People being proud of their work is never an issue for me. Even if I’m not doing the same or as much, I can be genuinely happy that they found satisfaction in life.

I love art too but I only make it occasionally. There are some artists who literally get hand conditions because they spend so many hours drawing, and they usually brag lol. But if I spent that many hours on something I’d brag too. People like to talk about things that take up huge chunks of their life. People like to talk about things that they’re proud of, and people are generally proud of things that they sink that much time into.

Unless someone is being condescending or doing something harmful (like teachers violating student privacy), it’s better to just say “That’s great! Good for you!” and mean it. Someone else’s brag is not always a personal attack.