On Inspiration vs. Comparison

When I started on my art journey, I found myself perusing other quilters' artwork. (I still do!) They have neat ideas, create beautiful works of art, and are rightly proud of themselves for their gorgeous accomplishments. Their creativity is very inspirational. I feel the same way towards their work as I do towards a master painter, like van Gogh or Warhol. Their creativity opens doors for me by showing me endless possibilities of exploration.

About midway in the early part of my journey, I noticed that I sometimes compared my work to that of others. I criticized my own work because it wasn't like theirs in quality, quantity, appearance, or some other characteristic. One day I said, "There is a fine line between being inspired by others' works and comparing one's work to that of others." That was unfair, to them and to me. It took away from their accomplishments and certainly did the same to my own.

I quickly learned to instead say: I am not them. My path is different. I can create something similar, but it would be because I want to create that thing and not because I am trying to be them or to outdo them in their own creations. I can be happy for their success and be  proud of my own at the same time!

Rather than using comparison as a negative (punitive) motivator for me, I instead used the positive power of inspiration to propel myself forward in my own artwork. Rather than be competitive (not even in the best of interpretations), I chose to use the positive energy given off by their success to create my own.

It was a wonderful and joyous moment when I said to myself: "Don't look at others' art to bring your art down. Look at theirs to uplift your own!"