Some thoughts about art

I always liked to draw since I was a kid, and I always tried to have a positive outlook on art and creativity. Of course, I am not a professional artist, I don't have experience with the Personal Relations aspects of this craft, and I don't want to sound like I know so much about something I know very little about.

A couple days ago, I had an enjoyable talk with another artist on Bluesky, about how people are reminded of other works when engaging with yours.

I largely think it's okay to be compared to other artists. Viewers come from other walks of life and have vastly different experiences. Perhaps their opinion can help you, the artist, to meet like-minded artists. To recognize that your art pieces aren't newfangled creations is, I believe, an important step to being an artist.

It's good to keep in mind that most people looking at your art aren't artistically inclined, and their lack of artistic vocabulary can lead to such comparisons. But in my experience, those are seldom made in bad faith, and thus, it requires the artist to filter and comprehend what they meant.

To be greatly offended by this is to insulate yourself from potential appreciators.

I think a lot of artists become upset because they constantly seek for ways to be fully original. The environment encourages and rewards things that have a certain novel quality to it. But I believe that's a toxic way to approach art. It's very easy to find yourself creating things that are engineered just for that purpose, instead of embracing your own experiences.

No creative work is completely new; and no art is objectively perfect. Therefore, no art is exempt from being compared to other's art. I get why some people dislike it, but your art resembling someone else's is not equal to lack of creativity. It's all part of the creative process.

You create the art, but others see it and opine on it. And that's completely normal.

However, on other side, I can understand why artists become frustrated with it. Perhaps past experiences can sour this kind of interaction, or being constantly compared can be a source of anxiety.

At the very least, I still think that under a certain amount, comparisons aren't inherently bad, but the moment the comments become weird or insinuating, then that's time to assert yourself and stand your ground.