Comparing yourself with other creators... How to overcome this?

[PorcheJ]

Everyone at some point in life had this problem.

When you look at other creator's works, and they're doing a great job, you look at your work and believe that you're not doing so hot.

For instance, you look at creators who have a majority of readers, but you only have 5 to 25 readers. Then you feel like a failure and think that you're no good like them. That can lead up to you quitting your comic...

So... how do you feel more confident in your work? How can you not compare yourself to others and just do what you love?

This is for those who are struggling with comparing themselves to other artists. I feel that we as fellow creators have to come together and encourage one another.

[niinasalmelin]

Well for me it was easy, because I wasn't into webcomics until last year. So I idolize many western artists like Jim Lee, Jeff Smith, Juanjo Guarnido and many others. Most of them are well over heir 30's. My worst comparing time was in my teens, but then I realized how much older they were than me and helped me to get more perspective on how much work they had to do to get there.

So if you feel unmotivated, take a look if that other creator went to art school from very young age, is older or just draws more than you and are they hobbyist or aiming to be/already are a pro. Get perspective on what they did to get there. Whatever it is, take it as an motivator.

EDIT: Also it's good to remember that many webcomic big shots have been around for several years. There was a time when they were also just starting out

[J.Lovelace]

The older you get, the less you care :'D

[shazzbaa]

What I did when I was younger, honestly, was to stop looking at other creators.

That was my response to times when I found that it was hard to draw and I was feeling uninspired. I thought, I'm getting so caught up in these other people's work that it's robbing me of my creativity and my desire to create. I have to stop.
At the time, I was able to just stay off the internet for a week or two -- I know that's harder to do now, but it's still possible to avoid certain websites or fall off social media for a week.

Sure, sometimes it's an attitude thing you can correct in yourself, but if you're at the point where you see that the attitude is harmful to you and your art but it's still happening, I think the best thing you can do is step away and just focus on your own art for a few days.

[ToonDoctor]

Actually, I don't think there's anything wrong in comparing your work to other creators that inspire you. It's one of the ways to measure your growth and to learn from others. If that cripples you, that is another matter. But a healthy dose of longing is good for the soul!

[Vanzish]

I know where you're coming from, i have had that problem often and felt bad with myself. But instead of quitting, i kept on drawing more often and when i looked at other people's work, i looked at it to learn how do to certain things, not to make myself wanna quit.

What you create, nobody else can do. If you don't draw that particular comic, nobody else is going to and it's not gonna come to existence, which is a pity. Not to mention art is subjective, as are people. While person A loves to look at realistic art, person B loves surrealism the most. You'll be certain to stumble across people who will adore what you do, the way you do it. The way nobody else can do it!

[AnnaLandin]

I used to struggle with this a lot, and some days I still do. It's a hard mindset to get rid of!

For me, step one was to accept that there will always be someone better than me. There will always be someone effortlessly doing the things I still only aspire to. ALWAYS. No matter how much I learn, there will always be someone who has learned more, or differently, and discovered ways and means of doing things I haven't.

Step two is to realise that this is perfectly okay. You're always going to be learning, you're always going to have things left to learn. It is the same for everybody else.

The really difficult bit is the bit where you have to be able to look at the work and the achievement of others not as a source of envy, but a source of inspiration. The trick is realising that you're not supposed to strive to be better than them - you're supposed to be striving to be better than you.

Keep your old sketchbooks around. I stash mine in my bookshelf, and in a box under my bed. Any time I feel like I'm terrible and going nowhere, I dig them out and compare what I drew today to what I drew a year ago, or two years ago. In 99% of the cases, what I drew today is worlds better than what I drew a year ago, and I can feel proud that I've improved. I'm going places!

I know it can feel hopeless - I certainly have days when I just want to stop whatever I'm doing and go back to bed, convinced I'll never get anywhere or do anything worth doing! - but please tell yourself that the only way to fail permanently is to quit; as long as you keep going, you're going to be doing better for every time you draw!

Re: specifically looking at other people's reader-numbers - remember that you're only seeing the end-result. You didn't see the road they took to get there. Maybe they spent years building up a fanbase on another site, which transferred with them when they came to Tapastic! Maybe they got featured on the front-page! Maybe someone famous found their comic and told their followers on Twitter! The possibilities are endless, really, you're probably looking at the highlight-reel of someone else's life, and comparing it to your own blooper-reel.

[keii4ii]

I think the key is to be okay with the fact that your work... well, needs work. It's not about being proud of your work.

Right now I'm still recovering from massive, pathological degree anxiety, but back when I was emotionally healthy, knowing the fact that I had a long way to go? It excited me. I would look at other people's much more advanced work, and get excited that maybe some day, I'll get there, too -- or maybe I'll be somewhere completely different, doing my own thing but better than how I'm doing right now!

I always admitted to myself and others that I sucked. And I was totally fine with that.

[indagold]

I stopped doing that as a kid since I was immature and still developing as an artist. Now that I look at good artists it gives me the impetus to improve and be inspired to do better and put more effort into my work. Now that I have surpassed in skill all the artists I envied as a kid I am slowly developing more confidence in my work.

All you need to remember is that you are you and they are themselves and not you. You work is your own.

[Mharz]

I still suffer from time to time from comparing myself with others (in terms of subs at least) but I was waaaaaay worse a few years ago.

Seriously speaking back then I was even afraid of showing my artworks on public and it get's worse when I see a really good artwork. In addition to that, those artworks were done by artists few years younger than me. I was like, GDI I'm already at my 20s and I still draw like crap! So yahh my past self always lose confidence whenever she see's a really good artwork.

Its stress me out so much so I did what @shazzbaa suggested here and I didn't look at other's work. I didn't join any groups, didn't socialize with other artists online (in which I do not recommend at all cus socializing is important) and just focused on improving my artwork until I can say with confidence, "Yes, I can go toe to toe with them," "I'm not afraid of showing my artwork anymore."

It also helps if you can find an artist whose works will really make you feel that you want to draw more. Other people's artworks made me lose confidence back then but when I first saw Shilin Huang's artworks I was like "Damn I wanna draw more" "I want to be as good as her someday." It turned out to be one of my life goals.

The most important thing is not to let anything get to you. Remember that every person is unique. Focus on improving and fulfilling your goals. Sure you may feel down or stressed but that's not a reason to stop but to strive even harder. Instead of using other's art as comparison, why not use is as a reference or a guideline to improve your own art instead? It's more enjoyable that way.

TL;DR Everyone sure experienced this but don't let it get to you and don't stop. Use it as a guide post or a goal line for improvement.

[69Michi]

I actually do that all the time tbh... I would look at another person's works that I idolize and look back at my work and feel bad about myself. My way of coping with it is to go talk with my friends, have them listen to my ramble, show them my work from time to time and ABSORB THEIR COMPLIMENTS AS IF IT'S MY ONLY WAY OF STAYING SANE. Friends help me out a lot in developing my skills tbh LMFAO Back in the day I even went actively looking for arts that I deem... of lower quality than mine. (Bad young self is very bad) But in a way looking at arts like that, and then looking back at my old arts, it makes me feel better about myself : ^ ) At least I improved, I would think to myself.

As years pass and you get older though, nowadays whenever I see someone else's work that is superior to mine, I will just go lay down. try not to cry. cry a lot, before bouncing back up and turn that frustration into motivation to improve my art further : - D

[Sanz]

they way I see it there is always someone out there better then you, no matter where you are in artistic skill, someone out there with a different technique or a different style in art and writing. that is just better. the point is to be inspired to press forward, and set goals for yourself to reach that point as well and you can't do that feeling sorry for yourself. there are tons of people better then me even in this thread, lol, but if i cry and quit..thinking "balls I'll never be that good...i'll never have that many fans...my comic is shit...my art is shit...my story is shit...i hate my life" I'll never get better. one must aspire to surpass their master. so to get over that I just think about the fact that everyone was in that position at one point everyone felt at one point they were shit..and if they stopped because of that they wouldn't be where they are today.

[quakeulf]

It's never about being a good artist, it's about being popular and a good marketer.

[TheVoidchildProject]

I think trying to turn it around is the best idea, setting goals for yourself and managing expectations. Before I started making my comic I sort of sat down with myself and said: "Alright, no one might actually like this. If someone does, then fun, but if not you'll do it because you think it's fun. Not for recognition."

It wasn't that articulate or literal, but that's my basic idea. I don't make my comic for others, it's for me. And if others happen to like it then I'm thrilled. And yeah, I want subscribers just like anyone else. But I know that the moment recognition starts taking over, it will become a chore and it'll drive me away from what I consider a fun hobby.

As for others who are better than me at this, there are tons of them. But I try to flip it around, interact with them and find inspiration in their work. Is there anything they're drawing that I can try my hand at? How are they telling their story, is that something I can improve in my own work. And so forth. I feel like actually interacting with those I consider skilled creators has helped me make my own stuff better and it makes me feel better and keeps the salt at bay.

And setting goals of course. My goal was always very clear. I want to learn how to draw. I want to tell my story somehow/somewhere. I can do those things in conjunction. That's why you'll find Voidchild probably looks very rough if you go back to the first chapter.

Goals, expectations and gathering inspiration is the reason why I think I've kept this up for as long as I have, with no end in sight. =)

[Rabbit]

I never have any problems when comparing myself to artists better and more popular than myself, because I feel like they give me something to strive for. And recently, a lot of artists I really admire and look up to have subscribed to my comic out of the blue, and told me they really like my stuff, which is super amazing to me!!! So I'm glad that I looked up to those people and read their stuff because it's thanks to that that their subs mean so much to me now.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I have a much harder time when I find myself comparing myself to people I don't think are as good as me, yet are more popular/ have more subs. It hasn't happened often, but every here and there I'll see comics on Tapastic that are just scribbled out, looks like they are only done in pencil, and the writing is hard to read and confusing, yet the comic has over a hundred subscribers. Every time I see one of these comics I get really confused about why this person managed to get so popular while I can't even manage to get over 40, and then I kinda start thinking my work is crap and I should just give up, because this person obviously didn't even try yet is still farther ahead than me. But, of course, I try to tell myself to stop thinking like that, because everyone deserves subs, even that person

[Aspie_Gamer]

Never EVER compare yourself with other people. I did that wayyy too much in the past and my art suffered as a result because I was too...well I wouldn't say depressed, more like I was in a bad self loathing mood that could last for weeks and thus no work on my comic Life of an Aspie would get done. Also as an aspie myself, trivial things that may not seem that big a deal to most everybody here are a big deal to me like why are my tones so noisy and therefore distracting when people scroll down while reading my comic? That's something that held me back from creating new pages sooner. Everyone else seems to be able to add tones without a problem so why is it just me? I thought I figured out why a few days ago, but my tones still keep coming out noisy whenever I upload new pages of LoaA. Its because of this that I'm just not going to bother getting to the root of why my tones look distracting and instead work on LoaA until I make enough money to pay someone to redo the tones for me.

tl;dr don't compare yourself to other people. Do what you do best. Leave the rest to others.

[PorcheJ]

These are all wonderful advices. I saw a video from Mark Crilley on "Comparing yourself to Others" (I believe it was called), and wanted to share this with you all.

I think it can be nerve wrecking and inspiring at the same time (despite on how you think).

But I believe that inspiration, motivation, and perseverance are key. We shouldn't let negativity cloud our judgement either. To surpass those popular and better comics, you gotta keep going on your comic and STRIVE to be better.

Another is way is to better yourself. Don't put yourself down. HE gave you the Gift of Art and HE did it for a reason. Be positive, work smarter, not harder; and be inspired and strong-willed.

[SpavVy]

Well, I'm not sure if it's just me but I don't look at other creators like that anymore, probably because I've finally reached a point where I'm confident in my art. Of course, there are still people out there way better than me but I don't think of how interior my work is to theirs, actually, I get really REALLY inspired when I see people better than me and I analyze their work and see what I can learn from it.

Whispwill the creator of Kings Folly, for example, inspires me whenever I watch her streams and I get the biggest urge to draw more of my comic or other illustrations even on my lazy days.

Just remember that the artists you feel inferior to worked really hard to get where they're at and you have to do the same. I had days when I would draw all day long until my hand would hurt, I even did this when I was around seven or eight years old and wouldn't even play outside with my friends.

[PorcheJ]

@Savannah Man... now that's inspiring. Yeah, I can understand where you're coming from too. It's mostly about being confident and motivated on making your comic worth reading. That's what I'm trying to do for Cryptic Yume. Jeff Smith, the creator of Bones, is a true inspiration. That's what made me want to create my own comic. Colorful and relatable characters with an epic and mysterious story.

But I feel that when you're younger, you strive to be something great in life. An artist, doctor, astronaut, even a president! These are the things we dream of as we grow older. And as long as we work and persevere for those dreams to come true, who knows?

Comparing yourself and putting yourself down isn't a good feeling. At all. But I believe that true inspiration helps you strive to be a better artist and person.

[CrispyGhee]

There's nothing wrong with looking at other creators and comparing yourself to them, I think, so long as you're able to separate your journey from theirs. I used to have crippling anxiety about it to the point that I would talk down about other peoples' stuff just to feel better about myself. Do not do this. If you have to rely on being negative to feel positive then life's going to get harder as your creative journey goes on.

I think my biggest achievement in this is learning to transform jealousy into admiration. Just remember that another person's work is not a reflection on your own, and even the people who are further along in their artistic journey almost certainly felt the same way you feel now about someone else. Being able to look at someone else's art, go "yeah, that's great!" and use it as either a source of inspiration or motivation makes life easier.

Of course getting to that point is really hard. I think a lot of it is like...when you're growing up and you identify yourself as an artist or whatever, that title becomes such a big part of who you are that it feels like a failure to your core self when you don't think you're as good as you would like to be yet. It's understandable! You're an artist, what you create is important to you! But realizing that it's about what you're creating and not about what others are creating is a good first step. You're walking your own path. Don't mind the people in front of you too much, you're all headed in similar directions. Don't think "I'm not there," think "I'm not there yet."

Also re: numbers and metrics, really really really do not worry about that. I remember being on deviantART and there was a huge thing about people pining for pageviews and it's really unhealthy trying to measure your success or your talent by numbers. Being noticed and getting those numbers has less to do with your actual ability and more to do with engaging your audience, marketing, and sometimes even just dumb luck. It should definitely not be used as some sort of quantification of your worthiness.

Just keep working hard, practice at a level of discomfort, strive to learn new things. It's hard being an artist! It takes a lot to even put things out there for people to see, so allow yourself some personal kudos