I’ll be honest about something most artists don’t talk about enough.
I can look at one of my paintings and feel pretty good about it. Not in an arrogant way — just that sense that something honest happened on the canvas.
Then I see another artist’s work and suddenly my painting feels like a crayon drawing.
If you’re an artist, you probably know exactly what I’m talking about. But even if you’re not, I bet you’ve fallen into the comparison trap at some point in your life.
Comparison is one of the fastest ways to mess with your head.
Because the moment I start comparing my work (or your “whatever”) to someone else’s, something shifts. I’m not really looking at my painting anymore. I’m reacting to theirs.
And that’s dangerous.
Especially with the kind of work I’m making now.
My abstract paintings don’t come from a formula. They come from trusting the process — layers, intuition, intention, responding to what’s happening on the canvas. Sometimes it feels like chaos. Sometimes it feels like discovery.
But comparison pulls me out of that.
Instead of listening to what the painting needs, I start wondering if it measures up to someone else’s voice.
And here’s the thing that took me a long time to understand:
The people who resonate with my work may not resonate with the work that resonates with me.
That was a big realization.
Because it means I don’t need to chase what other artists are doing. In fact, doing that probably pulls me away from the people who are actually meant to connect with my work.
Art isn’t supposed to be a race or a ranking system – it’s a conversation.
And the truth is, we’re all speaking slightly different languages.
Some people will walk right past a painting that deeply moves someone else. That’s not a failure. That’s the nature of art.
Lately I’ve been trying to remind myself of something simple:
My job is to show up, be honest in the work, and trust what comes through.
Not compare.
Not compete.
Just make the work that feels real.
Especially now, when the world feels chaotic and heavy in so many ways.
Art, at least for me, is one way of staying grounded in that chaos. Of trying to bring some light into it.
And that only works if I’m making the work from a place of trust instead of self-doubt.
So if you’ve caught yourself falling into the comparison trap — you’re not alone.
I’m still learning this too.
If you’d like to see what’s been coming out of my studio lately, you can visit my Online Gallery, or join my newsletter where I share more about the process and what’s happening behind the scenes.
And I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts about this.
Do you find yourself comparing your work too?