What does jealousy look like for you?

akitsukino 2017-01-11 22:17:17 UTC #1

Let's face it; we've all gotten a little jealous of other artist at least once. What I wanted to ask you guys though is how when, when, and most importantly why you think you feel this way when it comes on you. One really petty form of jealousy I've noticed in myself recently is that I seem to get a little jealous of people with more success than me. I take extreme pride in the work I've put in to learn the fundamentals of art such as figure drawing, forms, and composition, so when I see artists who seem to be a lacking in the areas get published, work on TV shows, and get their own popular web series. I sometimes even look at the effort I keep putting into my work and wonder if it's pointless to try this hard ( "I worked how long on this picture and this person got a job with art like that?!). I know it can be silly to think this way at times and I do my best to draw it in when it gets out of hand, but it does still crop up. So what does it look like when you feel jealous of other artists? Are you more jealous of their skills or their success? What other thought pop in your mind? Let me know below!

jordanthelass 2017-01-11 22:27:49 UTC #2

I find myself getting jealous when people get tons of subscribers featured on Tapas and their comic hasn't been up for very long--not to mention ones that seem like they put no effort into it at all.

But then I realize that most of the people who get featured are half my age and probably still don't know what to do with their lives quite yet.

I dare anyone to speak up who disagrees with me. >:P

joannekwan 2017-01-11 22:28:04 UTC #3

Ah, for me it's when I see comics that are more popular than mine, especially if they're in the same genre, but I find the art, story, and character development to be lacking. Like they're mostly the same tropes you see in that genre. I guess it's just personal taste? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Or also when I check the reading lists of some folks and they're pretty much all in one genre but they're not reading my series. Sometimes I'm proud that I'm not grouped in with those, but other times I just want that extra reader and see what they think of my story.

Down_the_Rabbithole 2017-01-11 22:28:33 UTC #4

I don't get as jealous as I used to because I've learned it's unhealthy. I remember mostly being jealous about skills than popularity. What I'd do is start studying what makes the art so jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

indagold 2017-01-11 23:02:21 UTC #5

I don't get jealous since I was a wee youngster. Now i'm just like "jesus I need to step up my game and stop being lazy". Or notice an amazing artist gets lazy sometimes and I feel like "whew so even they get bored with their work sometimes"

punkarsenic 2017-01-11 23:07:53 UTC #6

sometimes, i feel jealous of artists i really admire, especially if were comparable in age - usually this is just a little whine to myself of 'oh man, i should just quit' and then i move on, dont quit, learn something, keep loving them. maybe a few years ago, that woulda been impossible, but GCSE art takes all the shits you have to give and burns them in sleep deprivation and class-wide trauma

but then there are comics i get really bitter about. comics that just. arent good. BL typically - as a lesbian whose seen the ins and outs of that shit i have my well-founded problems with the Yaoi FandomTM. these comics just dont deserve the success theyre getting, and theres homophobic undertones that piss me off. (inb4 im not gonna argue w anyone abt this on this thread.) i dunno though... largely, thats not jealousy. sure, id like to have that success and celebration, but im happy with how im doing, and its more bitterness at the fact that they dont deserve that.

i have some serious perfectionism and anxiety problems that comprehensive school have beaten out of me w sub-par education, so i dont think ive got really properly jealous since i was 15. its a nice way to live.

SleepingPoppy 2017-01-11 23:09:04 UTC #7

I have a weird "THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!" Highlander murder kind of reaction to artists I /really really/ like that are excelling in certain ways I'm especially envious of. It's generally a combo of skill and success. The thoughts are silly enough that I can curb it and kind of laugh at it. Usually if I have a darker reaction, its related to outside stressors, and I'll have spiraling thoughts about myself not so much the person/people I'm jealous of. It's more "I'll never be good enough" and less "I wish I was them". It helps that no matter how jealous I am, I usually really adore these people and their work, so I feel happy for them even if I want to steal their awesomeness.

Speaking from the other side, I had a once really close friend that was jealous of my art (as stated by the friend), and she started shutting down or acting weird if I tried to show her anything I made, and it was really devastating. We were at school together, and there were a lot of moments where we were sharing our art with other friends and class mates, and I had so much anxiety about /her/ feeling bad that I wouldn't share anything I did. I'd just watch her show off. And anytime we were both showing our work, I'd feel sick if I got complimented in a way she didn't, or even if we both got complimented.

Jealousy can be a really dark awful thing.

keii4ii 2017-01-11 23:47:09 UTC #8

I feel you 100% :'D For me, when things get that bad, art is never the real cause despite what it may seem like. It's only the outlet.

miesmud 2017-01-11 23:56:31 UTC #9

I get jealous when I see artists that are younger but are more skilled than me. Feels rough and the older I get, the more there are. I'm especially jealous on their dedication to work hard and practice even though they're so young. Makes me feel like I'm lazy and wasted my youth.

Shanny8 2017-01-12 00:02:51 UTC #10

For the most part, I try not be jealous and look at critical reasons for whatever I might be going through or the reasons why I might be experiencing some form of turmoil...but then, I dont know- not sure if it's jealousy or not, but sometimes I feel like the deck is stacked against me. I know part of it could logically be one thing, but then I feel there's this major bias or hate- that someone or something has it out for me, so I flop back & forth between trying to persevere and trying not to have a complete breakdown.

agentfink 2017-01-12 00:23:11 UTC #11

I wouldn't say it's jealously (more annoying than anything) but it's when I see a comic who hasn't updated in forever, constantly gaining more subs. To try and not be concerned about the numbers is a is a lie to myself. I'm happy where I'm at but if I want my readership to grow that needs to be reflected in the subs... which brings me back to being annoyed with comics that don't update.

SleepingPoppy 2017-01-12 00:24:43 UTC #12

Absolutely. So much of it is anxiety and fear about other things.

Michelle 2017-01-12 01:32:43 UTC #13

Aaa, jealousy is such a pain :< I don't sweat it too much when comics or styles I personally don't like become hugely popular, because I've always felt like an outlier on what people like. What mainly gets me is when I see my male peers get better jobs and form closer relationships in the art world than me.
For a while I strived to get in at a certain studio, but after getting told "Not good enough" after multiple attempts while watching several of my male peers get accepted, I said fuck it and focused on my freelance career.

Though I try not to dwell on my gender too much, because it sometimes sounds like a cop out, I can't help but feel I'd have more opportunities if I was "one of the boys".

demthorshie 2017-01-12 02:40:55 UTC #14

I'm generally not a jealous person. For example, if I see comic artists who have better art skills than I do plus a ton of subscribers, it usually sparks a flame of inspiration in me and kind of acts as a reminder of where my personal goals and priorities for my own art should be. The artist clearly worked hard to gain a huge following and sacrificed a lot of their own time to create such awesome art, so, it's hard to be jealous at that!

But I would have to say that the one thing that grinds me gears whenever I see it is when I browse the Staff Picks. I see those handfuls of comics that have been featured that only have 1 page and the creator hasn't updated the comic in more than 1 to 2 weeks, when there are hundreds of comics created by equally skilled artists who put in the work and post episodes regularly that never see the light of day. I wouldn't say that makes me jealous, more so annoyed.

Kayke 2017-01-12 02:43:31 UTC #15

@Michelle I totally feel that on the studio thing... I did story board tests for a show I really wanted to work on but didn't get the position and then I totally instagram stalked the people who did get the boarding jobs... and they were mostly guys (despite the fact the show was aimed at a female audience) and I shifted gears to focus more on comics than trying to get into the animation game.

Other than that. I guess I get jealous of people who seem to have a lot of free time? When I see friends who are working day jobs and doing a ton of freelance but still manage to have time to go to parties and take weekend trips I'm baffled. I feel like I have to spread myself so thin just to finish what I have to so I really wish I had more down time to relax and hang out!

Michelle 2017-01-12 06:21:21 UTC #16

Ah yeah, same here! I was applying as a storyboard artist to various animation studios. I used to want to be in animation really badly but, like you, I've found indie comics to be a lot more inclusive to female artists. I do get to storyboard for live action, but even there, the roster of artists I work among is like 90% male :u In any case, who knows; maybe we'll sneak our ways into the animation world eventually.

haleymewsome 2017-01-12 07:08:01 UTC #17

@Kaykedrawsthings @Michelle I've run into this a ton at my school, too. For some reason, even though only about 20% of the students are male, almost all the successful alumni they bring back are guys, and I keep finding out that my male classmates are getting all these weird opportunities from the teachers and the city. Also even though the drastically higher rate of girl graduates has held steady for years my school's faculty is almost entirely men, I've only had one female teacher in my department and I've taken around 42 classes. (4 year program, 5 to 6 classes per semester, 2 semesters per year)

Thank goodness for the internet, it's not a perfect place but at least there aren't a ton of crusty old gatekeepers stopping you from putting your work out there.

But I digress, for me jealousy only really pops up when a really young artist shows up with mad skills, it's a double punch because it makes me feel elderly -and- untalented. XD But really I would never hold it against anyone, those kids are amazing and the brightness of their futures doesn't actually hurt mine so eh.

DokiraKii 2017-01-12 09:32:26 UTC #18

Most of the posts here, I can agree with a lot. I try not to get jealous or compare myself to others but when I see their success versus my own, I feel a little bitter inside. I start to blame myself, thinking "Maybe it's just me? Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough? Or too much?" It especially bothers me when I see others who just know what their doing and get results out of it so quickly or if they're younger and better than me, lol. It's a horrible feeling and it makes me shut down sometimes and think of giving up on whatever I'm pursuing. But doing that wouldn't get me anywhere, so I've been trying to cope with the insecurities by not paying attention the jealousy in the back of my mind and just keep trying. Someday, I'll be great. Just stay positive and kick out some of the negative.

J.Lovelace 2017-01-12 10:25:17 UTC #19

Speaking of jealousy towards other artists, I am jealous mostly in situations that are unfair to me. Situations that make me think "Why them, but not me?" when I feel that their success is measured by favorism and ungodly amounts of luck, when our skill/age/experience/whatever is on the same level, or theirs is lower.
It's only about the success of others, and I remember getting very agitated about the "one night wonders", aka people who got tons of popularity in a very short amount of time. When they barely upload anything for the first time and BAM - frontpage.
It pushed me to act like a baby, and I tried to avoid the wonder-artists, as in I didn't want to hear about them, I didn't want to support them in any way, even if their art and stories would definitely suit my taste.
It enraged me even more when some of them admitted that they never aimed to be that popular, they just did a thing and it was a success bomb somehow, and they didn't know how to even handle it.
Luckily it wasn't destructive envy, because I never tried to ruin anyone for their success. It was just terribly demotivating. "Why do I even try?" I said that lot to myself.

It still bugs me sometimes, but much less after I just accepted that the world was always like that, and me being salty over it won't change a thing. And I realized that having too much attention will lead to some unwanted situations too, so... I'm okay with where I am today.

xEijix 2017-01-12 13:36:40 UTC #20

Notice that they are more good at drawing and more popular make me jealous sometimes.
Usually go to a corner and cry for this and catch by brother is a habit lol.