other issue people find, is when they compare themselves with people that they’ve known for a while. Like a friend that has blazed past them. The new problem is probably that you feel like you’re “a lesser person” because you didn’t improve as fast as that other person in the same time.

Well. Keep in mind that HOW you study is going to SERIOUSLY impact your progress.

This is where you SHOULD be paying attention to others out there. Some people improve SERIOUSLY FAST – and you have to really ask: What are they doing differently? You can start by comparing what they’re actually drawing. If you find yourself drawing simpler things, and they’re drawing very complex things – perhaps they’re pushing themselves in all forms simply in their subject matter. Perhaps they’re drawing 3-4 times more than you are. These comparisons can yield a ton of information. At the same time, the information we see, isn’t always the full story. Keep in mind, what people post is only what they POST – not all of what they draw.

You’ll find some randos online who claim they’ve only been drawing for a year, or that they just started – and it’s PRETTY EASY TO TELL when that’s absolute bull shit. I don’t know why people would try to lie about something like that, but it happens all the time. This is a scenario where you should not be paying attention.

A lot of this varies person to person. I find it really humbling to actually see all the experienced people out there. It kinda gives me a sense of being a part of some great journey that people have walked before, and are dreaming of walking on. And it’s even cooler seeing all my other homies taking the path with me!

It’s also a great idea to find some peers whose work you idolize. Finding stuff that you enjoy tells you more about yourself. You start to find out what sort of things you think is important, what you want to see more of. You can also see what people are doing differently, and how they’re working. There’s a lot of advantages from studying those above you.

Learning through other people can be very beneficial as well. Close studies can show you how an artist approaches a task. Perhaps there is a situation you would approach differently, you’re given an opportunity to think the task through, despite not actually working on it.

Finally, by knowing what’s out there, you’re able to know what’s NOT out there.

I think, if you’re being vigilant about “not trying to compare yourself” – you might find yourself avoiding other artists entirely. And being oblivious to what’s out there, encapsulated in your own little bubble, can do a lot of harm to your personal growth.

The problem is not in comparing yourself with others. The problem is when you do negative things with that comparison.

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This article and the future ones to come is apart of an on-going project called Bursting the Artistic Bubble! Where I go around trying to debunk/clarify pre-established notions, and give some different perspectives on em. Things aren't always black and white, and I find a lot of these concepts can't be summarized in a single sentence. Paraphrasing can cause more harm than good, so I'm doing what I can to illuminate these concepts.

This project is possible because of my Patreons!

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Viewed:	223 times
Added:	7 years, 2 months ago 09 Feb 2017 18:47 CET

12 Comments on this Journal

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ChokoDonkey

7 years, 2 months ago

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Thanks

Sukanar

7 years, 2 months ago

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exactly! i tell ppl, dont compare yourself to put yourself down. compare to learn, and to see what you like and to help you grow. no one is gonna be perfect when they 1st start. and if some one is, that is VERY RARE.

Sangy

7 years, 2 months ago

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I fyou don't compare yourself to others as an artist, you can never hope to achieve the successes of your predecessors. That's what we like to call 'education'. As a pivotal point of this 'education' you study what others have already done in order to quickly learn what took those without 'education' thousands of years to develope through shear trial and error.

To stake that with a bit less tongue-in-cheek: If you don't study others, you will never learn how to be an artist AT ALL.

Ketsa

7 years, 2 months ago

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I agree wholeheartedly with this, and it's been a main factor into any/all of the improvement I've had. Granted, yes, at first this set me (and probably a lot of others) back as a result of saying:

"I could never be that good"

But seeing the way other, more experienced artists make their craft is one of the key ways to hone one's own. I've seen plenty of artsists (of all ranges of skill) that think their style is perfectly fine the way it is, and any suggestion otherwise would be pointless and offensive. They should compare themselves to others and say,

"What are they doing that I enjoy, and how can I do it, too? "

SenGrisane

7 years, 2 months ago

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Very nicely said. In every field you need people to look up to for guidance or as a goal to strife for.

UnstableSable

7 years, 2 months ago

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I tell people I've been drawing since I was three, I just didn't put effort into anything other than pixel art until I was in my early 20s and that no matter how hard I've tried, I struggle with even the most basic 3D techniques of foreshortening and forced perspective.

arigatofox

7 years, 2 months ago

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@ UnstableSable

"	SirNathan wrote:
	I tell people I've been drawing since I was three, I just didn't put effort into anything....

That's just awesome. Well said. I'm going to apply this the next time people ask me how long I've been arting.

CLB

7 years, 2 months ago

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When I compare myself to others I get depressed and give up art for a week or half a year, but then when I come back to art I'm better than I was. lel

arigatofox

7 years, 2 months ago

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Hmmm.  I agree with a lot of points here.  I don't art often and when I do, I find myself thinking negative thoughts about it.  A good example is full body.  When I get home, I have about 2 hours to myself (before bed).  I work seven days a week and then six days a week, having only a day off every two weeks.  That usually gets filled with friends and family.  It takes about 20-30 mins for me to calm down and loosen up for the arts.  Not much time left to think about ways of improvements so I focus on the basics...trial and error process.  Most of my stuff is upper body (a bad habit that I'm breaking) and flat coloring.  Shading/lighting takes me forever and it doesn't look too good.  My knowledge on these things are slim and I make the most of it.  Yeah, I look at...lets say, your lighting and shading, and I think damn...how the fuck do I do that...  At first it bothered me a bit but now I go about it differently. Instead of just comparing myself with another artist (that is years ahead of me and has immersed themselves in the knowledge), I also compare myself to myself.  How did this piece differ from my last?  What makes it better?  What makes it worse? What's my favorite part about this piece?  That's the last question I always ask myself; What's my favorite part about this piece?  Always end on a positive.  I study other artists work to get an understanding of how/why they do it that way.  I don't compare my work to other artists.  Your style is wonderful but it's not the style I want to pursue.
In being pressed for time, I've come to enjoy my "simple" cartoony style.  There's plenty of things I can improve and I will keep learning but I don't gauge my work to another's.  For all I know, they could be drawing everyday, 6 hours a day!  That's like comparing yourself to Jordan because you play b-ball on Saturdays.

Don't compare, learn....grow.

A great example is if I compared myself to you and you gave me that rival edge that pushed me to work and do my best everyday.  One day, I get as good as you.  One day, I am said to be the best furry artist that ever lived.  I've hit the top.  Now what?  Most people are taught that when a job is done, it's done.  You move on to another task.  I feel that when people compare themselves to another artist, they are hindering themselves.  Notice I said compare, not learning.  I love learning from you.  I love these discussions you post.  I love supporting you on Patreon because of what you create and give back to the furry community.  I compare myself to myself.  Am I growing?  Am I learning?  My friends and family ask, "How did you get so good at drawing?!"  I laugh, I thank them, and then I tell them that I study artists that stream their work.  During the streams, there's an artist that will answer questions and go over the process of what he's doing.  I then tell them that the best advice I've ever received was, "Don't think of things in lines....a square, a circle....think of them in shapes.  A cube, a sphere.  Dimensional."  That advice was from you.  I don't compare, I learn.  The more I learn, the more I grow.  Not at your pace or anybody else's pace but at my own comfortable pace.  That is my process.

Vixel

7 years, 1 month ago

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I struggle with this topic, and this journal challenges my thinking in a constructive way. Here are some notes, do counter if you see differently! :V

- Something that's idolized might seem perfect. Isn't comparing to perfection dangerous? To avoid this trap, compare to a larger variety, possibly including some that aren't idols!

- Ranking artists is fine, but the list is subjective and unique to each of us. 'Good' artists may not be all that good, 'bad' artists may not be all that bad. Does the art speak to me? I should study the list I personally find important. (Obviously an artist's technical skill level should be considered; but you can learn something from everybody!)

- If I'm not drawing peets, but I keep comparing peets, I could end up thinking 'man their peets look fab and mine never do!' Believing someone is better at something and remaking that comparison when the conclusion won't change isn't super constructive. :P

- Comparing to others can indeed be insightful, but it's not always apples to apples. What shortcuts is someone taking that I can't see? What unknowables in their background give them a more innate understanding of their subjects? Are they so technically advanced that something they make look easy is actually unachievable at my current skill level? It's worth a look; I just might not find an answer, or not be able to apply the answer!

- I'm already the best at me. I achieved this before I even started art (!) My quest should be my own evolution and personal growth as an artist. The unique mix I bring is there even as my own philosophies, mediums, content, technical ability etc. change (improve?)

- Don't sell yourself short and put a mental cap on your own potential. afaik no artist ever had more than one lifetime to do their art; and as you said, we only see what they've posted! Especially the guys who are already dead, they have zero opportunity to grow themselves further. Shoot for the stars, fall short -- you might still reach the moon, and how many people can say they've done that? :V

Carrot

7 years, 1 month ago

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@ Vixel

Yeah I think I'd agree with most of this~ For sure I believe you can learn something from anywhere. I pretty much appreciate any movie I ever see (despite how much everyone else around me hates it) - because they pull something off in some way.

So, the thing about idolization, isn't that contradicting your final statement? Shoot for the stars right? I would say yeah, do that for sure. "Perfection" is always changing, as you improve, you see flaws you never saw before. Those perfect pieces can eventually be better. That's the cool thing about art. RARELY is there perfect. There's so many small marks, that there's bound to be some tweaks to make something better.

"	- I'm already the best at me. I achieved this before I even started art (!) My quest should be my own evolution and personal growth as an artist. The unique mix I bring is there even as my own philosophies, mediums, content, technical ability etc. change (improve?)

This one stumped me. I don't like it! Are you saying its only downhill from here? xD! We're ever-changing! Constantly making different moves, constantly having different values, hearing different things, creating our own selves. I like to assume we're at our best when we're dead, but I know there are biological declines 'n what not. In any case, we're still young ;b. Maybe that can be said around 50~

Vixel

7 years, 1 month ago

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@ Carrot

I'm not saying don't strive for perfection -- just to be careful ONLY comparing to idols.

For me at least, one place where comparing gets dangerous is when I start thinking 'me vs perfection -- well there's a game I can't win!' in combination with '[artist here]'s work seems nearly perfect'. Then I might think 'I could never be as skilled as [artist here]' which is demotivating and probably not accurate.

If I compare myself to others, it helps me to consider many artists so I can see my own strengths, not just my weaknesses. (Plus to keep an open mind about different ways of doing things.) That said, I'll always try to become as skilled as any of my idols. <3

For the other thing, no I'm not saying it's only downhill from here!! XD

I'm not sure if it's impossible to be the best at "literally anything", and this claim strikes me as a bit defeatist. It also feels a little like what you might find in a corporate setting where folks are reduced to faceless cogs in the bigger machine. I was trying to counter by finding something universal we might all actually be 'best' at.

Kinda like the movies you mentioned, I think any artist's body of work (however large or small) has value in the world of art. Maybe it doesn't seem to do anything new -- but how it influences that world is unmeasurable, and inspiration is a laggy chain reaction. Who's to say where it starts or ends?

An artist's body of work is only possible because of that artist. It's tied to their identity, and maybe destiny. Whatever that looks like for me, I'm the best at pioneering my own contribution, by virtue of being the only pioneer! :V

And as an artist I'm only a cub compared to the future me. Hopefully I'll keep learning and improving my whole life (maybe even beyond 50!)

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