…Does it also destroy personality?
Since the dawn of time, we have all compared ourselves to the other members of our group. To observe others, to mimic behaviour, and to fit in. If we didn’t fit in, we would be cast out, and no one wishes to be expelled from their society.
Comparison is in our genes, ingrained in our everyday actions, and it has always been used as a survival method.
But in a world where everyone’s life is so easily displayed to the whole world, where individuality is celebrated more than ever, are we actually diminishing our personalities by comparing ourselves at all times?
I know it from myself, I know it from friends, I know it from strangers. Comparing oneself to people around, even people on the other side of the planet is inevitable. It happens consciously, subconsciously, purposefully, unintentionally. It is a means of socially and culturally fitting in. So why do we say, that comparison destroys creativity?
Creativity is often connotated with originality, new perspectives, and individualism. It is about being true to yourself and being truly yourself. When we look at art, where creativity plays a central role, we see the artist through the materialised piece. We recognise the individuality and the voice of the artist. And even though we know it is uniquely their voice, I think we somehow always try to see familiarity in the art. We search for something close to home, close to heart. We experience the art and detect the features we can most relate to. We compare.
This is my father
I painted this hankerchief in kindergarten, back when I was not much affected by the world outside my little world, and thus had no tangible comprehension of the term comparison.
Had I been aware, my father would definitely not be wearing a skirt or have had only four straws of hair.
But later, when gifted to my father with the promise of a personal portrait, if I hadn’t utilised my sense, albeit childish, of comparison, this piece of art would not have developed its own personality apart from my father, whom this clearly is not.
Therefore, even though we say that comparison destroys creativity, I think, to some extent, it also inspires creativity in shaping the personality as we discover dissimilarity by comparing.
But looking at the other side of the art, where the artists are constructing their perspective, will the piece they create always be original? Will it always be individual? Even though artists have their own ideas, I believe the world around us will always influence the outcome. Nonetheless, the process of making a piece of art can be disrupted if comparison becomes a source of motivation. It will lead to questioning one’s own work, and, ultimately, might break the chain of creativity that fueled the art fabrication.
But then, if the creativity is blown away, will the design still become? Will it be good? Will it bear the signs and traits of the creator that we recognise it by? Will the comparison eventually lead to a loss, however small or grand, of personality?
I don’t quite know where I am going with this train of thought, but I think my initial idea was that of the destructive potential of comparison. We see this in our globalised world, we see it in our communities, we see it in ourselves.
Contrastingly, if we completely avoided comparison, we would live in a big disarray with no regularity or norms. I’m not saying that everybody should be streamlined and resembling, but we do all find certain guidelines in similarity, and if comparison—to an extent—will help us in finding our own voice within the crowd, I think comparison can actually create personality—from being inspired to shaping an idea of what not to be.
So, maybe comparison has the potential to destroy creativity if misused or misunderstood, but aren’t we all basing some parts of our personality on what we find in others, what we admire in others, what we love in others?
I believe so.
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