Navigating Imposter Syndrome in the Creative World
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Venturing into any creative field feels like such a gamble. While hard work and skill are valued, there is no denying how sheer luck can play into somoene’s success. For starters, being in the right place at the right time can make all the difference. With this mindset, it’s hard not to let luck overshadow everything we put into achieving our goals. When I first entered film school, nearly every professor warned me of how brutal the industry is and how tough one had to be in order to survive it. I didn’t consider myself tough; therefore, I didn’t consider myself worthy. Once this reality sank in, I anxiously anticipated the moment when someone would see right through me and tell me I had no business pursuing a creative career.
And here is where I realized I was dealing with imposter syndrome. It’s the psychological experience of feeling like a fraud. Any time I receive praise for something, I go into denial. While I’ve only had small achievements, they’ve all been met with the gnawing thought that I didn’t deserve them. Once I started addressing my internal struggles head-on, I realized how common my thought process was. Successful women in the industry have opened up about the phenomena of imposter synonym in recent years, helping to normalize it and start a wider conversation about it. In a 2019 interview with Variety, Awkwafina discussed her inability to fully accept her success. “Because of the scope of my career, I didn’t understand how that happened and I think with that comes, ‘Oh, my God — what am I doing here? Will I live up to what they expect of me?’ Things like that.”
Failure can be devastating, but the existence of it never cancels out the possibility of success. Everyone has to fail on some level in order to learn valuable lessons, providing us with much-needed perspective. Every time we fail, we get closer to figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Accomplishing what you set out to do, does not guarantee fulfillment. Your timeline and goals may see changes as you move forward, making you adapt. Amy Poehler touches upon this in her 2014 book, Yes Please. “You will never climb Career Mountain and get to the top and shout, ‘I made it!’ You will rarely feel done or complete or even successful. Most people I know struggle with that complicated soup of feeling slighted on one hand and like a total fraud on the other.” Even if we may have meticulously laid out plans for our lives, there’s no clear finish line. While the vague nature of success can be daunting, it’s also encouraging knowing there’s always room for growth.
Also— one person’s success does not take away from your own. With a long history of women being pitted against each other, we’re embedded with the urge to constantly compare ourselves. When someone shares our dreams, it’s hard not to consider whether or not we measure up. Just because your way of going after your passion doesn’t look the same as your peers doesn’t mean anybody is doing it wrong, or right. An ideal working environment for one person may be someone else’s worst nightmare. We can’t be deterred by our differences because there is more than one way to look at the same story. There is room for all of us. We’re all worthy of our own success.
There’s no overnight solution to eliminate the feelings around imposter syndrome. It takes time and openness. Some days you feel confident, while other days you feel like a big phony. We can be brutal with ourselves, throwing out insults we would never consider uttering to another human being. While it’s important to challenge ourselves, it doesn’t warrant us to be our own bullies. When we feel low, it’s important to acknowledge what’s contributing to it. Finding motivation in those moments can seem impossible. Recognize your strengths and address what you can do to develop them even more. Creativity takes patience, so give yourself the time you need to become the creator you hope to one day be.
