Don't make this mistake as a creator!

🚀 Creator Journey 08

Hey,

When I started making videos, one thing was completely holding me back.

It wasn’t my camera or the lack of ideas. Nor was it my editing software. It wasn’t my limited skillset.

Looking back, I’ve wasted months of my life because of this:

Comparing myself to others.

You often hear people say “comparison is the thief of joy”.

However, it’s not quite as simple as that. Let’s break it down.

The Dunning-Kruger effect

When we start as creators, everything we make feels INCREDIBLE. 

You feel like you are the best in the game. Even though you don’t have much experience, your confidence level is at an all-time high. 🚀

This is called the “Dunning-Kruger effect”.

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias where individuals with little knowledge overestimate, while those with a developed skillset tend to underestimate their own competence in a particular area. 

In other words, people who are unskilled or simply inexperienced at something are often unable to recognise their own limitations. This can lead to overconfidence and a lack of self-awareness.

Illustration: 忍者猫, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

This effect is named after psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger, who first identified and described the phenomenon in a 1999 paper. 

The researchers conducted a series of experiments that demonstrated the difference in self-assessment of people with low ability and high ability in tasks such as humour, logic, and grammar.

Important here is the Valley of Despair. At that point, you’ve already acquired some knowledge and skills. However, your level of confidence suddenly dips drastically.

That’s right where comparison usually takes place.

 

How I wasted months of my life

After reaching the Peak of “Mount Stupid”, I soon realised that my work might not be as good as I thought.

Suddenly, I knew nothing.

The reason for that drastic change was unhealthy comparison. 

I became so obsessed with filmmaking and the idea of making the best videos that I wanted to learn more about my craft. Naturally, I went to YouTube and started watching videos from the top creators. Daniel Schiffer, Peter McKinnon, Sam Kolder – you name it. 

Obviously, those channels share an immense amount of value. It felt like I was advancing rapidly at my craft. 💪

I wasn’t. 

The truth is, I was watching hours and hours of videos on end. This seemed like learning but it wasn't. Day after day, I got into the habit of consuming more and more content – slowly drifting away from reality. I didn’t put my acquired knowledge into practice.

Once I finally created a new piece of content, an uncomfortable feeling of despair hit me. That video wasn’t any good.

At least, that’s what I thought. In reality, it wasn’t actually that bad. However, I’ve subconsciously adjusted to the standard of quality of the videos that I was watching. 

Obviously, my video was not as good as those made by creators with YEARS of experience. But that’s to be expected, right? 🤷‍♂️

No matter what I created, I was always unhappy with the results. I got so deep into that constant state of dissatisfaction that I basically stopped making videos entirely. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Eventually, I had not created anything in almost half a year.

Back then, I was calling it a creative rut. But that’s not the truth. In hindsight, it was an active choice to stay in my comfort zone. Thereby I avoided the feeling of dissatisfaction. Imagine what I could have done with all that wasted time of unhappiness.

The dilemma of comparison

Controversially, comparison can actually be a good thing. To some extent, it’s even necessary.

As a new creator, it is natural to look up to other successful creators in your field and aspire to achieve the same level of success.

While too much comparison can lead to feelings of self-doubt, anxiety, and discouragement, identifying areas for improvement by bringing in the work of others is an essential part of your journey.

That’s how comparison can be useful and motivating, as it can help you set goals and learn from others who have already made mistakes.

Simply put, comparison is required yet harmful. 🤯

So, how do we best deal with this weird thing named comparison?

How to compare yourself (the right way)

Now, I could just bring up some generic advice such as “focus on your own strengths and values” or “create content that is authentic and meaningful to you”. 

I think that’s bullsh*t.

Here is what I’d suggest instead:

Always create more than you consume.

When you watch a video, try to recreate it or implement what you’ve just learned right away. The total time spent creating has to be more than the time spent consuming content. 

This simple rule has the potential to (almost) get rid of the trap of comparison. Since it’s impossible to avoid it completely, you have to learn to use comparison to your advantage. 💡

The secret is to compare yourself not to others – but to yourself. 

Look at something you created three months ago. Compare it to your most recent piece of work. I can guarantee you that there will be a HUGE difference in quality. 

That’s the power of steady progress. 

Learning to use comparison to your advantage will set you apart from other people in your field. Always look back and remember where you started. You’ve already come a long way. 🤝

– Leo

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Weekly Favs ⚡️ 

Tools, content and other things I’ve enjoyed over the week.

⌨️ Keyboard – Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID

I think I’ve finally found the perfect keyboard for me. Since I’m not a big fan of mechanical keyboards, I love the key travel on this one. Also, Touch ID is really helpful (but only works on Macs with Apple Silicon).

🎬 Video – Organizing my Drawer with 3D Printing

– By Scott Yu-Jan

Customising your drawer is such a great idea. I will try to implement something similar in my own studio space. Time to go down the rabbit hole of 3D printing, I guess.

📱 App – Todoist

Todoist is my new favourite app for managing tasks. I recently mentioned my search for the perfect to-do app in this email. After testing 12 different apps, this is the one I landed on for now. I especially love its simple task creation.

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Any thoughts, questions or feedback? I’d love to hear from you! ✍️

👋 See you next week!