Imposter syndrome is rough.
I think even the most confident people, if they’re being completely honest, would admit to struggling with this at some point. For some of us, it’s surely worse than others. For me, it’s a daily fight with the gremlins in my head constantly telling me I’m not good enough.
Sometimes the gremlins win. I’ll hit a creative block, or get a bad comment on a post, or (worst of all) get no comment/feedback/engagement at all when I put something out there. It can be so easy to spiral into the abyss of self doubt.
Putting yourself out there can be terrifying. Especially if you do something creative. Even more so if you’re predisposed to thinking you’re not good enough. The problem is, “out there” is where the rest of the world lives. If you’re working toward a goal, whether it be a business, a job search, a creative endeavor… “out there” is where your audience is… so it’s kind of a necessity.
I write all of this, not as someone who has it in any way figured out, but more to give myself this reminder. For me, this has been a struggle for my entire life, so I have picked up a thing or two that has at least kept me from crawling into a hole with a box of Twinkies.
The first thing I want to remind myself, and maybe someone out there might find this helpful as well, is that there is no such thing as “normal”. It would be impossible to count the amount of times I’ve said or thought “I wish I could just do this thing like a normal person”. What is a “normal person”? Doctors would probably say that a “normal” temperature is 98.6°F (I don’t know what the °C equivalent is - sorry if you don’t like F). My “normal” temperature is 97.3°F. So either I have something wrong with me or “normal” is different for everyone… which means it isn’t a thing. (Please don’t miss my point and tell me about averages and the collective “normal”, blah, blah - I’m talking about on an individual basis here).
The second thing to remind myself (and you) is that you’re better than you think you are. It’s easy to get in your head and downplay your accomplishments. Comparing yourself to other people or goals you haven’t yet reached can blind you to how far you’ve already come on your journey. Never celebrating your achievements or taking a look back at where you were when you started is a quick way to throw you off track and let the imposter gremlins win.
Third reminder… the imposter gremlins can only be defeated when you make progress, and progress can’t be made from a place of comfort. You have to move. I don’t mean physically (although physical activity is also extremely helpful), but you have to take steps toward your goal. Big, small, it doesn’t matter. Any kind of progression gives you ammunition to fight off the gremlins. Any kind of stagnation gives the ammunition to them. Caveat, though… making plans, while maybe necessary, is not progress. I’ve been stuck in the “making plans” loop and it’s easy to tell yourself you’re doing something. You’re not. You have to actually take some kind of action or they will win. Don’t let them win.
(Yes, my gremlins look like the gremlins from the old Bugs Bunny cartoon.)
Once again, I am by no means an expert in this. I struggle with it constantly. I’ve dealt with the gremlins my entire life and will surely have to fight them for the rest of it. If you are fighting this as well, remember that you are not alone. I recently saw a quote somewhere (apologies, I can’t remember where I read it) that was something along the lines of: If you never feel imposter syndrome, you are likely an actual imposter. If your arrogance has never allowed you to consider that you might be doing something wrong, you’re probably not as good as you think you are.
And if you’re in a constant struggle with it like I am, keep going. You absolutely can do it. The proof is all over the internet with some of these goofballs who still find success (not you, though… you’re great!)
The only way out is through!
Thanks for reading! If you want more of my artwork/sketches/ramblings, follow me on X and Instagram. And if you really want to support me, I have a store!
I also started an illustration studio, so if you or anyone you know is in need of custom illustration, check out Sketch Foundry!
Have a great week!
-Brad