Stop being a hater and embrace community over competition.
I have worked hard to support artists after realizing I was once an art hater. There are loads of haters out there. I’m embarrassed to say that I was one of them when I was in my undergrad art classes. It’s easy to hate on other artists or art forms. It even feels good sometimes.
When I was in art school, I was insecure and wanted success. Anytime I would see an artist get a better grade on a project I know they didn’t work all that hard on, I’d go into defense mode. “They aren’t even that good,” I’d think.
I had no idea at the time that I was actually doing myself a disservice by being a turd. Luckily, once I got out of school, I shifted my perspective, worked on my insecurities, and stopped being a hater. It feels so much better to support other artists. It’s also beneficial for your career if you choose to become a professional artist.
Here are 6 reasons why you should support other artists too:
1. There are enough opportunities for all of us to succeed.
Western culture appreciates “the best” or “the top” people in a field. Whether it’s grades in school, beauty, athleticism, art skills, or any other competitive system you’ve been forced into, we’ve been programmed to think there is someone who is the best, and the rest of us suck. The system says if you are at the top, you should feel good and get all the success. If not, your art is bad and you should feel bad.
Well, I’m here to tell you that this system is bullsh*t and you don’t need to participate in it to succeed. You don’t need to be the “best” at art to be successful. You don’t need to occupy the #1 spot, because there isn’t just one #1 spot. There’s room for a bunch of us to occupy the same space. Therefore, you don’t need to prevent other artists from being #1 in your head by being a hater.
If there is an artist out there who is trying to do what you do and is doing it better, that doesn’t mean you can’t be successful and that you should dislike them. Another person’s success is not your failure. It will not hurt you or hinder your dreams to support another creator. You should actually befriend those people, because:
2. We can learn from other artists. Especially the ones who are doing what we dream of.
If you spend your time hating on other creators, you are missing out on learning opportunities to get better at what you do. I’m sure there are people who have seen my work on Instagram and thought “Pffft, I could do that better. I deserve those followers more than she does,” and then they kept scrolling, completely missing out on all of the content I put online to help other artists grow.
If you see an artist killin’ it, your first instinct should be to dissect everything they do and learn from them. Don’t let your ego kick in and tell you that artist isn’t actually all that good and that their success is a fluke.
3. The arts community is frickin’ awesome when you embrace it.
There are quite a few artists I’ve connected with online who have formed a tight-knit support system for each other. Did your resin dry funny or maybe a rando insulted your very core as an artist on one of your posts? Did you do a show and fail to sell a single thing? We’ve all been there, and when other artists have your back in these situations it feels amazing.
Start a group chat with other artists. Share the good. Share the bad. Support each other. These artist relationships can save us from our inner and outer critics, and encourage us to keep creating.
Plus, nobody quite understands the struggles of being an artist like another artist.
4. Kindness and generosity multiply.
It’s good to be kind and generous for the sake of being kind and generous, BUT it’s also good to be kind and generous because it cultivates a community around you of like-minded people who often return the favor. Just the same as being an a**hole builds a community of a**holes around you.
When you stop being a hater and start forming relationships with artists, more opportunities are presented to you. Be the energy you want to have in your life. The person you present to the world is a beacon that shines bright and calls to the other people with the same energy.
5. We give each other business.
Ever have someone ask for something really outside of your style for a commission? Rather than torturing yourself to change everything you do to make a little money, send that customer to the artist you know who already does it naturally.
I’ve referred multiple potential customers to other creatives in my life that are naturally a better fit for a project. I’ve also had other artists send opportunities my way like local events, calls for art, commissions, interviews, social campaigns, and much more. If I were mean to other artists, do you really think they’d want to give me business? Probably not.
6. Your art and your brand will always be unique.
Lastly, and probably most importantly: There isn’t a single artist out there who actually poses a threat to your business, because nobody can be what you are. Artists create work that are extensions of themselves. When you build your brand as an artist, you aren’t just offering a product. You are offering a piece of yourself. So unless you have an identical personality clone out there who also makes the same exact art, you really don’t have competition in your field.
Your audience can pick up on the nuances between your brand and another artist. You may think you’re selling art, but you’re selling yourself. And you my friend have something unique that others can’t replicate. Embrace your story and only ever be in competition with yourself.
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Don’t be a hater. Be kind and generous. Share opportunities. Support your fellow artists. I promise you, it’s much more fulfilling than the alternative. And if you ever want help in figuring out exactly what your brand is as an artist, check out my consulting services.
So, did I convince you to embrace community over competition?
Please leave questions and comments below while commenting is open or reach out to me directly through Instagram or email. I’d love to hear from you! Make sure to sign up for my email list below to never miss a blog post.
-Kelly
P.S. You probably know by now that I am here to help artists with these posts. If you need help with your online branding, Instagram account, or just want a creative accountability coach, then check out my consulting services. You can easily add a session to my online calendar now.
I love this …it feels very reassuring to me. It also makes me think of something negative that happened when I tried to connect with another artist that still leaves a bad taste.
7 years ago when I was trying to set out as a new art brand and all shiny faced and excited, I met with a similar artist in my town to have an “art chat”. It turned out extremely different than I expected. She talked for four hours straight at how difficult and depressing her art journey was and all the work she’d put in had not contributed to any success. It was a horribly draining and discouraging for me and I never spoke with her again.
Fast forward to now, and she went in a very different direction with her style and is extremely successful in her career now, and even offers coaching to artists.
I avoid her instagram because of all those bad memories and her bad attitude and it bothers me that it bothers me so much! I don’t personally like her current style so I probably wouldn’t follow her art anyway, but I wish it didn’t give me an emotional response like that. I do admit I still feel a little bitter towards her spewing all her negativity on me back then and wish she knew how she had affected me all those years ago.
ugh, girl I’ve been there! I have the same type of negative memories with another artist I met …wow 7 years ago! The conversations I had with her left me feeling so frustrated, because our personalities were very different. I know I say it’s important to support other artists, but it’s okay not to personally like that artist while doing so. The bitterness and emotional reactions will fade with time. She was a lesson and a good example of what happens when we let ourselves dwell on our shortcomings. I’m glad she has found success now, and I hope she is more mindful of how her energy affects others–especially in her coaching sessions.
This was so nice to read and refreshing. I found myself in that same funk with some local artists I was around. I’m not originally from this town or state and I saw a trend that definitely favored the artists “from” here. I’m sure I’d get much better reception in my hometown too. But it was eating me a lil bit, not gonna lie. I definitely was closed off and saw them as the “haters” Bc I just wanted to connect to the art scence. I’m actually humbled to call myself an artist. But all of the resentment and negativity was leaving me feeling weaker than I knew I was. I actually had a message and it was getting muffled because I was so concerned on being “let in.”
At some point I changed my focus and decided that I was just gonna do my own art and someone will love it as much as I do and they’ll be my audience and it will be great!
I feel lighter and much more inspired, they’re not my competition they’re my peers. Thanks for putting this all together and doing what you’re doing. I’m sure you hear it a lot, but it’s inspiring. ✌
It’s hard to change your perspective when you find yourself in that funk, but that’s really awesome that you were able to focus on creating the art you love. This is where artists really flourish. Keep doing you.
And thank you for enjoying the content I put out there. I really appreciate the support <3