3 Doing-it Tips to Help You Get Out of Creative Comparison
Creative comparison is completely normal, most of us compare ourselves with what we see around us. But it’s not going to make you find your own unique creative style, and it’ll make you feel bad about your own unique creative potential. These 3 doing-it tips will help you focus on your own creativity.
Creative comparison is annoying, isn’t it? Looking at other people’s work, style, and businesses and wishing you could do anything half as good. I know the feeling all too well.
I compare myself to other creatives on the big interwebs. Their blogs, their design, their writing, their paintings, their graphics, their .....argh!! I should be doing what they're doing, I should be further along, I should ........argh!!
It happens mostly when I'm in a creative dry spell. When I am confused, my negative self-talk is talking louder to me than my true inner voice. Luckily, my creativity coaching training has taught me that this too shall pass.
I like taking photos that are not staged too much. Weird angles and authentic is my photo style right now. This is why the images on this website are highly amateurish. Amateur is my creative style :D
“Comparison is a brutal attack upon one’s self. Once you compare yourself to someone else, what you’re really saying is that what you’re made of isn’t good enough.”
Tip 1: Catching yourself in creative comparison
The first thing to practice, is catching yourself in the act. Catching yourself scrolling mindlessly on Instagram. If you’re “stalking” someone on social, why are you doing that?
Comparing yourself to others is completely normal, it doesn’t make you bad. Many of us have grown up in an environment where being compared was a daily occurrence. In school, between siblings, through magazines, telly, friends, etc.
So, catching yourself when you compare yourself is huge, and can actually sometimes be enough to make you stop. For a little bit, anyway.
Tip 2: Unfollow triggers on social media
Instagram is a massive trigger for me. I waste so much time on that app. I’ve had to delete the app from my phone at times, and unfollow people that trigger my comparison.
This is a great tip: unfollow people who trigger your comparison, or at least mute them.
When I find creative people with successful businesses, I often read their best advice against comparison is to NOT follow people in their industry.
Instead, look for inspiration in other industries. If you’re a photographer, look for creative inspiration in interior design, architecture, graffiti, art galleries, and other places. That way, you avoid seeing what other photographers are doing.
I heard this hugely successful female fashion photographer say once (I don’t remember her name), that for the first 10 years of her photography career, she didn’t look at other photographers work. After the 10 years, she felt confident enough in her own creative style, to not compare herself to others.
This was before social media, so it was easier to do then, but still, I reckon there’s a good lesson there.
Tip 3: Focus on your own imperfect creative style.
Your creativity is your unique capital and currency. If you’re familiar with Pierre Bourdieu’s theory on social-, economic-, and cultural capitals, my addition to that theory is that creativity is your unique capital. Creativity is your personal expression that can only come from you, as no one can walk in your shoes.
I wrote a blog post about your creative capital here:
Creativity can’t actually be compared in that way. You can get inspiration from others, sure, but your creativity can’t actually be compared to someone else’s.
Creativity is a way of thinking, it’s a way of seeing and doing things your way.
To know the difference between being inspired by someone or comparing yourself to them, is with a body check.
Do the person, and her work, make you feel good and excited? Do you get ideas for your own work?
Or do the person, and her work, make you feel bad and inadequate?
Finding your own creative style takes time and you have to try lots and make lots of mistakes. That’s part of the creative process.
You have a brilliant and special creative style in you, you are a great creator. Go mute everyone that makes you feel inadequate, maybe take a break from noise completely for a while and go play and experiment.
Hopefully, you’re getting inspired to be a little curious about your own creative capital.
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