Comparison: The Enemy of Creativity

Writing is thinking. Before starting this article I did not know what I wanted to write, but I had the urge to write something related to creativity and what a lot of creators go through. And along the way, I found the right direction.

Maya Angelou once said ‘you can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.’

But how do you define creativity? Is it just creating something? If it is that simple, why do we not feel satisfied when we create something?

Comparison is a thief of joy

One of the biggest reasons we do not find ourselves creative enough is our sense of judegment. You are your worst critic. Constantly comparing ourselves with others, our lives, and our work shows how much we lack. Comparing only shows you how much lesser you have than the other, it makes you envious.

You see other artists having a grasp on so many tools and software, you see other artists known for their style, and you see other artists building a business out of what they do. And here you are not being able to do any of that.

This leads to the rabbit hole and you start feeling burnt out, you start to feel like an imposter, or you are even good enough at what you do.

If you feel bad, don’t. You are not alone. I have been guilty of doing the same thing, looking at the best parts and thinking about how did they build it overnight until I took a deep dive. The creators you see who are successful have gone through the same phase, but in the end, what’s most important is to follow your path.

You see you won’t find creativity while following someone else’s path. You can only get inspired by someone to find and follow your own path. Find what makes you happy, what makes your heart beat a little faster, what you can do for 10 hours straight, and what gives you peace at the end of accomplishing it.

If you find that and do not compare yourself to others, you won’t have to worry about your creativity running dry.

How do you stop comparing yourself with others?

I’m not going to give you the advice that everyone gives (hopefully :p). I’ll tell you what works for me. Whenever I find myself comparing my work with others, I make sure I count the progress I’ve made, be it in the past week, the past month, or a year. If the progress looks slow or not visible enough, I try harder, and if the improvement shows me that I’ve done well enough and it’s visible, then I try harder. Because why would you want to settle for something for which you didn’t even give your 100% yet?

Don’t compare yourself to anyone. You are doing just fine.

If this helped you, then share it with someone who might be going through the same thing.

Check out my socials here🔗 where I post my designs and much more. We are a family of 2.5K+ on Instagram, and growing strong.

Check out my last article, 5 Websites for Design Inspiration

Signing off…