The Thriving Christian Artist
The Thriving Christian Artist
Breaking Free from Comparison Culture
Comparison is perhaps the most pervasive challenge facing artists today, silently eroding confidence and stealing joy from the creative process. This episode tackles this universal struggle head-on, offering both spiritual wisdom and practical strategies to break free from the comparison trap.
Drawing from Galatians 6:4-5, we explore the biblical perspective on comparison and discover a powerful truth: God has custom-designed your artistic journey unlike anyone else's. When we fall into the habit of measuring ourselves against others, we're essentially telling God that His unique design for us isn't enough. This realization alone can be transformative for artists struggling to find their place in a crowded creative landscape.
The comparison cycle is insidious—beginning with a casual scroll through social media and potentially spiraling into creative paralysis or self-doubt. I share my personal struggles with comparison throughout my artistic career and how recognizing these patterns changed everything. You'll learn four practical strategies to overcome comparison: practicing daily gratitude, limiting social media consumption, intentionally celebrating others' successes, and maintaining laser focus on your specific assignment from God.
Ready to transform your creative life by breaking free from comparison? This episode provides the roadmap. Whether you're just beginning your artistic journey or you've been creating for decades, these principles will help you embrace your God-given uniqueness and create with newfound freedom and purpose. Join our Foundations Course if you're ready to go deeper in establishing your artistic identity in Christ and finally experiencing the creative freedom you were designed to enjoy.
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Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the podcast, where we hope you connect with God to bust through the roadblocks that have held you back for years, create the work you love and really live the life you know. God created you to live as an artist in His kingdom. I'm Matt Tama, your host. Let's get started. Well, hey, my friends, super glad that you are here. I'm Matt Tommy, your host, and welcome again to the Thriving Christian Artist. You know, if you have ever found yourself scrolling through Instagram or Facebook or TikTok or another artist's website or whatever, and seeing somebody else's success and being like dang I wish that was me. Or feeling like doggone it I wish that I could feel as confident as they seem, maybe feeling even like you're a little less than I think. Today's episode is really going to speak to your heart, because I want to dive into something that I think every artist wrestles with at some point, and that is comparison, and we're going to take a look not only at how it affects our life, but also what God's word has to say about it, specifically in Galatians 6, 4 through 5, because that verse, and those two verses in particular, I think give us some really powerful keys on how to start overcoming comparison in our life. I don't know about you, but comparison is probably something that I've struggled with my whole life. It's one of those sinister things, I think, that the enemy tries to sow into our life early on. And I don't know about you, but I've realized, in my life at least, it is sneaky right and it kind of seeps in really small and kind of undetected sometimes and then you start looking at other people's work maybe a great painting or a piece of sculpture, or even how their business is going or just the success they're having. Or maybe it seems like, wow, they had a great show and I didn't. Or their online course is just killing it and mine is just barely kind of getting by and before you know it, you're kind of taking the bait and you're spiraling down into this pity party of comparison, feeling like you're not worthy. You're asking yourself questions like well, why are my pieces sounding like that? Or why are my shows that good? Or why don't I have a following like theirs on Instagram? Or maybe I'm just not good enough, maybe this is not God's plan for my life.
Speaker 1:You know, we kind of talked about that a few weeks ago on the podcast of allowing, you know, struggles with our tactics that we're trying to employ, actually bringing doubt to our trajectory. We know that's not a thing that we can get into, but, man, I don't again. The enemy loves to get in and sow that kind of stuff in your life. And here's the deal Comparison always is out to rob you of your peace and your focus and your joy. It wants to remind you of who you're not, not who you are in Christ. And it either ends up because the enemy loves to be on the pendulum right on one extreme, or the other. It either puffs you up so much that you start believing all your own press or it starts tearing you down, telling you that you're not good, you're not good enough. You know this. Enough that enough talented enough, savvy enough, good marketer enough, good artists are enough.
Speaker 1:But listen, neither one of those reflects God's heart for your life and my life as an artist. And again, we know that in our head, right, but when you're in the middle of it, it can seem like those thoughts just pull you down the rabbit hole until all of a sudden you're just in a funk. Listen, I have been in a lot of funks over my life and the only thing that can get you out of a funk and can prevent you from getting in a funk about comparison, is the presence of God and the word of God. Remember God's word is clear, take every thought captive and do what. We got to compare it to the word of God and we've got to allow principles in the word of God and the word of God itself to be the thing that creates the atmosphere, the environment in which we live and in which we think and move and have our being.
Speaker 1:Now listen, galatians 6 is verses 4 and 5. Great, great verses for this. And it says this it says each one should test their own actions. I'm just going to stop right there and say it's a regular part of the Christian life for you to be judging yourself, testing yourself, not in a harsh way, not like you're horrible, I'm judging you, no but just to look realistically at the things that you're doing, the things that you're saying, the way that you're perceiving life. And then it says then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load. Now again, we're not talking about pride outside of our relationship with the Lord, but we're talking about the fact that, hey, we can be confident in who God's created us to be without having to compare ourselves to one another.
Speaker 1:Paul is writing right here, I believe, to believers who are struggling just like we do every day, right With this idea of performance on one side, having to tap, dance for Jesus, perform for everybody else, make everybody think we've got it all together, or judging ourselves too harshly on the other side, thinking that we'll never be qualified. But he gives us this powerful insight right there at the end. It says what Each one should carry their own load. In other words, what Look at your own work, look at your own life, look at your own mindset and carry your own load. In other words, what Stay in your lane, instead of comparing yourself and your work and your process and your results and your business or ministry or what God's called you to do as an artist. I believe God's saying hey, pay attention to what I've entrusted you, because you're the only one that can do what I've created you to do and you're the only one responsible for the things that I've called you to do.
Speaker 1:I can remember so early on, when Cameron was a kid and they were, you know, cameron was always, just like all of us, he was worried about what they were doing and worried about what this person was doing and worried about what they had and worried about what he didn't have. And they would always tell Cameron Cameron, you worry about Cameron, cameron, you mind your own business. Buddy, I think about that verse in Thessalonians, right, that says you know, uh, you know, uh, work with your hands, mind your own business, live a quiet life. Like that is a. That's just a life verse for me. And so you and I are on this, custom designed, custom built, custom paced, if you will journey from the Lord, not only as artists, but also just in our life. He did not make you a copy of anybody else and he didn't intend you to live life the way everybody else is living their life. Why? Because he made you and I to reflect his glory and his beauty and his nature in the earth in a way that nobody else can.
Speaker 1:And when you and I end up comparing ourselves, that is taking the bait of the enemy, believing we're not enough. We're basically saying hey, god, what you gave me is not enough. The calling you gave me is not good enough, not important enough. God, the way that I create is not valid enough for the marketplace, for others, for whatever. And listen, when you test your own actions, when you test your own mindsets, when you look at them clearly under the microscope of the Holy Spirit and God's word, and guess what you can do. You can actually take this joyful pride in the growth that you're experiencing, in the design that God's given you, in the calling that he's placed on your life. I don't know about you, but this is just the major I don't know a major, major, major temptation, and it's a card that the enemy is trying to play all the time in our life. But you just got to keep reminding yourself by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1:Listen, my journey doesn't look like anybody else. The race I'm running, it is at the pace that God's got for me. My art doesn't look like anybody else's. My pace doesn't have to match theirs. My responsibility is to who? To the Lord and to the things that he's called me to. Why? Because God has given me stewardship over the things that he's given me, and so I want to give you a couple of you know three or four, maybe a few more if they come to my mind Practical steps. All right, that will help you to overcome this trap of comparison in your life as an artist.
Speaker 1:And the first one I would say is this practice gratitude each day. Start each day by thanking God for how he's designed you, how he's wired you, the gifts and callings and graces and passions and perspectives that he's put in your life. Thank him for your journey and listen you know, if you've listened to me for very long, I'm a big journaler. I've been doing that for 20 plus years. I've got stacks of journals about the things I've written in them, and so much of what I write about in my journals is not anything profound, it's simply prayers to the Lord and gratitude every day for the things that he's brought in my life. Listen, when you write things down, they not only become real, they become revelatory, I think in our life they allow us to realize, hey, things aren't as bad as they seem. I do have a lot to be thankful for. And they allow us to go back and review the things that God has done in our life. All right.
Speaker 1:Number two and we've talked about this a lot I think I even did a whole month on this in our mentoring program last year about building your business, you know, without social media. But I would say, number two, you know. Number one practice gratitude. Number two limit the scroll. Limit how much time you're spending on social media. Because, again, how much time you are spending on social media? Because, again, we know this right, social media is designed by its very nature to be addictive. It is, by its very nature, a comparison trap.
Speaker 1:And so, listen, set time, don't allow yourself to just be going there as the default. All right, yeah, follow people that inspire you, but you know, if you're finding yourself that, that you're getting intimidated, or if you're just getting, you know, pressed down on every side by this comparison thing, curate your feed, unfollow some people. Choose the amount of time and the things that you to set boundaries in your life so that social media is not something that's driving you but it's really, you know, being a life-giving place in your life and you're the only person that can make the decision to do that. All right, number three I think this is always a good idea, but it just kind of builds into this thing of breaking comparison over your life. Choose to intentionally celebrate others Instead of really shrinking back. You know, when somebody else succeeds, celebrate them, post about them, comment on the good things that are happening in your friend's life. It's just like I've said for years you know, if you need money in your life or you're struggling with finances, what do you do? Sow right. If you're struggling with comparison, what do you do? Celebrate somebody else. It's just this sort of kingdom principle of coming in the opposite spirit. When the enemy is trying to put comparison on you, you go out of your way to celebrate others and say Lord, by doing this, I'm intentionally breaking the back of the enemy over this thing and I'm declaring that I am not bound by comparison. I am informed by your grace and my identity in you, not in feeling less than as I compare myself to these other persons. All right.
Speaker 1:Last thing I would say is this focus on your assignment. If you're a subscriber to our weekly Thriving Christian Artist newsletter, you know that I talk every week about the core four, right? What are the core four? Connect with God, clarify your intentions for the day and for the week. Create daily and cultivate relationships with fans and followers, clients and partners. Those four things will help you stay focused in what God's called you to do and listen.
Speaker 1:In that clarify part, you just got to ask the Lord every day. God, what is it today that you've got me to focus on? How am I building my business? How am I sharing my work? How am I connecting with you? How am I, you know, creating and putting that work out in the world for you to use it for your glory? Listen, when you do that, and you and you, you know, do that with excellence and let peace guide you, let the Holy Spirit guide you. You won't have time to be comparing yourself to others. So, friend, listen.
Speaker 1:I want to pray for you today as we close, because I know, just like me, this is a big, big issue that we're always struggling with in our life. But here's the deal you don't have to struggle with it to the point where it controls you in your life. You can realize it's coming at you and you can use healthy strategies that I'm teaching you right here in order to create a life that is not built on comparison, but it's built on your identity in Christ. So, jesus, I thank you right now for the uniqueness, the unique design, the unique assignment, the unique creative voice, god perspectives that you've placed in each one of us and, god, I pray by the Holy Spirit that you would help us to fix our eyes not on everybody else, not on what everybody else is doing, not on the lies and the temptations of the enemy, but on you, the author and the perfecter of our faith. Lord, we repent right now for times that we've let comparison steal our joy and steal our calling and steal the confidence that you've designed for us. In Christ, lord, I pray again by your Holy Spirit, god, that you would restore godly confidence in us right now and give us the ability to walk in your peace and steward, lord, what you have given us to steward. Give us the ability to walk in your peace and steward, lord, what you have given us to steward, god, we want to walk faithfully and joyfully and confidently and authentically in all that you've called us to, and we thank you that, by your Holy Spirit, we can do that. In Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 1:Hey, friend, listen, if this episode has spoken to you and you can really feel like the Lord is saying hey, I want to deal with this thing about comparison in your life. I want to really encourage you to take a next, really, really powerful step, and it's called our Foundations Course. You may have heard me talk about it, but listen. It is designed specifically to help you overcome root issues behind things like comparison and help you learn to walk confidently in your identity in Christ, discover your God-given uniqueness and start creating and living from a place of freedom and peace and purpose. Inside the course, we give you step-by-step guidance, encouragement every day, practical tools to help you lay a strong foundation in your life and in your art and in your spiritual life. So, listen, if you're tired of second guessing yourself all the time or constantly feel like you don't measure up, I promise you this course is for you. You can go to the link that's right here inside the podcast notes and you can become a part of Foundations Today. Join hundreds of artists from all around the world in just about every creative medium who are experiencing freedom and new life in Christ as a part of the Foundations course.
Speaker 1:All right, I love you, my friend. Thanks again for being here on the podcast with me and remember until next time you were created to thrive. Bye. Hey, thanks so much for spending a few minutes with me today on the podcast. Listen. I hope it's been a huge encouragement to you on your journey as an artist. Hey, also, before you leave, make sure to hit the subscribe button so you don't miss any of the other episodes of the Thriving Christian Artist podcast, and also be sure to connect with me on Facebook, Instagram or at my website, which is matttommymentoringcom. Until next time, remember you were created to thrive. Bye-bye.