You Don’t Have Imposter Syndrome

“Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon, impostorism, fraud syndrome or the impostor experience) is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a “fraud”. Despite external evidence of their competence, those experiencing this phenomenon remain convinced that they are frauds and do not deserve all they have achieved.”

- source: Wikipedia

We all know the feeling, right? It’s the kind of self-analysis that can stop you dead in your tracks and keep you from doing what you want/love/need to do. You can’t shake the feeling that “other people do that (whatever it is), not me. Who do I think I am?”

Let’s take a closer look at this. Ask yourself, who do you think you aren’t?

Really, answer that. In fact, who do you think they (the person or persons who you are comparing yourself to) are? When you are criticizing yourself, what is the standard that you are holding yourself up to?

For example, If I look at one of my favorite writers and say that what I’m doing doesn’t, and might not ever, measure up to what they’ve done, then I will be deflated, depressed and unmotivated. The reason for that is the comparison that you are making.

Of course, you will never measure up to that!

But then, neither will anyone else. One artist will never be another artist. One person will never be another person. You are keeping yourself in a state of suspended terror because you are trying to do the impossible; be one of your beloved icons. You can’t, and really, you don’t want to because that makes you an imposter. So, stop it.

Be you. Do your thing.

Don’t misunderstand me here, I’m not saying to ignore other artists. these other artists are more than likely the reason you began creating in the first place. Their works have inspired you to reach out for yourself and express your artistry to present to the world. Their work is undeniably, inextricably part of what you create, what you are. So, never deny them. In fact, you want to steal from them as much as possible (in the right way, of course), but you will never be them. All you could ever hope to do is become a watered-down version of them, if that’s all you try to do.

Instead, learn as much as you can from them, use their ideas, techniques, and whatever else you can glean, and inject yourself into what you create. If you do that, you will actually start to love your work, and the process of making it. As soon as you start doing that, you are going to find the joy in your work...in the work, or process, rather than in the result. Of course, the more you work at it, the more likely it is that your results will end up bringing you joy as well.

But, if not, remember that most of your idols are not happy with their work either. They can always see the flaws, whereas you see the treasure, the sheer, beautiful perfection that they cannot see. If you feel that way about your work, remember also that you are in very good company.

Keep working, keep creating and keep trying to get better but, for the love of all that's holy, stop trying to be any artist other than your beautiful self.

Hey, thanks for reading this. I know that your time is valuable, so I try my best to make reading what I've offered worth the time spent.

If you'd like a little odd, but relaxing music to wrap things up with, here’s something to listen to: