To compete or not to compete?

[Leonor]

Excuse me to be thinking aloud, but I'm tempted by the newborn competition, yet unsure if it's a good idea even to think about it, less participate.

Advantages of participating

Self-esteem wise, it would make me proud to participate, to push my skills and to earn the prizes I want (the art and educational materials) with my work, the work I want to do.

If I won, it could encourage me to move on with my personal project, since there would be people who I would know to have genuine interest in it.

Fears of participating

Fear of winning! There's prizes in the list, such as massive exposure, that I'm not quite ready for. Too shy and I don't have a career or even a portfolio of work worth showing. I would feel naked or like a fraud in public.

Fear of loosing! Since I'm still learning to swim, I'm not exactly one to be amongst Olympic athletes. Because the work is personal and precious it would feel crushing to have it rejected.

Disadvantages of not participating

Inactivity. Not doing anything to improve my situation. Not knowing if I could have won.

Tentative Conclusion

Maybe it's worth to take the challenge as an exercise, but not to actually submit to the competition.

[Hexism]

Just do it.

[Linguini]

Fear of winning! There's prizes in the list, such as massive exposure, that I'm not quite ready for. Too shy and I don't have a career or even a portfolio of work worth showing. I would feel naked or like a fraud in public.
A fraud? You just won out of (possibly) hundreds of entries on one of the best art sites on the web. How could you be a fraud? You won! Now, the exposure will get you attention, and that will give you motivation and allow you to get your portfolio (that you will then build) out there. You've then come from unknown to people excited to see your works. It would possibly get you a career. Feeling naked, baring your soul, that type of thing, isn't that what art is about? Art is expression, and if you keep that bottled up, keep all of that yummy goodness for yourself, the world will be very sad.

Fear of loosing! Since I'm still learning to swim, I'm not exactly one to be amongst Olympic athletes. Because the work is personal and precious it would feel crushing to have it rejected.
It would still put you out there, get you noticed. You'll probably receive crits like nobody's business that will help you become an Olympic athlete. The thing about visual arts and all forms of fine art, it's personal, it's precious, but what makes it art is just that, and sharing it with the world. You have to grow tough skin sometime, or else you'll never get anywhere.

Inactivity. Not doing anything to improve my situation. Not knowing if I could have won.
So do it.

Maybe it's worth to take the challenge as an exercise, but not to actually submit to the competition.
Oh, come on. If you actually complete the piece, you're already one step ahead of the others who don't do one or don't complete it on time. Why not submit? You'd be forfeiting a great chance to get comments and critiques.


What it seems like to me is that you think in black and white. Either you win or you lose terribly. Losing will not be a bad thing in this case! So many people are following the Newborn contest, ready to give advice, crits, praise. What's stopping you are your own fears. Isn't this the perfect time to conquer those?

GO DRAW. Stop overthinking things and DRAW. Have confidence in your abilities, have the courage to put your stuff out there, and have the resilience to bounce back and be even more motivated if you don't win. Either way, completing your piece and submitting it would be winning.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r315/Fettucine/Untitled-2.jpg

[Baron Impossible]

Believe me, not a single person looks at a winning entry then says, "Wow, this person isn't a pro and doesn't have a massive portfolio, I feel so cheated." No, they say, "Wow, great work, and they're not even a pro yet!"

And nobody but nobody goes into a big competition with the expectation of winning. Not winning has zero to do with "rejection". The judging process is very subjective and depends on many, many different factors. The result is only ever a judgement in favour of the winning work(s) and not an indictment against the ones that didn't make it.

One thing is certain, though; if you fanny around all the time, putting yourself down and inventing excuses to not do things you will regret it, big time.

[Gavage]

Just go for it if it interests you. Don't worry about the pros and cons - it's a lighthearted contest, not some massive life-threatening thing that requires tactical decisions. :)