Imposter Syndrome and How to Stay Confident in Yourself

Imposter syndrome: often defined as "the subjective experience of perceived self-doubt in one's abilities and accomplishments compared with others, despite evidence to suggest the contrary. Those who suffer from impostor syndrome often doubt their skills, talents, or accomplishments. They may have a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as frauds. Despite external evidence of their competence, those experiencing this phenomenon do not believe they deserve their success or luck. They may think that they are deceiving others because they feel as if they are not as intelligent as they outwardly portray themselves to be."

Hm. Looks like we're busting out the heavy topics today.

I'm sure that anyone who's been in any creative field has experienced this phenomena at some point. You find yourself in a room surrounded by your peers, or submitting your work to various online clubs and circles. You look around at all the amazing works people have created and you feel inspired....and then you look at your own piece and find yourself thinking "I don't belong here".  Or, "Their stuff is SO good. Why do I even try?" It's a difficult and complicated emotion to deal with, and it's something that can make a person seriously doubt their abilities or even give up completely. Lord knows I've struggled with this from time to time. So what do we do when the crippling "I'm not good enough" emotion threatens to overwhelm us?

Well, one thing every person needs is a good support system. It can sometimes take a while, but if you find the courage to put yourself out there and make some friends, they can be your biggest cheerleaders. Find "your people" as it were. Hopefully, your family can also be your main supporters. Sadly, not everyone is in a stable situation. For many people, the ones who are supposed to take care of you and love you the most turn out to be your main bullies. If you're in a bad situation, or came from one, do your best to find the people who DO lift you up....and just know that I'M rooting for you and want you to succeed.

Another thing you can try is to treat yourself with the same kindness you would offer a friend. Recognize that self-doubt is a natural response to growth and new challenges, not a reflection of your worth. When you're finding the courage to try something new, give yourself some grace and know that it doesn't have to be perfect on the first try. Keep on learning and keep on trying. Try not to let the thought of your end goal overwhelm you and break it down into easily digestible steps. You'll often find that the scary new thing isn't as hard or scary as you thought.

Next, keep in mind that all the writings and artwork you're seeing your peers share is their final product. I guarantee you, your fellow artist struggled just as hard behind the scenes, and probably threw out tons of failed drafts before they finally hit on the one that they liked. Don't compare your rough drafts or scribbles to someone's Mona Lisa.

And finally, this may sound harsh, but it's true: no matter what, there will ALWAYS be someone "better" than you. Maybe they have access to better resources, or have been practicing longer, or have a better support system. Whatever the case may be, someone out there will have a leg up on you. So it's incredibly important to remember to NOT compare yourself to others. Take a moment to remember that you're doing the absolute best you can with what information and resources you have. Learn from both your triumphs and failures, and strive to do better each and every time. I promise you, if you do this, you'll come to find that you've come a lot farther in your own personal journey than you first believed. Be proud of everything you've done and are GOING to do.

A decade ago, I had dreams of creating a comic book with zero clue how to do it or where to start. In that time, "Jamie Jupiter" now has ten published volumes, her own website, and a couple hundred dedicated followers. Just a year ago, I wanted to branch out and write traditional books. Now I've created an author website and have three self-published books under my belt. All of these things I NEVER thought I'd be able to do. But it's thanks to my family and friends and all of YOU guys that I've gotten as far as I have, and I can't wait to see how much further I go in the next year!

And just know that whatever project YOU'RE working on, I'm rooting for you too! The world needs as many creative minds as possible, and your unique voice deserves to be one of them.  <3

Things I Got Done This Week

--continued coloring the next "Jamie Jupiter" episode

--continued writing my next "Rini Boe" book

--began putting together two new "Top 10" countdown lists for my YouTube channel (and themed for the upcoming spooky season! Stay tuned for the fun!)

Do you want to see behind-the-scenes photos, short story previews, and commentary on all these projects? All of this is available in my totally free newsletter! The next one comes out October 14th!