Curry Zawa Kaoru’s Creative Counseling - "How can I stop envying other people's talent?" There is always something to trigger envy and saltiness about other people's success.

A while back, I casually threw out the phrase, “Saying you want to be a creator without suffering from an inferiority complex is like saying you want to do meth healthily."

That line unexpectedly went viral and garnered overwhelming support from creators. It was probably the most agreement I’ve received for something since I blurted out the questionable statement, "Ugly people don’t use umbrellas."

Is everyone really creating with that kind of tragic, meth-head-level desperation? It honestly freaked me out, and I even wanted to step in like a concerned relative and tell them, “Maybe you should quit while you can.” But perhaps the fact that people can’t quit, even if they want to, only highlights how the art creation process can be likened to taking meth. (Though some may disagree.)

By the way, someone commented, “Actually, you can do meth in a healthy way if you try.” 

Like, okay. Whoa.

Maybe we should consider ourselves lucky that our addictions run towards something legal like creating art instead of, say, meth. The reality is that 90% of creators are both enjoying and suffering from the nature of their work, and thinking you can somehow enjoy the joy without the suffering is pretty much impossible. And that goes double for envy, which is a huge part of the "suffering" cocktail.

The very question, “How can I stop envying other people’s talent?” implies that you believe there’s some magical method to overcome envy, focus solely on your own creations, and enjoy the process.

To that, I can only respond with the usual suspects: Guan Yu from Romance of the Three Kingdoms slicing the idea in half with a swift “Such a thing does not exist,” Aizen from Bleach smirking, “When did you start assuming envy could be erased?” and Toguro from Yu Yu Hakusho side-eyeing you with, “You seriously still think you can get rid of envy?”

I won’t say there’s absolutely no way to transcend envy, but if that’s what you’re after, you’re knocking on the wrong door here. You’d be better off walking into a Buddhist temple and dedicating yourself to enlightenment. (However, if you’re busy with meditation and ascetic practices, I doubt you’ll have much time left to create anyway.)

At this point, the suffering that comes with creation—especially the condition of envy—is more like a chronic condition that modern medicine can’t cure. You know, the kind where a doctor gives you a kind smile and says, “You'll have to learn to live with it.”

When it comes to envy in creative work, I think most people suffer from what I’d call the "trigger-based type."

Most of the time, you’re creating happily and are very grateful for the bookmarks and feedback you receive. But then, out of nowhere, you spot someone who has a talent you don’t, who’s achieved a kind of success that feels completely out of your reach—and BAM, the envy flares up.

Suddenly, you lose all confidence in yourself and your work. To make it worse, you know it’s just envy, pure and simple, which only drags you further into a pit of self-loathing.

Now, if your "episodes" are as constant as mine—so frequent a doctor might mistakenly diagnose them as "chronic"—then unless it’s your job, I’d say you might want to step away from creating for a bit. However, if the envy only comes in occasional bursts, and the rest of the time you’re having fun, then you’re better off accepting that it’s inevitable. Focus instead on how to shorten the episodes and spend more time in the fun, happy zone.

One effective way to snap out of an envy spiral is to reassess yourself. Start by letting yourself feel all the envy—get it all out of your system. Once the fire’s burned down a bit, remind yourself, “Well, I may not have that talent, but I’ve still got people who support my work, even if it’s not a ton. Plus, I’ve got this special skill to imagine way more readers than actually exist cheering me on!” and smother the flames.

I’d bet you’ve done this before too—like thinking, “Yeah, but I’ve got more likes,” to balance things out. That’s the strategy I’ve been using myself for years.

But recently, I’ve made a new discovery about envy…

So, here's some personal news: recently, it was announced that my manga is getting a live-action TV drama adaptation.

Right now, I’m in a situation where I can’t share anything about the broadcast schedule, the network, or the cast—literally nothing other than, “It’s happening, we promise!” Sounds like a fever dream, right? Well, even if it turns out to be nothing more than a wild hallucination, at least I can take comfort in knowing I’ve officially lost my sanity—and alongside it, likely the ability to feel envy at all.

But does the fact that my work is getting a drama adaptation mean I’ve stopped feeling envious whenever I hear about other works getting adapted into media? Not even close. I’m still annoyed by it, with the same frequency and intensity as before.

Sure, I could tell myself, “Well, my work’s getting a drama too, so it’s fine,” and temporarily quell the envy. But the truth is, it doesn’t stop envy from sparking in the first place.

In other words, “my own success” and “my envy over others’ success” are two entirely separate beasts. No matter how well my work does or how much recognition it gets, the moment I see someone else thriving, the envy rears its ugly head all over again.

Let’s say you became a top-ranking creator on pixiv, showered with comments like, “You might as well be the original creator of this work!” Even then, your envious nature wouldn’t change. You'd still find yourself annoyed, thinking things like, “Their art isn’t even good, and it’s obvious their three friends are the only ones liking every post—so why do they look like they’re having so much fun?”

Even Osamu Tezuka didn’t bother hiding his competitive streak against newcomers. Perhaps it’s because he thought, “My title as the God of Manga and the fact that this newbie’s work is entertaining have nothing to do with each other!”

The more successful you become, the better you get at managing envy. Unfortunately, since success and envy are entirely separate things, trying to use one to treat the other is like trying to fix an overly salty dish by adding sugar. Sure, it might reduce the saltiness, but now it’s too sweet. And if you fail to balance it, you risk spiraling into thoughts like, “Why does their work get thoughtful praise while my readers say stuff like, ‘It’s just too good lol’? Their lack of vocabulary is making me feel miserable!” This can even make you resent your own achievements or those who support you.

Because of that, it’s better not to counter creative envy with more creativity. Instead, try something entirely different. For example, when envy hits, I sleep. Or I eat. Or, honestly, I think dirty thoughts. If envy is a primal human instinct, maybe it’s best to fight it with an even stronger one—like one of the three basic drives. 

The popular column Curry Zawa Kaoru’s Creative Counseling has been made into a book titled Otaku no Tanoshii Seisaku Ron (The Delightful Art of Otaku Creation, Bungeishunju).

In addition to fan-favorite episodes such as “Coping with fanwork taking a little too many liberties”, “When you can’t get feedback in an underdeveloped genre”, “Is 40 too old for doujin events?” and “Understanding the troubles and contradictions of killing off your favorite characters”, the book also includes brand new topics and advice!