The Hidden Comparisons

“You paint too slow! Your artwork will always be just average. Other artists are selling more artwork than you which must mean you’re NOT talented.”

Argh the lies feel so REAL sometimes!!!

To be entirely honest with you, I have these thoughts come up constantly and often subconsciously.

I find myself feeling angry, insecure, and anxious all of a sudden, especially after scrolling through….yep you guessed it, social media!

Oh yes my friend, I compare my artwork, my art process, my decisions, my body, how I parent, how I spend my money, and to people I don’t even know!

As of the past four months, however, I’ve made a conscious effort to journal each morning, picking apart these thoughts, one by one.

If we don’t take every thought captive, especially the somewhat hidden ones, then we can find ourselves feeling so inadequate without even knowing why.

Journalling at first felt pointless, and kind of like a boring chore. Today, it turns on my objective voice, quickly moving me from “my feelings” to the “truth!”

As artists we can feel so deeply and passionately about everything. It’s what helps us create unique and valuable artwork from the soul! However, if we’re not careful our feelings can actually take away from our art BIG TIME.

In your journal you can create faces, animals, or symbols that help you identify these feelings. Maybe you want to create an angry chimp to represent your fear of rejections, or a crying rhino to represent your fear of abandonment. Make it funny and creative!

Allow yourself to feel deeply without judgement, but step back often to prevent attaching your identity to those feelings.

It’s no wonder we all struggle with this because IT’S HARD. I think it’s harder to not compare than it is to be content right here, right now.

Where is that line between working to make progress AND being happy with your art and self today!? Is it a fine line, a thick line, what color is the line?

GIVE ME A COLOR because that makes the most sense to me!

Needless to say, knowing thy self has always helped me to make wiser-ish decisions. HA! Being aware of what you’re comparing yourself too and why can help you turn the other way into contentment and confidence!

Once you’ve identified them, the next step is to create a list of truths that combat those lies. Cling to those thoughts all throughout the day, especially while scrolling!

“I am a talented artist.”

“I am progressing in my artwork with every mistake I make.”

“I am valuable because of who I am, not because of anything I do or don’t do.”

“I’m already successful, smart, beautiful, talented, and kind!”