Ask Adam Savage: A Caution Against the 'Comparing Mind'

Tested member End of the Trail Outdoors & Arts asked Adam, "You always seem to have a game plan of the exact material you are going to use before you begin [a build]. Is this part of your pre planning or does this come natural to you from years of experience working with different materials?" Here's Adam's answer, which turns philosophical (as Adam's answers often do). Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam a question:

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[danvercillo]

Came for the random question, left with creative therapy and a calm mind.

[justinlynn]

I sincerely wish someone I respected and looked up to would've told me this when I was younger just as eloquently and concisely as you have just now. I've just shared this with the team I'm working with - many of whom are just out of university and very much needed to hear it. Thank you, Adam.

[rcjbvermilion]

I knew someone who once said "Don't compare your back yard to everyone else's front yard".

It's a difficult lesson to learn.

[LordHenryVonHenry]

There's something great about just listening to Adam talking about something he has a perspective on.

[markcrummett]

It's a little appreciated fact that 80% of the creative process is spent staring at the work.

[joevalencic]

I’m blessed to be retired, 70, and in good health. As a self employed handyman most of my working life, I was frequently compared to husbands, fathers, brothers, etc.., who could not do the things I did/do, nor at the speed at which I did them. I never denigrated anyone who didn’t have the gifts I was blessed with, and tried to always keep from coveting the gifts of others. We all come from different places and with different skills and gifts.

[ryansmiley]

Accidentally catches block on his shoulder.. that's how talented he is.

[jendagel]

“ Your experience is the only one you have access to.” What wonderfully profound words!🙂

[JoseEncarnacao]

The more yourself you are, the less competition you have.
- Bill Hicks
I haven't found the quote, but it's inspiring. Thanks for sharing that Adam. Cheers from Portugal.

[MasonWiseman]

Great advice. "Comparison is the thief of joy." is a quote I always try to keep in mind for this type of thing.

[treborrrrr]

I suffer from that mindset quite a bit. So often I might start designing/building/thinking of something, so I do a quick search for something similar, find that someone has done something very close that is just perfect, and then think... why should I even bother, I can't ever make it that well. It's pretty frustrating.

[DaveTpletsch]

This is ABSOLUTELY some of the most important advice anyone who's pursuing any sort of work in a creative field could hear. Thank you Adam! I'm a sculptor and illustrator who occasionally has the opportunity to mentor new artists in a really cool online community, and it legitimately TERRIFIES me how often this really toxic comparative mindset you're talking about shows up. I've seen it destroy literally hundreds of potential new artist before they even start.

[ChrisMcCarroll]

I am a photographer. Adam makes so many points that apply to that medium. That’s why I love him. One of the many reasons anyway. His advice is so universal.

[charlieine]

Thank goodness there are people out there doing what we do that can blow us away. Modesty is a good quality. Envy is not. The greats are the gold standard to which we should all hold our ambitions to.

[tlac]

My best friend and I are polar opposite in this case. He is 1/3 planning, 2/3 tinkering. I'm the other way around. So working on projects together is really improving the projects. It took some years to really fit our different approaches together. But after 20 years: pure joy. Gears clicking, switching between planning and tinkering in seconds. Wordless conversations. One friend even called it magic. My best friend and I are truely thankfull for our connection. As friends and project partners.

[floramew]

I don't write screenplays, but I do write fiction, and wow I feel that bit about getting depressed from seeing a well written movie. It's not just "they're better than me, " not always. Sometimes it's "I see what they did there and I want to do that, but I don't know how." Others it's "I want to make great things, or at least enough money to support myself through my craft, but I'll never meet the standard that this kind of work sets as the bar."

And sometimes it's "I could have my name up there, if only I had the mental energy to actually sit down and work on my damn story." I've barely written since November of last year, none at all since February, and Jan-Feb wasn't actually working on any of my projects just social play by post rp, so fun but "useless" to any of my long term projects.

None of these are really healthy reactions-- valid ones, as you say, they're not "wrong" but they're definitely not HEALTHY. But maybe they help enlighten anyone who doesn't have the same perspective, about how and why artists might get legitimately upset at seeing something in their field that they deem a great example of that field.

[NicholasErcolanoMonteiro]

OH, God... sharing this video with my student to get them ready for their builds!!
Thanks

[salaltschul]

Learning that life isn't a competition -- industry or work or whatever -- has been a lifesaver. Doing my own thing, in my own way, in ways that work for me (or for the situation I'm in) even if they're unconventional has helped so much. And Hicks is right: authenticity unlocks some wonderful rewards. If you let go of the fear of people judging you or not liking you, you'll feel so much better in yourself and in your work.

[TheVineyardFarmhouse]

I have been watching your channel for several years now. You have encouraged me to start my own YouTube channel. It is coming along slowly but I am enjoying the journey. Thank you.