How Comparing Myself to Others Crushed My Creative Spirit... And When It Didn't

All my life, I’ve had a passion for art and design, but as a younger person, I never felt like I had much talent for it. I always had friends who were naturally gifted at painting, drawing, playing instruments, etc., and I felt like no matter how much I tried, I’d never be good at those things – so why try? It wasn’t until I was in the ninth grade, and I had an art teacher who really cared and pushed me to be more creative, that I realized there was something I have that I never thought I did. I spent the next four years of high school taking art classes every year, and every year I felt like I was becoming more skilled than the last, but I still felt stifled by all the talent and creativity that the people around me had – thinking I’d never be that good at what I love.

It wasn’t until I went to college, and decided to major in graphic design, that I really felt like I could be successful as a creative. I was a freshman, and I didn’t know anybody in my program yet. For most people, that would be a terrifying experience, but I found myself with a newfound confidence. Being outside of the small town mentality, I felt like I could finally be myself and explore who I am as a creative individual without comparing myself to people I knew had a lot of talent. Surely, I was still surrounded by incredibly creative and skilled people, but not knowing them personally helped me break myself out of that cycle of toxic comparison.

Now, three years later, I have lots of friends in my program – all of who are each talented in their own ways, but I’m still not letting comparing myself to them stop me from using my creativity. What I realized through my experience in college was that the other people in my life were never the problem – it was me holding myself back. Other people being talented doesn’t take away from the abilities I have, and letting myself actually believe that has been absolutely the best thing for me creatively.