Do artists have frenemy tendencies?

[Dju]

((Sorry mods if I posted this in the wrong place, feel free to move it! Sorry again for the inconvenience! )


Okay, so...how do I start? XD Every time I meet someone in real life that is a good artist, around same age as me, I can't help but feel an itchy, stingy feeling inside...I can't help but feel competitive even if it's the most lovely person in the world, and it's as if a rivalry is automatically Born, but a friendship too.



We share information, we help each other, but it really feels like we're holding a dagger behind our backs and none of us are afraid to let that clear.

Same goes for people that play guitar on my school, they bring their instruments and do some competitions, the fury in their eyes is kinda scary but on the end everyone is having fun playing a song, same goes for artists, all doing a picture...
It happened several times in my life, and it's a bit worrying. Sometimes I wonder if it's me who is the competitive, obsessed one, or maybe all of people involved, or maybe it's something natural? Do artists (musicians, writers and etc.) have this pre-existing rivalry that forms the classic 'frenemies' even if they are good friends? I thought it'd be an interesting discussion!

[Tiger]

((Apologies for potential rambling/awkwardness/general derpiness in this post. I'm a bit tired XP))

I think people, not career paths, have frenemies =P It's probably more noticeable in the creative arts because there aren't so many unsubjective facts to deal with (as there would be between, say, psychologists, though I don't doubt there are psychologists with frenemies); what's "better" or "right" isn't very clearly defined, so everyone has a chance, so more people will compete. And then of course, there're places like orchestra and band, where your skill can be judged by what chair you're in, or what division of the band/orchestra (concert vs. symphony, wind ensemble vs. concert band, etc).

But I don't think I've ever made frenemies - that might just be me, because I tend to either like or dislike someone, but, I have several friends who are very good writers, and I definitely don't feel like I have to compete with them. Only one friend and I have ever competed, during last year's NaNo, and that was actually more to help motivate each other than to see who reached 50K first =P

It might just be that you and a lot of the artists you've met are naturally competitive. There's nothing wrong with that, necessarily; you'll always have a lot of drive And I think it's interesting that you can make friends with people you feel like you're competing with. Might just be the Taurus in me, but I don't know if I'd be able to do that very well XD

[Komori]

Sure, I always feel sort of competitive around peer artists with excellent talent. But that sort of jealousness helps drive you to become a better artist. I guess it's something you really get used to in an art college where every person you talk to for the next four years is an artist, usually more talented than yourself. XD

But yeah, it's not necessarily a bad thing. :3 It's okay to be competitive. As long as the both of you are striving to be awesome, you'll both wind up better artists.

[Gav]

I think it applies to a lot of similiar... groups? Hobbyists? I have no idea. XD It's just that artists find it much faster to compare their work to another artist as opposed to, say, writers or poets or musicians, so it's probably more easy to see that happening with artists.

For instance, in an art gallery you can in one go glance at a good five or six paintings and decide which one you want to take a closer look at. You can't really do that with words or songs. XD

Well, that's my take on it. You'd find the same thing almost anywhere I think (just look at all the TV shows out there, like Hell's Kitchen).

[Zieloh]

I agree with Komori that a little bit of jealousy or competitiveness helps you become a better artist. After all, if you were the best artist in the universe and everyone swooned at your art and there was no one better than you, you would have no reason to become better. Nothing is better than the best.

I get that too a little myself actually, and I believe its just natural. All humans are competitive in some kind of way, some just less than others. Especially if you're a gamer or are sporty, as gamers and sporty people tend to be naturally competitive. (and its easy to see why )

[PFA]

I don't know if I'd go so far as to say "frenemies," but I think a little bit of competitiveness is natural. I mean, you see artists saying their art sucks and that some other artist is way better than them all the time. XD; (Heck, I feel that way whenever I see people drawing realistic anime and such.) Though as others have said, how competitive you are varies from person to person, so there's that factor, too.