Opinion: Imposter Syndrome
Written by Tina Jiwa, illustrated by Charlotte Leadley, with introduction by DesignbyWomen founder Mary Hemingway.
Over the past year we have interviewed and spoken to over 75 creative women working in various roles and at various levels within the design industry. A common theme – even for the most established and experienced designers and creatives – has been the experience of self-doubt and ‘imposter-syndrome’ at various points in their careers.
Where do these feelings of self-doubt come from and why do we as women creatives seem to experience them so often? Statistics reveal a link between being a woman and experiencing ‘imposter syndrome’ that could be contributing to the gender pay gap issue. Source: Independent (2019) ‘There’s a major part of the gender pay gap problem that no one is talking about.’ In an article in the New York Times (2020) gender editor Jessica Bennett describes the syndrome as: ‘that nagging feeling that you’re not good enough, that you don’t belong, that you don’t deserve the job, the promotion, the book deal, the seat at the table and it affects women and minority groups disproportionately.’
The term ‘Imposter Syndrome’ was first coined in 1978 by two American psychologists, Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes who developed the concept, originally termed ‘imposter phenomenon’, in their founding study, which focused on high-achieving women. ‘Their findings began decades of thought leadership, programmes, and initiatives to address imposter syndrome in women.’ Source: Harvard Business Review (2021) ‘Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome’.
One contributory factor that generates Imposter Syndrome especially among creatives could be the need or imperative to compare. We’re all visual people and therefore continually looking at and comparing ourselves with others is somewhat inevitable and unavoidable—particularly as we are bombarded with the vast range of images on social media. As we all know social media is often a crucial and beneficial way to help promote yourself as a creative, particularly for freelancers and those just starting to build careers. But by its very nature it actively encourages comparison and a continuous pressure to generate new creative work.
When working within the creative industry, at whatever level and in whatever role, we’re also subjected to competitive comparison and often open to subjective criticism on a regular basis. This can come from clients, creative directors, managers, peers, other creatives, social media and ourselves—receiving feedback and opinions on the work you create forms a big part of your daily working life. What can be constructive and a way to develop creative ideas, can also have a negative impact on creative confidence, lead to feelings of being excluded and ‘burn out’ particularly for women and under-represented groups.
It’s clear that feelings of self-doubt can affect us all, so how can we manage it?
With this in mind, we were super excited when branding designer Tina Jiwa approached us with the idea of writing an article discussing her experiences and thoughts on how to redefine imposter syndrome.
How to re-define Imposter Syndrome
Tina Jiwa
You sometimes lose yourself in self-doubt that is so profound you actually disassociate yourself from the person who made those achievements in the first place. You start leaning towards the idea that maybe it was all just luck, maybe you were just in the right place at the right time. Surely, it was not the fact that you are actually talented and have worked your way successfully to this point?
I have had eight years working in the creative industry and I still question whether I deserve my place here. For me it can feel like walking a tight rope between complete confidence or total humility. It is difficult for me to consider myself an expert but I don’t believe I’m incompetent either.I often get torn between a crippling feeling of self-doubt and the urge to affirm myself.
These are some of the common impostor thoughts that I’ve had during my career as a designer.
- I can’t do this
- I’m not a good designer, not when compared to others
- I can’t charge someone for this, perhaps I should lower my price
- I’m not good enough
- Are my ideas even unique and authentic?
- What if someone calls me out on my work?
- I should help them for free
- Who do I think I am?
We all have our own experiences of so called ‘imposter syndrome’. The cause can come from a variety of life experiences: childhood, gaining more responsibility, and a new career path, to name just a few… The thoughts and feelings together seem to cover anxiety, perfectionism, self-doubt, fear of failure/success and the need to please others.
Here are a few ways in which I handle my syndrome as well as negative self-talk in general:
Allow yourself to be:
Imposter syndrome can cause us to feel we are not worthy of occupying a space as a creative. It creates anxieties and a feeling that we are somehow lacking in our current state. We start to believe we need to give more, be better, work harder or conversely, we need to stop, slow down and give up.
Self-acceptance is vital. We should have an awareness of our strengths and weaknesses, a realistic appraisal of our talents, and an understanding that we are constantly growing. Accept that everyone has insecurities and we are all unique, so comparison gets you nowhere. We must learn to let go of everything – including past behaviours and choices that do not serve us now – and accept ourselves as we are. with the knowledge that ‘perfect’ does not exist. Remind yourself as often as you can: ‘I accept you as you are, you are enough’.
Remove all judgment:
The ‘syndrome’ often creates a discrepancy between the perception other people have of us, and how we perceive ourselves. For me, it is that we are basically afraid of being seen as something other than what we think we are. It’s not that we are afraid of setting high standards for ourselves, but of chasing those set by someone else. So, we pursue a ‘self’ that desires to please others. That’s a losing game.
As I spend time re-evaluating my conditioned beliefs, I choose to remove certain words from my vocab. Words such as ‘better than’ and comparisons such as ‘good and bad design’. What if we stopped striving to be like others who seem ‘better than’ us, and stopped labelling design as bad or good? What if we just allowed everything to be?
Wherever a person is in their life, whatever stage they’re at in their career, we should allow them to just be, and accept them as they are. We are all simply trying our hardest with the knowledge, experiences, upbringing we have been given. With this understanding, we remove judgment of others and in turn remove judgment of ourselves. This easing of labels and the removal of the voice telling ourselves we must be like others, eliminates the negative chit chat of imposter syndrome inside of us.
Fill yourself whole:
‘Imposters’ tend to suffer from over-whelming self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that overrides any feelings of success or external proof of our competence. To feel comfortable in our carved-out space, we need to override the negative self-talk, doubts, and fears, with wholesome and fulfilling energy.
Ideally, we should try to fill our cup to place us into a new mindset where we feel stronger and more capable of confronting imposter syndrome. To do this we need to focus on our own goals and act on them when we feel able to. Place value on the experiences and successes from all the steps we take, however small. Remind yourselves daily of your successes, why you are a nice human, why you are loved and supported and why you are a talented individual. Replace the space that imposter syndrome fills inside of you with new thoughts, feelings and actions of kindness and self-support. If we can love others, why can we not extend some of that love to ourselves?
“You don’t have to attain perfection or mastery to be worthy of the success you’ve achieved.” – Margie Warell
Believe you are deserving:
Most of the time it is about the idea of self-worth. Ironically the most discouraging thing about it for me, is not the nagging sense of inadequacy of past achievements, but the way it stifles my future potential. I don’t think I’m worthy of the success I want to create for myself. It is the fear that if I continue, I will be discovered as an ‘imposter’.
To feel deserving and worthy, we have to re-programme our conditioned minds to a new way of thinking and believing. I am sure that many people will tell you, you are not an imposter, but as with everything, you have to believe this in yourself. Celebrate your achievements no matter what size, reward yourself, treat yourself, carve your authentic space, ground yourself humbly into this space and tell yourself you deserve to be there. And when the imposter voice appears, tell it you have new beliefs now and you damn well deserve the space you occupy.
As with all my written pieces, I am not suggesting this is the best answer for everyone. I am simply on a journey and would love for you to join if you relate. We need to stop feeling that we are ‘imposters’ who have ‘syndromes’ and start accepting ourselves as evolving beings who are always doing our best. Let us not leave imposter syndrome unchecked, it can lead to unfinished masterpieces, anxiety, stalled projects, and creative burnout. We are all rooting for each other so let’s squash this as a collective and allow ourselves to live free of negative self-talk.
Books recommendations:
- Four agreements: A practical Guide to Personal Freedom – Don Miguel Ruiz
- Letting Go: The pathway of surrender – David R.Hawkins