“Your enemy can be your best teacher”- Dali Lama
It’s natural that as an artist or maker, every single item you create has a little bit of you in it.
It was your creative vision that made it, and your nimble hands that painted the brush strokes, cut that pattern with a scalpel or turned that stone into a pendant.
It was your time you sacrificed away from your friends or family, or mostly in my case Netflix and gym visits, to make that beautiful piece of art.
So when we think about successful people in our niches, we can get a bit….well…..defensive and our self confidence takes a nosedive.
We start to do what we do best, beat ourselves up!
In my Facebook group recently I asked my creative friends what thoughts spring to mind when thinking about their online competition.
The people who are making a full time income from their creative talents and are further along the journey than them.
Here is what they said.
“Looking at online shops that are doing better than me makes me feel totally and utterly worthless”
“I’m not sure who my competition is, there are so many of us doing the same thing which feels pretty much like rubbish if I’m honest.”
“When I think about my competitors, especially those at the top of the tree, I just think ‘Gosh, they are untouchable' and then I wonder how the hell they got there and I’m still here.”