Upon the release of the Chloe Chua masterclass, I feel it's a good time to speak on an important issue that is prevalent not just in the TwoSet community, not just in the classical music community, but everywhere in the world.
Everyone would be so much happier if they didn't see others as competition and inhibitors of their self-esteem.
To a certain degree, feeling inadequate is natural! You may feel inspired by someone talented and that could be the kick in the pants that gets you started. But, what shouldn't be normalized is for someone's existence to be a source of your stress, your discouragement, and your feelings of worthlessness.
I hate to say that TwoSet aren't good role models for how to mentally deal with someone they think is better: on camera, they often give up when they don't sound perfect immediately and beat themselves up for being inherently worse. We'll never know if they actually feel that way, are being relatable to the cameras, or both. The top comments on every single prodigy reaction video are various forms of self-deprecation, and it makes me uneasy to see low self-esteem being paraded around like a "quirky relatable trait". Had they remembered that every genius has been CREATED, that could maybe help them (or you!) feel better about progress, and that people like Chloe aren't on a pedestal impossible to reach.
Chloe may have had a head start: natural-born talent does exist, plus she has definitely invested hundreds more hours into music than the typical person. This just shows that every human has different goals and different progress speeds, and comparing her to yourself is like comparing apples to oranges. She shouldn't make you regret how you spent your childhood. She shouldn't make you give up on your dreams. Instead, she should make you feel like you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. We're all on the same marathon of life, and watching other people ahead of you should inspire you to run faster, not stop entirely.
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