Every artist I know experiences moments of comparison. Sometimes, when we are standing in front of our own work, feeling proud, we glance at someone else’s brilliance and feel that small internal shift. A thought slips in. Why didn’t I think of that? 

Then there are the other corners of life. Why don’t I look like her? Does she look skinnier than me? Do I look older than her? Comparison is part of being human. It comes with living in a world where we are constantly surrounded by talent, beauty, and creativity.

Putting myself in a position where I am being compared to 11 other amazing artists was something that I had to think very carefully about. I had to spend time recognizing that competition is comparison. 

But comparison is not the same as self-doubt. 

I do not walk through the world wondering whether I can do the things I set out to do. When I commit to something, whether it is painting, traveling alone, or stepping into unfamiliar territory, I trust my ability to navigate it. That trust has been built over years of saying yes to experiences that stretched me. The flicker of comparison feels different. It is more like the weather. It passes through. A passing cloud does not change the landscape beneath it.

There are moments when I look at another artist’s work and admire it so deeply that I wish I had painted it myself. There are moments when I notice someone’s beauty and briefly wish I carried that same ease. But I do not wish to be someone else. I would not trade being me for anything. Over time, I have learned that comparison only becomes a problem when we let it change how we see ourselves.

Someone else’s strength does not diminish our own.

Another artist’s brilliance does not erase my voice. There is room for all of us. And perhaps even more importantly, there is only one vantage point from which my paintings can be made. Mine.

I am not interested in being the best artist in the room. But I do want to be true to myself. I want to walk away from every situation knowing that I am my truest self.  The truth is, comparison may always appear from time to time. It is part of being awake in a world full of talent and beauty. But it no longer has authority. It passes through. And I remain.