I don’t enter contests or competitions. Never have. I just don’t believe in them.

Not only are they so subjective (who knows what a panel of judges will think? and who cares?), but I think competitions also have the insidious tendency of making those entering them bend their work toward what they feel other people want to see.

And just as bad, there emerges the equally grim tendency to think of oneself and ones work as being pitted against others.

To “win” the competition, you must win over others. You must win, they must lose.

But this is an ignoble motive to assign your Muse.

Rather, if you wish to live a happy and inspired artistic life, concentrate on achieving something — irrespective of how your work compares with that of others.

Their work should be irrelevant. Admire it if you like. Draw inspiration from the best of it (as you should of the best photographers and artists in your field). Never succumb to envy.

But put your real focus on your own work.

Create your best work with no one else on your mind. And no one else’s work.

Don’t put your attention on ‘winning’ things.

Instead, concentrate on achieving something worth achieving: clarity of vision, excellence in your craft, and inspiration in pursuit of your own art and values.

– Sebastian