Imposters syndrome (again)

[Colin Woods]

On 12/13/2018 at 10:47, John Richmond said:

Anyway, better imposters syndrome than Dunning Kruger

 

Thanks for mentioning this. I had never heard of it, but I sure have met a few.

[MizBrown]

On 12/10/2018 at 03:53, Martin Carlsson said:

 

 

Anyway, who's to judge what is good or bad - I've got no time for people thinking they are better than others. Unfortunately I think photographers as a group are over-represented with people with skewed self-perception, over-inflated egos that needs constant rubbing, looking down at others for whatever reasons "length in the game", size of portfolio, portfolio subject matters, amateur vs professional, RM traditionalist vs microstockers - all very evident during the last few days upheaval, here and elsewhere. 

 

 

I used to think that this kind of weird ego jostling was more common in the arts until I moved to Nicaragua and got to hear any number of people go on about their plans to open tourist venues in improbable locations.  So the artists imagine to be themselves to be worse egoists than the wannabe business people, but nope.  

 

All any of us have in our control is working on getting better.  We can't affect the luck.

 

If we're intelligent and perceptive, we know our faults better than anyone else, and may not see our strengths because they're part of us that we're used to.  

 

Being around people with delusions about hotel running has gotten me over worrying about artists of any kind being more prone to this than other people.  Nothing like seeing the history of a guy who was planning to revolutionize coffee growing and hostel running and teaching Spanish in Nicaragua.  

 

One professional in another forum said that all being a professional meant was that he got paid enough from photography to live on, didn't mean he was a better photographer than any number of people who shot as well as they could without trying to make a living from it.

 

 

[Martin P Wilson]

If you want to experience real imposter syndrome do as I have just done: Go back to college full-time at 68 to do a PhD in a completely new field after nearly 50 years out of full time education!

 

I take comfort that my 20 something colleagues who have come straight off a Master's are going through the same thing. As does a world-renowned Professor friend!

 

I would suggest the best performances come when you control your fears/uncertainties and get out of your comfort zone. I am going to be doing the same with my photography in the new year; no lazy, found images, or anything, for general stock.