My daughter's birthday party came around and her two closest friends attended. As I watched my 14 year old, I realized that she was having a conflict of personalities. What I mean by that is she tends to be a little like who she hangs around with. That is usually the case with young people that age. They are trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be like. When she is with one friend, she talks like her, acts a bit like her. When she is with the other, she is a bit like her too. So being with both at the same time, she tried not to make one or the other feel left out or act more like one or the other. This was a defining moment for both her and me. I am 39 years old and still, I do it too.
When I am with my best friend, I act a tid bit like her, talk like her a bit too. I admire her greatly, love her easy going personality and kind, soft disposition. I wish I were more like that, even though I'm a bit more outgoing and dominant in personality.
This made me think also about many artists that complain continually about others copying their product. We are all inspired by one another and constatly afraid of someone being better than us. We love to be admired, but don't like "looky Lou's". This is an interesting paradox. By that I mean, we love flattery but hate to be immitated. I for one, don't care if someone copies my design. I love making it and am flattered if they want to try out the design for themselves too. But that is me, because, I don't feel threatened that someone else is better than me in making it.
Tony Ford once said that a little competition is healthy. When you are in business, you get a ton of competition. I agree with his point of view on that. It pushes you forward to be better at what you do and do it differently than anyone else. As a web geek, I feel threatened by other social media marketers. Why? I have to admit, I like to be popular, as most of us do. We are afraid our friends will like someone else better. But forget real friends are friends no matter what you do or what you know.
If you find yourself feeling jealous or threatened by someone elses design that is similar to yours, consider this point of view: Imitation is the Greatest Form of Flattery
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