When it comes to creative work, it's helpful to find your "est." Are you the funniest? Are you the wildest? Are you the craziest? Are you the cleanest? Any superlative will do. Even if it doesn't end in "est." (But you have to admit, Finding Your Superlative wouldn't have been as interesting a blog title...) Maybe you're discouraged because it feels like there are a thousand other artists who are more virtuosic. That's their "est." But what if you tried a different "est?" One that's uniquely you? Plenty of pianists are the most virtuosic. But how many of them are the funniest? Or the ballsy-est? Or the best conversationalist? When you find the "est" that you and only you provide, that's when the magic happens. When you create the things that only you can create. And that's the stuff that people notice. If you feel like you're drowning in someone else's "est," just go and find your own.