We're All Art Imposters

So you’ve gotten a start in art. Or maybe you’ve been at it for quite a while! Maybe you’ve developed a style, made a few friends, or even have gotten some recognition for your art! Awesome! Except… deep in your head you also feel like.. a bit of an imposter?

Yes! It’s time to talk about imposter syndrome. A lot of folks with imposter syndrome might know they are experiencing it, and yet can’t shake that feeling that they’re a fraud. If you don’t know what imposter syndrome is: think about times where you’ve accomplished something, or met a new group of friends, or maybe even got a new job. Do you feel like you’ve “snuck in” to a situation and you’re just hiding, hoping that no one will find out your weaknesses, while it feels like everyone else are the true experts?

That’s it, that’s imposter syndrome. At least, one of the ways that it manifests. There’s a lot to talk about on this one but I’m going to try to keep this to-the-point. If you feel like you’re some kind of artist fraud, imposter syndrome probably describes you pretty well. In fact, it’s common across a bunch of different fields that require a spectrum of skills. Engineering, technology, creative efforts, any place where someone can get really good at something will have plenty of people feeling like they faked it.

I actually deal with this a lot on the technology side of things. I’ve worked in computing for over a decade, and I’ve seen it in so many forms. I’ve experienced it. I’ve seen it in other people. I’ve conquered it, only to have it again later. It changes just as people change around me. And it’s hard to talk about when you’re in that environment with colleagues and friends. It requires people to be open and vulnerable, and because of that you won’t hear about it a lot, and it can make things seem even worse if you think you’re the only person affected. But one huge thing I’ve noticed? The people that seem to suffer from imposter syndrome the most have been some of my most skilled co-workers and friends. This applies to art and other creative hobbies too.

One of the most common ways this manifests is feeling like you have no idea what you’re doing, and thinking that other people all do. I could stand here all day and tell you that your art is good, to be confident in your skills, that you really do know what you’re doing, and all that. But I know that won’t convince you. Lemme tell ya somethin. No one actually knows what they’re doing. Nobody has everything figured out. And most people are just as confused and anxious as you are. They might be good at appearing confident, but underneath that everyone has some element of confusion, uncertainty, and often even the same fear that you might be experiencing.

If no one knows what’s going on, how does anything get done? People help each other. We all have gaps, and we ask for help and help others. This is true with artists too. We all help each other, whether it’s intentional or not. We share techniques, we help critique art, we keep each other motivated. On top of that, fitting in requires being a good friend above all. Your friends and peers wouldn’t include you if they didn’t want you to be there. You’ll all make your own kinds of mistakes, get help from each other in unique ways, and you’ll share each others’ art styles. Don’t feel like a fraud because you’re learning the art styles of others. Your art style is the collection of everything you’ve learned and the art you like: that’s how it is for everyone! Celebrate your inspirations for your style, whether that’s classical artists or Disney or even your friends! Embrace it.

Let’s talk about bad art again; I know you all love this topic. One of the first videos I made was on making bad art. And it’s worth reminding you here: everyone, eveeery-oneee makes bad art. You’re only seeing the things that people have cleaned up, that they’ve finished and are proud of. Even your art idol makes bad art that they probably don’t share around. Since I’ve started this series, I’ve been really lucky to have met some fantastic artists that have privately shared their “bad” sketchbooks with me. And guess what: there’s some legitimately bad art in there! Warm-ups, mistakes, things that just didn’t work out. And it’s AWESOME. Bad art is the most vulnerable and seeing this proved to me that no matter how nice shared artwork can be, behind the curtain there’s a lot of garbage. Fantastic, re-affirming garbage. So when you’re making your own garbage, feel empowered that you’re making it to improve your skills and you’re not an imposter for doing so.

Remember to accept compliments as-is, because they’re pretty much always genuine. Getting more comfortable with your skill will help you feel more comfortable around your peers. But there’s so much more I could get into about imposter syndrome than I can in just one video. So I’d like to! A great way to help explain things is to hear stories and questions from people, and that’s just what we’ll do. I’m going to leave a form in the description for you to submit comments and questions about your experiences feeling like an impostor, and I’d like to try to help in future videos. You can ask anonymously or not. I’m not a mental health professional, but I do think that sharing stories and problems helps us all work through it a bit. So check that out if you’d like! Otherwise, go have some fun with art today, and remember that there’s nothing you need to prove. You make art for yourself first.

Imposter syndrome questions/stories form: https://forms.gle/v1wucaWwnMHp6sSN6