Imposter Syndrome: A Growing Phenomenon in Artists

Ever feel like you’re never enough, no matter how much you do?

Only see the mistakes in your work?

Do you find the need to work harder to measure up to other people?

Are you uncomfortable with things you’re ‘not good’ at?

Do you feel like you’re fooling others with your level of competency?

Have a hard time receiving compliments?

These are the thoughts that occupy the mind of a person with imposter syndrome and surprisingly enough, it affects 70% of people at at least one point in their lives. Some of the brightest people on this planet experience it, so you’re not alone.

So what is this ‘imposter syndrome’ and does it affect creatives more?

‘Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon, impostors, 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".’ (1)

It was first discovered by Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978 in their research paper in which they theorized that women were uniquely affected by this. Although, future studies have identified that anyone is susceptible to this whether a computer genius, an artist, or a business owner. It doesn’t matter. It can uniquely affect anyone at some point in their lives.

Valerie Young, author of, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It, describes the importance of thinking like a non-imposter in order to walk yourself down these feelings of imposter syndrome. In her TED Talk, she talks about an essential component of this syndrome, which is that you can’t overcome it. You can’t walk into a room and expect to walk out devoid of these thoughts. Many victims of this syndrome want to feel different. Unfortunately, it can’t be as simple as that. On the contrary, many suggest talking about these feelings. Although a good start, it is simply that - the start. Revealing insecurities about your weight won’t make you any thinner, Young mentions in her TED Talk. The solution lies in thinking like a non-imposter, which Young refers to as reframing. Instead of saying, “I’m stupid”, why not, “that felt stupid”. Non-imposters don’t attribute their feelings to their identity or who they are. Feelings are independent, contextual, and variable. So is CONFIDENCE. There’s no one on this planet that feels confident 24 hours a day. It’s more like a wave, going through crests and troughs.

Interestingly, studies have linked this with family relations and attachment of certain terms to children like “sensitive”, or “smart”. Imposters aren’t just overachievers or workaholics, they can also be those who have found success at every first try, the talented folks who never fail to get a straight A, and perhaps may not be as hardworking. It’s a spectrum of personalities that can experience this, and there’s no doubt that it’s normal. However, it also has serious consequences, whether that’s for an artist, an entrepreneur , or simply for personal growth. Imposters struggle to attempt challenging tasks in fear that they will fail to prove themselves, because the goal has always been to PROVE THEMSELVES in EVERYTHING. On another note, there are those independent imposters who hesitate to ask for help because they always feel the need to do all the work themselves to prove their worth.

Imposters feel like they’re frauds, soon to be discovered for their little play. There’s constant pressure to never fail. They believe their success, if any, to be a result of mere luck. Why? Because imposter phenomenon engages people in a thought process that encourages them to try to be good at everything. The fundamental principle to understand about life is that that’s not possible. The first step is to accept that one individual can’t be good at everything, and that’s okay. There’s a tendency to downplay success being ‘easy’. It is necessary for those with imposter syndrome to understand context. Just because a situation makes us feel ‘dumb’ does not mean that is a trait to attach ourselves to. This is where reframing comes into play, simply saying: “the fact that I feel useless right now does not mean that I really am”. There is a need for an alteration in the thought process, not the feelings. None of us can get rid of how we feel, but we can change the approach by which we comprehend these feelings. Another characteristic to assess is constructive criticism, which is often taken personally. It’s NOT a personal comment. If someone offers you this sort of criticism, it is because they think you’re capable of using it. It’s not a measure of your worth, or success. And yes, all of this takes time. It’s not a day night thing. But the point I’m emphasizing is to consider the thought process behind the imposter phenomenon. What fuels these feelings, and when do they emerge? STOP in those moments, and think, how can I reframe this? Bring the rational part of your brain into this, giving you a second opinion to the context. Psychologist Audrey Ervin dives deeper into the internalized feelings of childhood memories and how these leave lasting impacts: “that in order to be loved or be lovable, ‘I need to achieve’”. Multiple factors are involved in this including anxiety, environment, and childhood familial experiences. Ervin advises his clients to ask themselves this question: “‘Does that thought help or hinder me?’”. Walking yourself through this process and thought dissection won’t cause the imposter syndrome to magically disappear, but it will take the ‘syndrome’ away from it. Young clarifies that people will “still have an impostor moment, but not an impostor life.”

So, why are creatives particularly susceptible? With the growing artist presence on social media platforms, there’s space for lots of competition, criticism, and self-doubt. Not only this, an artist’s work is subjectively judged.This judgement makes artists feel like they’re fooling others with their work. An artist publicizes their work, and it can be a hassle to maintain a level of confidence when they’re only as good as their last creative piece. When an artist's work is publicized, it becomes exposed to a variety of subjective opinions and criticism that lead to reformations that please the audience rather than quench the creativity of the artist. Social media has allowed for space to share content, and express creatively; however, it has also become a place of criticism and unreasonable comparison. When success does eventually come, an artist doubts their abilities even more, questioning the validity of their success, and perceiving it instead as luck! This can be problematic for an artist’s creativity and self-progress.

Young identifies five different imposter personalities, and I wanted to dig a bit deeper into each of these:

1. Perfectionist: Setting extremely high expectations for themselves and allowing small mistakes to question their competence. They want 100% achievement every time to feel satisfied.

2. Expert: These are the folks who hesitate to apply for a job when they don’t meet every single criterion. Their aim is to know every piece of information, and take every new training/certification to make themselves feel knowledgeable/competent.

3. Natural Genius: Having always found success to be at reach, these are those kids labelled as ‘smart’ in their childhood years who always get straight As. However, when they have to work harder towards achieving something, they start to question their abilities.

4. Soloist: Asking for help means that they’re a failure. These individuals are independent, and often complete tasks on their own, even when working with others.

5. Supermen/Superwomen: These individuals are the hustlers, the hard workers. They will push themselves to work more to prove they’re not imposters. They work their way to mask the feelings often bearing more than is needed for their role.

Closing it off, I want to end on a positive note. The growth in our development is not focused on removing imposter phenomenon, but to accept it, and normalize it. Our focus should be directed towards thinking differently and being aware of emerging imposter thoughts instead of allowing it to take over our creative pursuits.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome#:~:text=Impostor%20syndrome%20(also%20known%20as,exposed%20as%20a%20%22fraud%22.