How do you deal with comparing yourself, doubt and competition?
You only have one person to compete against and that’s you. I can get in the same mindset as any other artist where I can scroll through Instagram and be like, I’m the worst artist in the world, apparently. Because you see all this other stuff and you’re like, Geez, there are so many people just killing it. But what you need to do is scroll through your old stuff and say, Yeah, I am killing it, I’m getting better. I have only one person to beat and that’s me.
Oh that’s a big one. Comparison online and doubt are the biggest killers for art. And they’re very hard. I’ve talked to so many different artists who I think are top of the scale and no matter how big you think they are, we all deal with the same exact thing.
Connecting with friends as best you can makes you feel so much better and more positive.
Going outside, taking hikes is a huge positive influence. Because if I’m doubting myself or comparing myself, if I stay in my apartment I will continually do it and get more upset. I have to go outside . . . to clear my head and not have my phone.
You can’t compare yourself to others. The best way to compare is to look at yourself two or three years before and just be like, I was there, now I’m here, wow. You compare yourself to yourself, not other people.
What am I doing? Is a question I ask myself almost on a daily basis. [Laughter]
I think that’s part and parcel of being an artist, in a way. We do something that we really love and the challenge is to monetize what we really love. This idea of, Do we have to monetize what we love? Do I have to get paid by being an artist? Why am I an artist?
So you ask yourself those questions and there is no answer to that. There are artists who do something totally unrelated to art to make a living and also those who make a living doing art. I don’t know.
I try not to pay attention to what other people are doing, honestly. I feel like it’s best to compare yourself to yourself. If you’re looking at what other artists are doing I think it can be detrimental to your own work. Obviously I love art so I pay attention, but not in the sense of comparing or trying to get ideas.
[For] one of my first acrylic painting commissions I wasn’t sure how to paint a bear — I had never done that. This was really challenging for me as I doubted myself through the entire process. I kept thinking the client would turn down the finished piece. She loved it! And this has become one of my most asked about reproductions as a print or card. I realized I should be more confident and proud of my work.