Artists and the like: Why don’t we support each other on our way up?

This bothers me. I am no different. I look at a friend’s artwork on Facebook and won’t even click ‘like’. She’s talented. She’s really good, in fact. I like the painting, I genuinely do… But I won’t click ‘like’. I like everyone’s bullshit updates all the time, but why not hers? I have no difficulty admitting she’s good. I have no qualms saying I am probably a little jealous of her in some ways, even though I am not an artist, definitely not a painting one, so it is not a direct competition, at least.

I know exactly what she needs in order to feel supported, because I am right there with her, in the same position with my stuff. Nobody likes my posts, either – she gets more attention than me, in fact, but probably not nearly as much as she deserves.

Am I just jealous? I can sing the praises of other people with no trouble whatsoever, but why not her? Because she’s still struggling to make it, just like I am? Are we simply frogs drowning in deep milk trying to get a foot on each other, even though we are not in direct competition? I am profoundly irritated by her, although I like her. I’ve always liked her. When she was still a singer, I adored her – which is weird because I feel like I could have made a career out of singing, but simply… Flunked, and she’s an awesome singer, too. Loved her singing. Truly. I wasn’t jealous at all, even though she wasn’t doing anything different to now.

My attitude, perhaps, has changed. Perhaps it’s my own ambition?

My irritation just diminished. “I am jealous of YOUR True Emotion Mirror. We ARE in direct competition,” she says in my head. “You know who I am talking about.” And yes, I do. He wasn’t an issue before. Neither one of us had even heard of him then. So the energy was: “Don’t help me because I wouldn’t help you if roles were reversed.” In fact, she’s one of the people who is actively holding me down because of who I am in love with.

It is not at all unusual for people who know each other to be in love with the same people, of course, even if you had never met the objects of your affections – soulmates sense each other and people connected to them, anyway.

I’ve always felt held back. I wonder if the reason for it is because everyone knows I won’t stop myself for false loyalty toward another woman?

Subscribe to get a Daily Message