Impostor syndrome: what is it and how creative people can overcome it

Impostor syndrome is a phenomenon when a person thinks that he did not deserve his success. "I was just lucky!". "Soon they will realize that I'm not as smart as I seem." This voice in your head is not a conscience. This is impostor syndrome. According to an article published in the International Journal of Behavioral Science, approximately 70% of people experience impostor feelings at some point in their lives.

In fact, many famous people suffered from impostor syndrome. For example, an actress Emma Watson. In an interview with Rookie magazine, Watson said: “It’s almost like the better I do, the more my feeling of inadequacy actually increases.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’.”

Why do people experience it?

There isn’t one single answer to why people experience this syndrome. Some experts believe it is associated with certain personality traits like perfectionism. Also, a childhood could play a role. Two family models often lead to impostor syndrome. In the first case, parents evaluate their children differently and label them. In the second case, parents idealize their child. 

Why is it a good thing sometimes?

Most articles claim that impostor syndrome is not good, but Forbes looked at it differently. Impostor Syndrome may be a good feature.

Here are some reasons why:

  • Indicates you’re challenging yourself: if you’re interested in personal growth and development, you will always be pushing yourself into new and unexplored territories.
  • Keeps your ego in check: feeling like an impostor can be a good thing because it won't allow your ego to become overinflated.
  • Signals that you're gaining experience: there’s a famous quote from Aristotle, “The more you know, the more you know you don't know." Several experts believe that impostor syndrome arises as a result of becoming more accomplished at what you do.

But sometimes impostor syndrome even makes life very difficult. It is not very pleasant permanently to be sure that you are cheaters and do not deserve the success you have achieved.

How artists and other creative people can overcome an imposter syndrome?

Recognize your negative thoughts and work to change them

Imposter syndrome isn’t based on reality. It’s just your mind running wild with fear, feeding off nothing but negative thoughts and self-doubt. Start small. Give up comparing yourself to others, making excuses, perfectionism, the need for praise, taking uninformed advice to heart.

Instead, take the online course on how to prepare an effective presentation to present your products in a high-quality way or to attract people to your business.

This will give you confidence.

Become a risk taker

Fear is a natural human instinct. But the problem is when fear keeps you from doing the things you really want to do. Things that would make your art business soar.

To be more confident in your decisions, you can take an online course on strategic planning, which will help achieve a balance between creativity and business.

Applaud yourself

 As an artist and entrepreneur, you have a responsibility to acknowledge and celebrate your own successes. Often there’s no manager to give you a pat on the back or an “employee of the month” certificate. But, there is still one tool that can help you to praise yourself. If you build a good relationship with media, you won’t need to praise yourself. The media will do this for you.

So take an online course to find out how to promote your project in the media.

All is in your hands! Do not let imposter syndrome overcome your talent!

 

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