Overcoming Photographers' Imposter Syndrome
At the end of each year, I reflect on the images I’ve created and the people I’ve had an opportunity to impact, along with reviewing my successes and failures. And each year, when doing this, I always feel like an imposter. The term Imposter Syndrome is genuine for many professional photographers because, at times, they have a persistent feeling that they are a fraud despite their achievements.
The term “imposter syndrome” helps describe how we feel despite our achievements; we often fear that we will be exposed to our flaws or shortcomings as professional photographers. This is exaggerated because nearly everyone with a cell phone is now a professional photographer. Social media is filled with incredible images generated from artificial intelligence software, the newest simple-to-use and creative editing software.
We are so bombarded with so much information from all directions it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed and marginalized. In today’s world, the term “imposter syndrome” has been reconceptualized as a public feeling, making more and more new photographers and even experienced photographers feel that they are not enough and need to learn more. We spend a lot of time discovering our gaps or lack of knowledge that we forget to look at our successes.
Here are some signs that you might be experiencing “imposter syndrome”:
- You tend to procrastinate or over-prepare for a photo shoot.
- You feel like your work will never be good enough.
- You find yourself constantly comparing yourself to other photographers.
- You always think about what other people think about your images and business choices.
- You feel embarrassed when asked what you do for a living.
- You feel out of place at professional events and networking opportunities.
- You undervalue your work, thus undercutting your price, so you barely make a living wage.
- You never feel that your image is finished and go back and tweak and fix.
- You discount your achievements and chalk it up to luck.
- You have a lot of abandoned photographic work because you have a hard time finishing them because all conditions are not suitable, or you need to learn something new.
- You are easily overwhelmed with anxiety when working as a photographer because of fear of failing.
- You need help accepting compliments for your work.
Believe it or not, as creatives we are procumbent to all these doubts and are susceptible to “imposter syndrome” feelings. The reality is being a creative person doing creative work makes everyone vulnerable to feeling inadequate. According to Dr. Valerie Young, there are five different “imposter syndrome” types. As a professional photographer, it feels like I experience all five constantly simultaneously.
- The Perfectionist – Many professional photographers have almost unattainable expectations for themselves and take it hard when they cannot achieve perfection in everything they do. They rarely enjoy their successes; instead, they seek what they could have done better or differently to get better results. The perfectionist also allows fear to freeze them from trying something because they might make a mistake or, worse, fail.
- The Expert – As professional photographers, we feel in many ways we must be the expert at everything we do and put a lot of pressure on ourselves to learn everything there is to know about each topic related to photography, business, marketing, and the million other things we need to know as business owners. We spend a lot of time researching information to validate ourselves because we fear that someone might call us out as a fraud if we don’t know all the answers.
- The Soloist – So many professional photographers are one-person businesses and refuse to let go of their perception of control because if they let go, they are inadequate. Many of us feel if we ask for help or receive assistance, it is a sign that we failed and sends us spiraling into self-doubt and self-imposed sense of shortcomings.
- The Natural Genius – Sometimes, we feel that everything should be easy to master and that we will accomplish each task and skill with ease. Then reality hits, and we become frustrated because we struggle to understand a concept or skill, building on our self-doubt and affirming our greatest fear that we are a fraud. Once this happens, because they fear embarrassment or shame if they can’t do it from the start.
- The Superhero – As professional photographers, we sometimes need to be masterful in all aspects of our lives. Photography, editing, work, school, and even our relationships are equally held to the same high standards. We constantly push ourselves to work unrealistically hard, often leading to burnout. We can see ourselves as failures if we fail to meet any of these areas in our lives.
The first thing we need to do to overcome our “imposter syndrome” is recognize when we start to have these feelings and acknowledge them. Once you can identify your feelings, you can take action to address them and work to pinpoint their root cause. Accept your uncomfortable feelings; in fact, thank those feelings because those feelings are telling you that you are out of your comfort zone and experiencing something that is challenging you. Challenges are good.
Take a moment to write down your feelings. Don’t write a book; write a few bullet points to help you identify the experience or feelings. Then, reflect on how you want to feel and determine how to adjust your mindset to understand your thoughts and behaviors better, helping you separate feelings from facts.
Identify how you can reframe your thinking and experiences into a more positive experience. I’ve found that creating short lists on a sticky note is a great way to reframe my mindset. Creating short lists on throw-away paper allows me to identify my feelings, fears, and ideas on overcoming them. Then I start to formulate changes, and when I no longer need the sticky note, I celebrate a minor success and throw away the note. I’ve achieved a small victory and accepted that I’m growing as a person.
For me, the hardest thing is to find a mentor and talk to them about my fears of inadequacy. As hard as it is, I will find a trusted mentor for support and encouragement. Doing this helps me recognize my feelings and opens me to sharing strategies on how to deal with
negative emotions. Additionally, having a mentor helps me accept that I am not the only person with challenges.
I realized long ago that everyone has faults, and no one is perfect. We are all a work in progress; we struggle with self-doubt and are trying to figure things out. I have learned to be comfortable with being wrong, failing, and making mistakes; I spend a lot of time teaching students that the best way to learn photography is to make many mistakes, take ownership, and figure out how not to make the same mistake twice. By learning how to fail, I’ve built a resistance to self-doubt and fear of failure. I believe it’s called having a growth mindset and accepting that new things will push us out of our comfort zones.
As photographers, we are all on a journey and at different points on our journey. No one is a complete expert because there is always something new to learn or a different perspective. When we spend time comparing ourselves to others or trying to mirror other photographers, we might be able to repeat results, but we are not being true to ourselves. We are creating barriers forcing detours for our journey. These detours can weigh heavily on our emotions and lead us to abandon our journey. Be inspired by others, but stay true to your journey.
As creative photographic artists, we must own ourselves. There is no one like you, with your experiences or perspectives, and no one can create exactly like you. This is the self-love part of being a creative person. When we love ourselves and our work, we grow confident and steadily turn our backs on our “imposter syndrome.”
I think the lesson for all aspiring and old-school professional photographers is to understand that sometimes we all experience “imposter syndrome.” We need to stop focusing on moments when we feel we do not have enough experience or are just “pretending” to fit in and realize that we hardly ever reflect on those moments when we are not imposters. Remember, for
every moment we might feel inadequate, thousands of moments were previously challenging but now mundane.
We live in a visual world filled with pressure and often tend to self-doubt; it is positively rejuvenating to remember just how normal your abnormal career has become. You got this!