Competition among artists is a pointless waste of time
I believe most competition is ridiculous, pointless, and needlessly programmed into all of us from Day 1.
Competition is not the best, only, and even most efficient way of doing things.
We are all programmed with the Darwinian ideology of Survival of the fittest. Whatever Darwin’s full intent or idea was with this, humans have taken it to mean we need to compete with each other to survive.
This seems pointless and wasteful on a planet populated by so many different kinds of humans, each of us spirit in human form, as well as the spirit present in the earth and every creature on it. Spiritual competition is a pointless waste of time, and we have now driven ourselves to a point on our shared earth where we need to work together if we are to survive as a species on this planet.
Fun healthy competition isn’t wrong, not at all. But when it’s relentless, and so completely tied into capitalism, authoritarianism, and the demands that winner take all, it’s really unhealthy.
As artists, comparing ourselves with other artists is pointless.
That doesn’t mean we don’t all do it, or find ourselves going there, even with the best of intentions. If I find myself comparing my work to another artist’s work and feeling bad about my own, I remind myself to instead listen and appreciate the way that someone else has mastered their craft. That’s my own insecurity to become aware of, and release. I am the one in competition, and in that scenario I will always lose.
Entering juried art competitions can be really fun and helpful. It’s great to have others see your work, and to put it out there, possibly winning some accolades and validation for all of that hard work.
But if you judge your worth as an artist only by what others think or say, you’ll be stuck.
“Creativity is not a competition, it is a connection. ”
