How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Jewelry Artists
by Rena Klingenberg. © 2003-Present Rena Klingenberg. All Rights Reserved
I’ve done it, and you probably have too.
I’ve looked at what another jewelry artist was creating or selling – and measured myself against them.
I asked myself (anxiously) – am I “better” or “worse” than they are?
If I decided I was better, I felt a sense of relief and maybe even achievement.
If I felt that I was worse, I wound up with sense of discouragement and not being “good enough”.
But how accurately can we measure ourselves against another jewelry artist?
Each of us has an exquisitely unique set of gifts, talents, and experiences.
Really, no two people in the universe have ever been identical enough to be compared accurately against each other.
A jewelry artist who was
everything I wasn’t
When I first started selling my jewelry, I often wound up participating in the same art shows as a particular jewelry artist who was much more experienced than I was.
Not only had this jewelry artist been making and selling his work for a long time, but he also had an established following and had worked in sales for many years before becoming a jeweler.
He had a natural charisma and was friendly, outgoing and talked easily with customers.
I couldn’t help comparing myself to him – in many ways I was his complete opposite, and I felt I could never measure up to him.
I saw my differences
as shortcomings.
Unlike this other jewelry artist, I was new to making and selling jewelry, and I was extremely shy.
I’m not a talkative person under any circumstances, and at art shows it was very hard for me to start a conversation with people I didn’t know.
And I had absolutely no previous experience with selling anything.
At one gallery show where this particular jewelry artist and I were both participating, one of the ladies who owned the gallery stopped by my table and asked me how things were going.
I told her I’d made several nice sales – but that I felt so awkward compared to the naturally charismatic jeweler who was chatting merrily with people in the next room.
The gallery owner
told me kindly but firmly,
“Rena, there is no comparison. There are just as many customers who prefer your quieter way, as there are customers who prefer his more outgoing way.”
She was absolutely right.
Different customers gravitate to jewelry artists who have different qualities.
Your uniqueness
is one of your strongest advantages.
So I’d been right about never being able to measure up to this other jeweler.
No one could, because we’re all unique.
I decided to stop measuring myself against other jewelry artists, and focus instead on making the most of my own skills, talents, and ways of relating to people.
When you’re being your authentic self,
nobody can compare to you.
And that’s what attracts customers, friends, and great opportunities to you.
Rena Klingenberg
