I think most, if not all, creators experience Impostor Syndrome at some point in their lives. I know I certainly have, and sometimes still do, especially when I reach outside of my comfort zone and try to do something new.
Two things have given me a great deal of perspective and comfort with handling it, though. The first is realizing that some truly incredible, accomplished people also experience impostor syndrome. In fact, this is an anecdote that Neil Gaiman told on his blog, which rocked me back on my heels and made me reconsider Impostor Syndrome:
"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 didnât 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, âI just look at all these people, and I think, what the heck am I doing here? Theyâve made amazing things. I just went where I was sent.â
And I said, âYes. But you were the first man on the moon. I think that counts for something.â
And I felt a bit better. Because if Neil Armstrong felt like an imposter, maybe everyone did. Maybe there werenât 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."
( https://journal.neilgaiman.com/2017/05/the-neil-story-with-additional-footnote.html )
The second way of looking at Impostor Syndrome that has helped me, if I can't shake it, is to just roll with it. Like this comic, courtesy of Foxes in Love:
