Community over Competition

We live in a world that encourages competition. It is so embedded in our society that not only is it accepted and encouraged, it has become normalized. Sports is a huge part of our American culture. Growing up, I would go over to my grandparents house and it was guaranteed that my grandpa would be watching a football, baseball, or basketball game. I witnessed every year how my family would gather together for Super Bowl Sunday. Their passion would overflow with cheering and yelling at the T.V. screen, and sometimes tears of joy were even shed. For people who play team sports, they live and breathe competition. After all, there needs to be a winning team, right?

But I often wonder, is this kind of competition healthy in the world of art and artisans? Before I answer this question, let’s first dive into the benefits of creating a like minded community.

Finding a community that supports you and your art is something all of us artists want. Being around like minded people that know the struggle and the thrill of our art form is truly a rare and special experience. There is a beautiful camaraderie that happens when artists come together. Conversation flows and creativity is heightened. Everyone seems more excited and the support when someone “sees” a unique composition is truly beautiful. Laughter and the thrill of discovery is shared. Admiration for each other’s art flows, problem solving, and helping each other is prominent.

I honestly wouldn’t have the portfolio that I have today if my friends didn’t hit me up and ask me to wake up in the wee hours of the morning, or to hike a trail late at night in the cold to photograph. Or a friend taking time out of their day to teach me the skill of post processing and the art of printing.

Photo by Brian Hawkins

I remember one of my first adventures in Yosemite was photographing the Moonbow with Brian Hawkins. I had no idea at the time when we met in Cooks meadow, how much of a wonderful person he would be in my life. Our meeting was circumstance. I was having issues with my camera and Brian willingly came over and helped me fix the problem. If it wasn’t for that act of kindness, we would have never had the wonderful experiences that we’ve had over the years photographing in Yosemite and the Sierra. As well as having a strong, meaningful friendship. I now look back fondly on those memories and I am forever grateful for a “stranger” taking the time to help me with my camera. Community truly is beautiful.

As I progress in this art form, something has been staring me square in the face that I feel negatively impacts artist’s lives, competition. A lot of people say competition is healthy as it is one of the foundations of our culture. But is it healthy for artists?

There have been times where I would go photograph with other photographers and sense the energy of competition. I always try my best to ignore it, but sometimes it still affects me in a negative way. Maybe someone is so focused on getting the best shot they don’t realize they are getting in front of other cameras, or trampling delicate foreground. It can cause tension in the group, jealousy might arise, and friendships can start to suffer. I have witnessed photographers getting angry at one another for being in the same location in a public park. I have even seen artists on Instagram fighting publicly and saw the negative impacts it had on their lives. Their businesses suffered, they lost their creative flow, and most importantly, their mental health took a nose dive.

I realize a lot of jobs are intertwined within the artists community, and maybe that is why competition weighs heavily on us. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t create a supportive environment.

For instance, my partner Shawn, has a wedding photography business and he is friends with several other local wedding photographers. They talk and support one another, cheer each other on, and are happy for each other’s business successes. I find that to be refreshing because owning your own business and making it as an artist is so tough. Shawn and his friends know that there are enough weddings to go around for everyone here in the Sierra, and that creating a support system is far more valuable than competition.

So what’s up with the landscape photography world? Why are we letting competition impact our community? I’d much rather be in a supportive environment that elevates everyone than be in a community full of competition. One person said to me that competition is ugly if handled with a poor disregard for others. I find that so true, especially in this day and age where we can easily pick up our phones and witness people going to “cool” places and capturing beautiful images. It is easy for us to get caught up in envy and competition with social media at our fingertips. As I learn more about being human on this earth, I realize all that negativity is not worth my time or energy and it only hurts people in the long run.

Now as we enter into this new year, we should start asking ourselves, is competition truly worth it? With the new A.I. technology that seems to threaten a lot of artist’s jobs, community is more important than ever. Our art form is at risk of being taken over by this new technology and there has never been a more confusing time for artists. That is why building a community is so crucial. The benefits of community far out weigh the benefits of competition because community is what brings us together. It gives us a place to belong. A place for support, camaraderie, and appreciation.