I recently watched Joika a film based on a true story of Joy Womack, one of the first American woman to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet. She goes through the gruelling process of extreme competitiveness, intense pressure and the need for mental resilience in the ballet world where perfection is often strived for. Beneath the pressures, and challenges, is a deep passion for dance. Comparison is inevitable in the art world, in most worlds to be fair, but most prevalent in the art world where perception of what is good is often subjective.
Comparing oneself to others or specific situations often leads to immediate dissatisfaction. When we compare with others it can lead to feelings of inadequacy. However, when we compare with ourselves, and focus on making progress within ourselves, it can be true motivator. There are times where the first can motivate us, when we see someone doing well in a certain area it might give us an extra push to go for what we’ve always wanted to. However, constant comparison can lead us astray from our own path. It makes us focus on others rather than ourselves.
Everyone is walking on their own journey in life, and they face their own challenges behind closed doors. We just don’t get to see those parts, because they tend to lie beneath the tip of the iceberg. Things are not always what they appear, and what looks desirable on the surface may have endured many struggles. Comparing yourself to who you were yesterday, admiring qualities in others that you would also like to adopt and practicing gratitude for what you already have helps in recognising that even through the pursuit of change and grow, you’re already enough.
Art by Trent Gudmundsen
Tien-Jen 