The Comparison Trap – Beware of Comparing Yourself to Other Graphic Designers and Artists On Instagram

Don’t get too caught up in someone else’s highlight reel.

I recently had a handful of things go wrong. Contractors not delivering as expected, house problems, commissions not being well received, car problems, a miss on some branding work…from the outside, one could say that “a lot is going wrong.”

Ouch.

I share this because I wanted to be sure that y'all don’t think everything is perfect unicorns and rainbows over here. Or, for anyone, for that matter. It’s not uncommon that others present their lives on the internet in a picture-perfect manner. It seems that everything in their lives is perfect, easy, happy and profitable!

I can say from experience that most certainly is not always the case.

Of course, Instagram is a place where people celebrate the wins of their creative practices. It’s great; we should celebrate accomplishments, projects, accolades and more! However, we must retain the perspective that we are viewing anecdotal moments of people’s lives, not a perpetual, perfect highlight reel-life.

Remember:

1. People are presenting their highlight reel—don’t compare yourself to that. Perfection is not a thing: for you, for them, for anyone.
2. Everyone is struggling with something. Don’t let the glamour and perceived perfection convince you they’re not human.
3. Nobody has it figured out. Growth comes from progress: get started now!
4. Even the best in the biz fuck up. The more risks you take messing up, the more chances you have to succeed.
5. Pop Tarts are better when toasted with butter. Duh.

This quote from Dean Simonton is really resonating for me right now:

“Bach wrote almost 1,000 works. Beethoven and Mozart around 600. The majority of the greats wrote a whole lot of music, more than most of their contemporaries. Quantity leads to quality. You don't necessarily know which idea is going to be good - you have to just keep throwing shit against the wall and seeing what sticks…your best shot is being as prolific as possible.”

How do you get outta the headspace of self-doubt through the comparison trap?

Just. Get. Started.

Cheers

- Adam

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