How do you deal with imposter syndrome?

[FritzC]

Yeah haha thanks! It wasn't intentionally meant to be a overly negative subject, just something I thought more people maybe had experiences and it'd be nice to have a forum to talk about it in

[honeyandcreambutter]

I need to ask but is that what imposter syndrome means? I thought it meant where you think you're copying ideas from other artists/creators and you're afraid someone will point it out one day I've heard about imposter syndrome for a while on forums but I can't really find any proper answer to what it actually is.

[Kelheor]

There's a famous story from Neil Gaiman about it

Some years ago, I was lucky enough invited to a gathering of great and good people: artists and scientists, writers and discoverers of things. And I felt that at any moment they would realise that I didn’t qualify to be there, among these people who had really done things.
On my second or third night there, I was standing at the back of the hall, while a musical entertainment happened, and I started talking to a very nice, polite, elderly gentleman about several things, including our shared first name*. And then he pointed to the hall of people, and said words to the effect of, “I just look at all these people, and I think, what the heck am I doing here? They’ve made amazing things. I just went where I was sent.”
And I said, “Yes. But you were the first man on the moon. I think that counts for something.”
And I felt a bit better. Because if Neil Armstrong felt like an imposter, maybe everyone did. Maybe there weren’t any grown-ups, only people who had worked hard and also got lucky and were slightly out of their depth, all of us doing the best job we could, which is all we can really hope for.

[FritzC]

No, no it's not about being afraid of plagiarising! It's about feeling like you're an "imposter" in a professional sphere, for example, if you're in a new job and you have the same qualifications and abilities as other people on paper, but you feel like it's untrue and you're an imposter.

[DiegoPalacios]

Imposter syndrome is when a person believes that the success they achieved is undeserved.

And that is why they feel like an "imposter".

[pilot-obvious]

I have been struggling with imposter syndrome since I graduated from college. But nobody else has questioned my skills or abilities, in fact, it's usually met with praise. So I have to remind myself that it's okay to just take their word for it. I think it's natural for us to be more critical of ourselves than other people. But if we start to reaffirm the positive things other people say about us, it's possible that we can start to see ourselves in that same mindset.

[Dysis]

In the context of this thread, it means one thinks they got lucky and the work they produce doesn't qualify to deserve that much recognition.

---

I had faced a similar situation. Around five-six years ago, I had published a story on Quotev and it grew popular. I didn't even understand why. My writing was absolute garbage. My friend, on the other hand, is a literary genius and when she published her work, I was certain it would blow up but no. It still has hardly 2-3 likes.

I felt like I was cheating. Didn't deserve it. But I didn't dwell on it either. Since I felt like I was a cheater, it drove me to improve to the extent that would make me more comfortable talking about my work around her.

---

Long story short: Dwelling on impostor syndrome is not productive at all.

Instead of the "who is fooling who", it's more about the progress and the improvement as time goes by. The former is beyond your control, those "fools" that you think of are checking out your work because it's their choice, the time and place was right or they actually enjoy it and you don't realise it, but focussing on the latter will save you from the over-achieving mindset and the depression that might follow the second time you try things and it doesn't work out. When you start believing that it's alright if your work sucks now and that it's NORMAL to improve from a failure to a decent artist, it becomes way easier.

Just focus on improvement.

[cherrystark]

I've struggled with imposter syndrome but it's mostly manifested itself in self-doubt and fear that I'm copying someone else. There are other series that deal with organizations that track magical artifacts. The concept isn't new. I've felt like I've "copied" other characters and tweaked them to fill the same role in my cast.

I constantly remind myself that my idea isn't bad. There are lots of versions of the idea because people like it and want to watch/read it. Star Wars literally spawned hundreds of sci-fi/space movies and helped establish the "space western" genre. My characters might feel similar to other casts because everyone uses the same "format" when it comes to large casts. The format works and people respond to it.

[disqette]

OK this is gonna sound weird as FUCK but bare with me.

As a person who experiences the monthly blood moon, I use all the hormonal imbalance from PMS to get all those negative feelings out of my system. Just go on a massive bitch rant on a private Twitter or journal or whatever. I was already going to be in a shit mood anyways, so might as well just let it all out. Process as many negative emotions as possible.

Once it passes, I feel amazing. I already processed negative feelings, I let it all out. Shit's good. Whatever bad feels I accrue over the month get bottled up to save for the next blood moon. It's taken practice and massive willpower to get to this point.

Also being aware that I am also a person that experiences Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. Sounds kinda snowflake-y, but it comes with the ADHD territory. That self awareness comes a long way in dealing with perceived rejection that many feel with imposter syndrome.

tl;dr self awareness is key, take time every few weeks to let your feelings out. The thing about imposter syndrome is that it's just feelings with no basis in reality. Once you take the feelings out of the equation, it'll sort itself out.

[samgloeart]

For sure, and I didn't mean you were being overly negative, just some responses seemed very doom and gloom and I just wanted to make sure you got some positive feedback! This is a great thing to discuss in artist based forums!

[borzoiteeth]

Success is heavily romanticized and fictionalized. You MUST be, act and given certain things for success to count. In the world of fiction having something come down to luck usually is and feels like cheap writing. However in reality luck is a heavy part of what shapes our successes.

Not to say that hard work doesn't contribute to getting success. It ups your chances. You can apply for as many jobs as you can; be completely qualified for most and still get no responses back.

The luck is usually an avalanche effect where you can never be certain of the source. It's more than just creating the work. You have to chose when and where to share said work. Then the right people at the right time have to happen across said work. Then those people's connections must also see it at the right time, etc. I only have the audience I do for my biggest comic because twice some bigger people in the focused genre I'm in highlighted it. I only have the privilege of knowing because said subject is painfully niche.

That said, I still have imposter syndrome very bad. It can even get in the way of enjoying a competitive game. I do manage it better than I used to. It helps being surrounded by a lot of other creators who have it too. I tell myself if I'm baffled by their doubt and self hate then my personal doubt and self hate is likely unfounded as well. Not to say the feelings cannot be valid at points, but they clearly do not hold to any actual facts.

I'd look up other creators who have it as well. Kelheor mentioned 2 big people but there are countless others. Maya Angelou, Thom Yorke, Adam Savage? People no one else would deny who clearly have great powerful talent but they themselves do not feel that way.

[CommanderMarty]

I deal with it the only way an imposter can, fucking kill everyone on the ship!

[Macarenaoftime]

I'm not good enough even to have impostor syndrome

[YuJiaKweh]

The only way I know how. Take out your earliest art. Now take a deep breath and laugh at it. Laugh at your younger self while you're at it too. Laugh and mock his incompetence and lack of knowledge. Hype yourself up with the fact that you've improved so much and are now beyond what your past self could do before.

[BrambleberrySquirrel]

I dealt with imposter syndrome in grad school and kind of in general as an adult for a while. Finally I figured out that everybody in life is faking it till they either make it or convince themselves they have. Nobody really knows what they're doing in life or what's going to happen. Even people who seem older or wiser or more put together are all basically just winging it. So in that sense I guess everybody is an imposter, which means nobody is. What helped me was realizing that comparing yourself to other people is a waste of time because they aren't you. They have different life circumstances and motivations than you do.

This is what makes your work unique. No matter your skill level only you can tell your story just like only you can live your life.

[BrambleberrySquirrel]

Yes! This exactly! Everybody is faking it and hoping no one notices. Social expectations are all made up. Best advice is to just live your life and appreciate your own successes without comparing them to other people.

[MzBun]

What success means is different for everyone. Set a goal for yourself.
There will always be people who are more successful and ahead of you, you aren't them. Do what you can the best of your ability. Focus on yourself.

[rajillustration]

I really had to address how I treated my art and how I critiqued myself to also address my Imposter Syndrome. I would be so critical and say things like "this is bad. this is so terrible" just grand sweeping statements that are...genuinely not true. Habits you pick up in art school where you have really intense critiques and occasionally really toxic professors. Those statements about art also sweep into how you talk about yourself, eventually "I'm so bad. I'm so terrible. Why would anyone hire me?" and then that goes directly into Imposter Syndrome.

So honestly, I had to draw some lines for myself--I had to stop talking crap about my art (especially online) and I had to learn to critique myself without tearing myself down--constructively, about my own art.

If you are waiting for subscriber numbers to prove if your Imposter Syndrome is real or false--if you are waiting for a certain job to prove if you can become the artist you want to be--then you're at the mercy of fleeting algorithms and job economy, which is not the same thing as being a good or worthy artist. It has to be a conviction you have despite whatever happens job wise or numbers wise (especially since jobs and numbers have a billion different factors attached to them) And while we can learn from these numbers and learn from when we might get fired or don't get the job we want--that learning is for our improvement, not for us to say "well I knew it, I always knew it, time to just give up"

Oh, and another thing--I think it helps to learn how the internet works? Not everything you make will go viral. In fact, out of all the stuff you'll make, probably very few of it will. And, if something goes viral, it's perfectly normal for numbers to stabalize again. It's really common for one post to end up with 1,000+ likes and then in later posts it's like...it never happened. You get 2 likes on everything else. This isn't that people were like "oh this person is actually terrible" it's just that...this is how the internet works. Not everything you make will be a banger, so allow things to just be what they are, and keep creating knowing that at least one of those things will be.

[ble]

I understand imposter syndrome is when you get famous for something, and you don't think you deserve that fame, right?

Well judging as most sites i post my stuff i get at best 1 or 2 digit subscribers (instagram, youtube, deviantart, etc), i can say i have no fame at all LOL.

My stuff seems to be doing relative well on webtoons, but only there. I think is more Webtoon algorythm has worked for me (and only when i started making romance category wich is uber popular in webtoon) and failed in every other platform.

[Legendofgenii]

I feel like an imposter in my daily life, but not when drawing or creating something.

When I draw I feel completely free (even if what I drew didn’t work).

It’s trying to fit in and do all the ‘normal’ stuff I struggle with. Small talk is a good example. Oh god I’m so bad at that, but sometimes is expected.

If someone told me to draw something I’d happily do it. If I was asked to do a seminar or call a stranger Or something I totally freak out! But again, you just have to do it.