Tips to find creativity # 9: Don't compare yourself to other people

Have you heard the phrase: "Comparison is the thief of joy"? It's something that is said a lot when people have the tendency to compare themselves to other people. And unfortunately, joy isn't the only that suffers as a result of constant comparison with other people. Creativity does too. So this blog post is dedicated to that. In order to continuously be creative, you need stop comparing yourself to other people.

I understand what it can be like sometimes. For many of us creatives, seeing other people's works can be a huge motivation for us. There's one thing in taking in your surroundings, having other creatives around you to motivate you through your own creative journey, that just fuels you to move forward. But when those same people become the reason you doubt yourself and your abilities, then it becomes a problem.

A hard pill to swallow for many is that the creative journey is different for every single person out there. Someone may have started theirs when they were young, but then dropped it. Others may have started becoming creatives later in life and continued on forever. The beauty in creativity is in that difference, which I feel is not taken into consideration when one compares themselves to others, especially negatively.

Take it from me, as somebody who went through that, it's not a nice feeling. From when I was a teenager, I was surrounded by people who were not just creative, but also motivated. I was young when I heard many of my friends working on their books and their own art pieces that they submitted into competitions. Through them, I was able to find my own creativity, but there was a lot going on in my life that stopped me from being motivated. My skills weren't as developed, I struggled finishing projects I promised, and every time I compared myself to them, I just felt like a failure. Like I couldn't do things right. And it killed me and my creativity. I stopped working on projects for a long time. It didn't help that I started watching people on social media with beautiful creative pieces that I felt I could never achieve. The more I compared, the more I sunk in a feeling of despair that held on so tightly, I felt I couldn't breath properly. That feeling stuck with me for so long.

But then something changed.

Somebody took interest in my ideas, and wanted to hear what I had to say. He knew my ideas, my art, my creativity, wasn't perfect and yet he was fascinated by what I had to offer. And through that one single interest, I was able to begin to push through the comparison and to find the beauty in my own creativity.

I came to realize that it was okay if my pieces didn't look the same as others, as long as I was happy with the pieces I was making. And I found joy in showing other people what I had to do, without comparing myself to them. Even though, even now, I sometimes still do it, I've decided to focus more on my own journey. To continue learning what I can, and to hold myself from comparing when I can.

So dear readers, don't compare yourselves to people. Know that your creative journey is beautiful in its own way, and no one can take that away from you!

Stay tuned for the next creativity finding tip!

-Ruby Rose