![\"Malika](\"http:\/\/www.pikaland.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/malika.jpg\")
<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nShe was a smart student, and this concern of hers was something I\u2019ve encountered more than once. I promptly told her to stop and think for a moment and gave my reasons why. The post was deleted a while later, but I kept thinking about it. I was unsettled.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy to watch other people\u2019s success and then whinge about your lack of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s not as good as me, but why is she getting all the publicity?\u201d<\/em> It\u2019s one thing to whine about how other people may be successful, but it\u2019s another to assume that they managed it under suspicious circumstances. \u201cOh, they must know someone\u201d, or \u201cI think they must have gotten the gig in return for another favour [sic]*\u201d<\/p>\n That, is not cool at all. Unless it\u2019s true. However, if it is, then it\u2019s now gossiping instead of being judgemental \u2013\u00a0both of which won\u2019t do you much good in the long run anyway.<\/p>\n \u201cThe famous ones know more people.\u201d<\/strong> It\u2019s easy to complain about how well others have it, and while sometimes a good rant is just that \u2013\u00a0it would be much more constructive if you\u2019d ask<\/strong> them how they got to where they were instead. Yes. The good old asking-a-question trick. Heck, it\u2019s not even a trick, really. Not if it’s done\u00a0without malice and snark, and politely with a dose of old fashioned curiosity. Their answer might really surprise you. Underneath it all, artists are people too \u2013\u00a0and yes, that goes to those who are successful as well. From what I know, the ones who are successful have great tips, stories and advice to share, that it would be such a waste to let one\u2019s ego get in the way of finding out what really happened along their journey.<\/p>\n But what if someone by a stroke of luck has a great network care of their parents\/relatives\/friends\/school? It happens, and while that may leave others seething with jealousy; remember that the artist also needs to make it work. Maybe they\u2019re embarrassed about it. Or maybe they\u2019d prefer not to have the leg up, but circumstances made it hard to say no. Maybe they don\u2019t deserve it. Maybe they do. There\u2019s all sorts of reasons, many of them have nothing to do with you. And so, let\u2019s not begrudge others for their good luck \u2013\u00a0rather, it would be more fruitful to engineer some luck of your own.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m better than he\/she is.\u201d<\/strong> If you believe all the work you do is great, how else would you learn? If everything you created was a work of art (critics be damned), how would you know the good from bad? As a student, where does it end? A healthy ego is necessary to be a great artist, but to have an inflated one from the onset does not bode well for you \u2013 it gets in the way of learning (which should never end even if you\u2019re successful) and it also gets in the way of getting to know more people (because you might end up being a jerk who thinks he\u2019s right all the time).<\/p>\n So what can you do?<\/strong> Rinse and repeat.<\/p>\n Try it and see for yourself. Not everyone made it through having connections. Most of the time they\u2019ve worked really hard and worked smart by reaching out to people who in turn helped them. There\u2019s a lot of things that could have happened in between that\u2019s compounded by luck and timing too.<\/p>\n So in short \u2013 the road to success looks something\u00a0like this (mind you, this is very simplified):<\/p>\n Thoughts? Share them with me in the comments! And if you want to read what 39 other artists have to say about experiencing jealousy\/envy, here’s a free download of the PDF copy of issue #6 of the Good to Know project!<\/a>
\n \u201cHis grades were lower than mine when we were at school but he\u2019s showing at a gallery now?\u201d<\/em>
\n \u201cThat group\u2019s stuff is just so-so, but why are so many people flocking to their stall?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\nWhile not all of your assumptions are wrong, thinking along this line of thought is destructive and quite frankly, mean. My retort to those who bemoan how well-connected successful artists is my usual: \u201cSo, what have you been doing to know more people?\u201d That usually just ends with them stammering about how they lack family connections that would lead them up the higher rung of the social ladder, blah, blah, blah.\u00a0Because, you know \u2013\u00a0there’s no way they could have gotten there on their own.<\/p>\n
\nIf you believe your work is great and that you\u2019re an undiscovered genius \u2013\u00a0good for you. Anyone can call (or think of) themselves as the greatest talents to ever walk the earth. However, what other people think of you might very well be otherwise. Now I\u2019m not saying that you shouldn\u2019t believe in yourself; on the contrary. Being a genius (or any other compliments for that matter) is something that others bestow onto you; which would make it undoubtedly more meaningful. Sort of like how giving yourself a trophy is kind of sad.<\/p>\n
\nFear not \u2013 to rid you of your judgemental and egotistical streak (hey, it happens to the best of us!) I have a 7-step program that I recommend heartily. Doing the below will significantly up your goodwill karma and results can show in as little as a month or it might take as long as 5 years for great results. Mileage will vary according to how hard you work:<\/p>\n\n
(talent x hard work)a<\/sup> + (luck + timing)b<\/sup> + helpc<\/sup> = successx<\/sup><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Note:<\/strong> With all of the above, the variation of success is subjective, and is wholly dependent\u00a0on the effort put in (a) & (c) and factors beyond our control\u00a0(b) in the equation.<\/h6>\n