Is writing a competitive sport? Bex Peterson Editor-in-Chief might not seem like it, but I’m avery competitive person—especially in creative fields. As much as I’ve tried to tamp down on the instinct, I really have a bad habit of comparing myself to other people. When I stumble across a content creator I admire, I immediately check to see how old they were when they got their “big break” to see if I've missed my chance to make a name for myself in the field. I constantly check published writing against my own to see if the quality of my work holds up. These instincts aren't necessarily bad. I’m glad that I feel a driving need to better myself and my work, and that I’ve managed to get past that stage of content Room 1020 - 700 Royal Ave. Douglas College New Westminster, BC, V3L 5B2 604-525-3542 Bex Peterson Editor-in-Chief M editor@theotherpress.ca James Moore eB Layout Manager M layout@theotherpress.ca Position Open News Editor M1 news@theotherpress.ca Jess Berget Opinions Editor M opinions@theotherpress.ca Positions Open Web Editor M4 webeditor@theotherpress.ca Caroline Ho Assistant Editor M assistant@theotherpress.ca creation where every critique and editor’s note feels like a knife in the chest. I’m able to see feedback for what it is: A gift, and absolutely necessary for self-improvement. The problem with this mindset is that it positions your peers as competitors in agame they often won't know they're playing, instead of the supportive network of fellow creative types that they could and should be. I’ve gotten much better at not immediately seeing fellow writers as threats, all scrambling for a finite amount of opportunities, but that was certainly my mindset for a while when I was younger, and I don’t like the kind of person it turned me into. I also know that I’ve been seen as that competitor and have had puzzling and hurtful interactions when friends have turned hostile out of some warped perception of who's “winning” and “losing” in our creative careers. @ theotherpress.ca M editor@theotherpress.ca ¥ © /theotherpress f/douglasotherpress Lauren Kelly Graphics Manager M graphics@theotherpress.ca Sonam Kaloti Arts Editor M arts@theotherpress.ca Brittney MacDonald Life & Style Editor Mlifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca Isabelle Orr Entertainment Editor M4 humour@theotherpress.ca Jacey Gibb Distribution Manager Meghan Lin Production Assistant © 9 © im p jm What I’m trying to say is jealousy and self-doubt is a natural part of working in—heck, any field, not just creative ones. As I said, I've become much better at mitigating the more toxic elements of these drives, the jealousy and resentment. But I do experience extreme self-doubt, often, when I feel like I’m not measuring up to the talents of the people around me. A lot of that toxicity has turned inward (and honestly, I'd rather it be internal than external). If I see on Twitter that someone three years younger than me has just secured a three-book deal with a major publisher, I'll admit, it does a number on my self-esteem. Shouldn't I be there by now? Maybe I’m not good enough, maybe Pll never be good enough, maybe I should just quit while I’m behind. But the thing is, writing—and creating—isn’t a competitive sport. Yes, Brittney MacDonald Business Manager Cara Seccafien Illustrator Tania Arora Staff Reporter Naomi Ambrose Staff Writer Roshni Riar Staff Writer Billy Bui Staff Photographer Angela Ho Business Manager Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist Cover layout by Lauren Kelly Freature layout by James Moore Horoscope illustrations by Cara Seccafien sometimes you will have to compete against others—even friends—for opportunities. It gets really sticky on those awful days where you get an acceptance letter and your friend gets a rejection letter, and vice versa. But you're really only shooting yourself in the foot if you choose to make it a winner-takes-all, you-against- the-world game. Creative people love uplifting other creative people, especially if you show that you're willing to give them a boost in return. We're all going at our own pace, and sometimes the old elementary school adages serve us best: Keep your eyes on your own work. You're doing just fine. Until next issue, Bex Peterson Bex Peterson The Other Press has been Douglas College’s student newspaper since 1976. Since 1978 we have been an autonomous publication, independent of the student union. We are a registered society under the Society Act of British Columbia, governed by an eight-person board of directors appointed by our staff. Our head office is located in the New Westminster campus. The Other Press is published weekly during the fall and winter semesters, and monthly during the summer. We receive our funding from a student levy collected through tutition fees every semester at registration, and from local and national advertising revenue. The Other Press is a member of the Canadian University Press (CUP), a syndicate of student newspapers that includes papers from all across Canada. The Other Press reserves the right to choose what we will publish, and we will not publish material that is hateful obscene, or condones or promotes illegal activities. 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