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Tips on Dealing with Imposter Syndrome as a Creative
June 3, 2022
By Siobhan Stewart
“I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘Uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody and they’re going to find me out.”
– Maya Angelou
Imposter Syndrome impacts a significant portion of the population, and can be found across industries – including creative/artistic fields. Today we’re talking about what Imposter Syndrome is, and how you can address its damaging effects on your life – or encourage and support a friend or loved one who is dealing with it.
What is Imposter Syndrome?
Originally coined in a 1978 article addressing self-doubt in high-achieving women, Imposter Syndrome has become a common topic on career advice sites, professional conferences, and, of course, Reddit. Imposter Syndrome is tricky to define, and in 2020, researchers posted that between 9% and 82% of the population experience it, depending on how you screen and assess it.
For the 2020 study, Imposter Syndrome was defined as “high-achieving individuals who, despite their objective successes, fail to internalize their accomplishments and have persistent self-doubt and fear of being exposed as a fraud or impostor.” This syndrome is Anxiety’s nervous cousin and Self Doubt’s loud sibling – a fearful and negative state of being.
Do I have Imposter Syndrome? If you are questioning your abilities and your status, or chalking your accomplishments up to luck, it’s possible that you are dealing with Imposter Syndrome.
Imposter Syndrome isn’t necessarily permanent – you might experience it during some days, weeks, or years of your life. It can be a momentary questioning, or an underlying, consistent pattern of insecurity and fear.
Famous Creatives with Imposter Syndrome
“It’s almost like the better I do, the more my feeling of inadequacy actually increases, because I’m just going, Any moment, someone’s going to find out I’m a total fraud, and that I don’t deserve any of what I’ve achieved. I can’t possibly live up to what everyone thinks I am and what everyone’s expectations of me are.”
– Emma Watson
If you’re a creative and you think you have Imposter Syndrome, you’re in good company. Don Cheadle, Tina Fey, Tom Hanks, Lupita Nyong’o, have all felt like frauds even amidst successful careers.
In Bittersweet, Susan Cain describes how Pixar director Pete Docter struggled during the creation of “Inside Out” – the plot and characters weren’t coming together in the way they needed to.
“At that point in his career, Docter had enjoyed two mega-successes—Up and Monsters, Inc. But he started to feel sure that these hits were flukes.
‘I don’t know what I’m doing,’ he thought. ‘I should just quit.’”
Does this feeling sound familiar?
Graphic Designers, writers, actors, musicians, and all creative fields lend themselves to Imposter Syndrome because they are held to subjective standards – does this music “move” someone? Is this writing eye-opening? Will that design catch someone’s eye? – and this can make them feel easier to dismiss than, say, a mathematical proof.
3 Ways to Address Imposter Syndrome
“But I’m a creep
I’m a weirdo
What the h*ll am I doin’ here?
I don’t belong here”
– Imposter Syndrome Theme Song (Radiohead)
Imposter Syndrome can be harmful if you start to let it define yourself or your abilities. It’s important to remind yourself that feeling inadequate or undeserving of your job/accolades/success is normal – and it happens to everyone from amateurs to incredibly talented professionals at the top of their game.
If you’re an artist who feels like a fraud, here are some ways to tackle your insecurities.
- Find your “Why” and focus on it. What drives your need to create? Remember: the heart of your work isn’t about meeting imaginary milestones. When you stop measuring yourself against a preconceived notion of success, you free yourself up to focus on your personal reasons for creating art.
- Get involved in a positive artistic community. Surrounding yourself – virtually or physically – with creatives who are uplifting and constructive will help you to view yourself more positively. Consider keeping a short daily journal of things that went well with your artwork that day. (Zinnia is a great platform for list-making!)
- Consider therapy. If anxiety and Imposter Syndrome are hindering your ability to thrive, think about talking to a therapist. A professional psychologist can help you address negative thoughts with cognitive restructuring techniques – methods you can use to confront and reframe maladaptive thoughts.
- Use Imposter Syndrome as a way to inspire and improve your artwork. If you feel like you don’t know enough about something – go learn it! “Imposter Syndrome is an interesting driver, it also can lead to pushing yourself to get better to learn more. I think that’s the positive side – the silver lining of Imposter Syndrome is you can use it as a true motivator to get better,” Cayce Garrison, Pixite’s Creative Director of Marketing says.
Keep Pursuing Your Artistic Dreams
Remember: Vacillating between a burning love and deep hatred for your work is a normal part of the creative process. Some days, you’re going to feel like a failure who doesn’t belong – on those days, think about all the stunningly talented people who also feel like frauds sometimes. More importantly; pick up your paintbrush, pencil, instrument, app, camera, microphone – whatever it is – and keep going.
You are building something where there was nothing. Something now exists because you gave it life. That, in itself, is enough. You are enough.
More Conversations on Imposter Syndrome
“You only have a certain amount of life…a given number of years. Do you really want to be spending it working a job you don’t really like?”
Johnny Ganta, Designer, Maximal Surrealist
“Everyone is an imposter, right? In some sense think about it – I mean from the moment we’re born, we’re looking at adults and they’re living in their adult world and the child doesn’t really have – you don’t understand why these adults are doing what they’re doing.”