What do you feel / do, when OTHERS are envious of you?

[mariusthered]

so called Friends. one person in particular started being very negative about my caricatures around the same time i had just sold some over seas. but the is a thing about friends, while trying not to use them or allow them to use you, people have their uses from time to time and putting up with petty things is often better than burning bridges.

[claiborneart]

With friends, we'll usually just diffuse the situation with a combination of honesty + terrible jokes: ex. "Man, I wish I could do colors half as good as you....can I eat your liver to gain your abilities?"

As for people I wouldn't feel comfortable making bad cannibalism jokes with, someone's only told me they were envious of my comic's sub count once, and it actually made me really happy. (Felt like I had finally made it to the other side of fame, ya know?)
But yeah, I offered to give them advice/crit on their work, and it seemed to all go okay.

[kimketli]

I can't speak on behalf of everyone but when I felt it I didn't do it because I wanted to. :< It just happens.

[BobbyjoeX]

i dont think anyone is, cause remember, i only piss people off

[vworksart]

I.. don't think anyone is envious of me. I'm not that enviable lol

[Shanny8]

I really dont think anyone is envious of me...I try to stay under the radar and not bring attention to myself.

[AmysGames]

Other people being envious isn't something I can really control. What does bug me is when they use that envy to then whine to my face about "oh you're so much better at art/writing/whatever than me, I'll never be that talented," yadda yadda. Like, please don't be so hard on yourself? I'm sorry I put more time and effort into a talent than you did? It feels like you're trying to guilt trip me?

[Penni]

Uh, I have no idea of other people are envious of me. 🧐

[joannekwan]

No one's ever expressed blatant envy of me.
But having people go "You are ssooooo lucky to [insert thing here]" to which I usually rebut with a list of negatives about my situation if I know them, or a simple 'yeah' or 'thanks' for a stranger.
Or if they're downtrodden about their own creative skills, I'll go 'Just takes practice. It took me like 20 years.'

[Maps]

I had a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time and they invited me to visit, so I went over to their place. They eventually got drunk and shoved me into their bathroom, locking it, and began crying and telling me how much they wanted to be me and always envied me and my life and my family. But, it was all done in a very bizarre way and I was incredibly uncomfortable about the experience (it had actually scared me).
So from that point on I sort of distanced myself from that person and, honestly, they look happier now. Maybe I was a point of anxiety in their life, if that’s how they felt about me all along.
Sometimes it’s fine to let friends drift away or to make a move for yourself if you think it’s for the best.
Other than that, everyone else seems to see me as the very average person I truly am.

[SleepingPoppy]

I had an at the time close friend who had an unfortunate cocktail of depression and envy. Depression has a way of making something like that a lot worse and a lot darker, and it ended up strangling our relationship.

Eventually the relationship crumbled, but it honestly took years longer than it should. The envy over my art turned into envy for me in a lot of ways, none of which were really grounded in reality. It's not about you actually being better than the other person in any way, but their failing to recognize whats good in themselves or take responsibility for their own well being.

Be careful of anyone that makes something they dislike in themselves your problem.

[vothnthorvaldson]

As a mirror image of how I've never been bullied for reasons even vaguely pertinent, I've never (as far as I know) been unreasonably admired or envied for anything that would make any sense.
So generally it lets me baffled, awkward, and the only option I see is avoidance and (extra) aloofness. So I don't think I have any good advice to give you
I do think there are people who appreciate me for good reasons, but they have a tendancy to be reasonnable, I think!

[DiegoPalacios]

But even these rare occasions worry me, because they can potentially turn into the source of problems in the future. In some other areas of life it already bothers me a lot and caused me some problems. I mean, I certainly enjoy, when people admit my achievements and give me their respect (who don't enjoy it? ). But when they are envy, it bothers me and sometimes even makes me feel guilty.

there is no need to feel guilty for their vices. That is their problem and they have to work it. If everyone were afraid of standing out because of envy, we would probably never be able to chat here online because no one would dare to invent computers.

In my case when envy turned into hostility (or any case that involve any sort of hostility, subtle or not), i just diplomatically roast them, so they get umconfortable when they mess with me.

[LT1986]

I haven't been in situations where I can prove that someone is envious of me.

If I did discover that someone was envious of me, I would view it as a sign of success.

Here's why. Jealousy/envy usually occurs when someone is achieving something that is usually positive for one individual but not for another individual.

[rmdooley]

I feel nothing.

I am dead on the inside.

[dawgofdawgness]

It’s flattering until they start insulting themselves. Like the “I can’t even draw a stickman” line is an overused joke in the artist community for a reason lol. I have no clue how to respond to that other than “oh... ok” [forced smile]

[mariusthered]

“I can’t even draw a stickman”

"then try using the pointy end"

is the line i would give.

[unknown_user]

@mariusthered That's the best answer

[Rodimus13]

I don't think I've had anyone be jealous of me before, except with cooking which quickly turns into "Oh I can show you how" or "I have a video, you wanna try?" and I go teacher mode on them.

When it's hubby's art or logos he gets excited someone thinks his stuff is good and I am all "Ok he has tips, ya want them?"

If someone did it over my writing for the story... I dunno how I'd react. I tend to be a "OK! Let's teach you the skills you think I'm better at! YOU CAN DO IT LETS GO!" if they are upfront with it.

[Domae]

My former friend was/is dealing with self-esteem and self-image problems, and it manifested through comparing herself to me and making me seem like a better/more put together/perfect person than I actually was, especially when I was always transparent about my mental health and socioeconomic struggles. Because of this exaggeration, she would do things to "bring me down a notch" and make herself feel better. It got to the point where she would make plans, not invite me, then send me pictures or call me while she was out with her other friends. She would even say things like "My family let me bring a friend on this trip in a year AND I asked so-and-so". Keep in mind that I was the person she'd cry and vent to more often than not.

The odd thing is, it really didn't make me sad or anything. Whenever she'd try to bring me down, I'd always respond either nonplussed or positively "Good for you!"/"Have fun!" because it just didn't make me doubt my self worth. After she flaked out on plans last minute, multiple times (one time leaving me without a ride somewhere) I told her that it felt like I was a convenient friend and she agreed.

The end.