It is the nature of a thing that matters. Not its form.
If ever there were words I would want tattooed on my skin, those just might be the ones. Especially when you imagine them carved in Viking runes and being spoken by Christopher Judge.
That quote has been on my mind a lot lately, mostly since I fell off my exercise regime. Yes, it’s true, I failed the 60 day challenge; I stuck with it for a full 37 days, which is more than I’ve managed in the past when it comes to workout schedules. There were a number of contributing factors (space, time, energy, a few other things that aren’t Infinity Stones…), so perhaps next month I’ll give it another try, or at least when we eventually have our new home and I’m not tripping over all sorts of stuff while trying to do jumping squats.
But as far as that initial quote goes, it helped to remind me that just because I didn’t finish the workout challenge, I shouldn’t think any less of myself. Putting myself down for such a thing isn’t going to inspire me to do any better next time; if anything, it would prevent there from ever being a next time. It’s a lesson I’ve constantly had to relearn for several years, especially when it comes to the art world.
One of the big things that they tell you when entering the artist community, is that you should never compare yourself to others, nor should you compare others to anyone else. Every piece of art should be allowed to speak for itself; sure, you can have preferences, but comparing two artists of professional skill and trying to define one as “better” is an exercise in futility. Different artists have different strengths, use different techniques, tell different stories, and they should be judged for what they do well, not what they do in comparison to others. Even if by all definitions one artist is better than another, that should not invalidate anything the other does, and they should be recognised for their own accomplishments.
Note: I’m not saying that bad artists don’t exist, because they certainly do. If an artist is bad, you don’t need to directly compare them to anyone to recognise that; this also doesn’t preclude them from improving their craft in the future, so be nice either way.
The thought of comparison came up when I was reading a review done by a friend of mine who specialises in movies and TV; as an independent filmmaker, he knows his stuff and I respect his opinions on things. However, he mentioned the performance of an actor that did not live up to the portrayal of the same character, by another actor who passed many years ago, and that got me thinking. I felt like saying that the phrase “Actor X is okay, but they’re not Actor Y”, is a completely pointless statement, especially if Actor Y is dead. Actor X is up there, doing their own thing, working under a different director, different script, different interpretation; trying to compare them to Actor Y is useless, because if Actor X tried to do the same thing as Actor Y, it would be a poor imitation at best, and completely out of place with the tone at worst. If the director had wanted Actor Y, they would have got them; if Actor Y is dead, then they can’t get them anyway, so there’s no point in pining for them. Again, there’s nothing wrong with preferring Actor Y, that’s called having an opinion which is everyone’s right, but Actor X shouldn’t be compared to Actor Y just because they’re doing something different, especially if their own performance still fits the role as intended.
So bringing this back to the initial quote once again, when I take stock of myself, what do I see? A mediocre artist? An unfit slob? An underpaid wage slave in a dead-end job that I hate? Maybe I can be described as all these things, but that’s only the form that can be seen and judged, stuff that can be compared to other people. But the nature of all these traits is something far different; I am growing as an artist, I’m still working towards habits to boost my physical health, and I’m earning what money I can to keep my head above water until my situation gets better. It doesn’t matter what my skill, or my physique, or my lifestyle are like; none of those define who I am. I can always work to improve these aspects of myself, but until they do improve, I am worth no less than the person I will be once they do. In the meantime, I’m still as worthy as anyone else; I just need to remind myself of that every now and then.
Ciao for now.