Somebody on Instagram shared a quote that said “Driven by the fear of being average” and while this may actually be motivating to someone, I genuinely think it’s a pretty stupid quote and here’s an unsolicited opinion on the matter.
The online terminology of calling things and people “average” as a form of insult (or degrading description), more than a terminology, the fear of being “average” and “not reaching their full potential” is an illusion that we created and are happily feeding into, making the internet a very toxic environment for artists and creators. So let’s talk about the fear of being average from an art point of view.
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What does it mean to be “average“?
Average in the mentioned quote means to be normal. To be like everyone else. Not famous, not rich and certainly not a gold medalist in whatever you are doing.
But how do we decide that someone is above average? Do we know every artist out there in the world? And if we don’t know about their existence, does that make them average?
Let’s take a step back and focus inward. When can we decide that we are no longer average? Is it the number of people that follow us online? Or Is it the money we are making?
Being average before and with social media
Before social media, people created because they loved creating. The act of producing art, making music, coming up with games, figuring things out gave them pleasure. It fed their natural curiosity and helped them learn more about the world from their point of view. These people in the past, had access to a limited group of other humans, a village, a city, or if they were lucky enough, as many cities as they could travel to in their lifetime. Being “average” then, wasn’t a concept, because the best you could do as a person was compare your life to your cousin’s.
However, nowadays, people create for their audiences online which could be millions of people, half of which are also creators. They create to monetize their talents and skills. Often, even with no skill, some are still creating as a side hustle or to be internet famous. Therefore, what used to be a pleasurable, human experience, became a money making machine. Worse, if it didn’t become a money making machine then something is wrong with it. It is average.
The Fear of Being “Average“
If you are afraid of being average, allow me to tell you that you already are. You as a human, should look at the fact that you are average -in whatever you are doing- as a privilege. The ability to create something and be average at doing it is amazing. As long as it is making you satisfied and temporarily happy, and as long as you are learning through the process of creating, experimenting and expanding your range of trials and errors, you are average. That’s what average means, because everyone out there is trying their best and living for themselves. So, stop trying to impress others.
What is The Fear of Being “Average” Leading to?
Artists losing their spark. The pressure of being “above average” is pushing creators to focus on “going viral”, “being relatable”, “staying relevant”, and “creating hooks” instead of listening to their inclinations which are supposed to be the natural and intuitive drives to the process of creating. And I know what you are thinking, many of us find motivation in striving to be exceptional, and while ambition isn’t inherently bad, it becomes toxic when it’s fueled by fear instead of passion.
Create for the joy of it, not for approval.
Conclusion
As this article comes to an end, I wanna say that being ‘average’ is just another meaningless label created by a world obsessed with rankings. The real joy in art, or anything really, isn’t about escaping ‘averageness’—it’s about creating, learning, and expressing yourself, no matter how many people are watching. Enjoy creating <3
