Impostor Syndrome is one of the most common issues reported by artists in the creative industries, including music.
According to one study conducted in 2018 in the UK, the creative and design industries had the highest percentage of people affected by impostor syndrome, with nearly 87% reporting that they have experienced it.
Although characteristic to this phenomenon is to believe that only you are struggling with it while others don’t, the truth is, that most artists deal with it, regardless of where they are in their careers. Even artists who are successful on the outside, often don’t really own their success internally.
Lexico.com defines impostor syndrome as ‘the persistent inability to believe that your success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of your own efforts and skills.’
In other words, impostor syndrome is a persistent feeling of self-doubt.
Some of the ways it shows up for artists is:
“I think I am not as talented as other people are.”
“This is the latest piece I am working on. It’s not finished yet. I just need to work a bit more on it to really make it sound/look/feel the way I want it to.” – and the piece never gets finished.
“I am seeing people on social media doing great. It makes me feel inadequate, like I am not doing enough. I am starting to feel disillusioned about continuing to pursue music.”
“I don’t feel comfortable asking for (more) money. What if they then refuse to book me and I lose the opportunity to perform?”
“I see other people getting booked, while I am getting nothing. I feel ignored, excluded. I feel like giving up.”
“My last performance wasn’t that great. People came to me afterwards to tell me how much they loved it, but you know, they’re just being nice, and they don’t hear what I hear. It really wasn’t a great performance.”
“I really love DJing but in this day and age, I think you also need to be a producer to be taken seriously. I started to learn production recently, but it’s so hard. I don’t think I am cut out for it.”
“Since getting an agent, I am getting more work and my social media following is growing. Some people reached out to me to tell me how they look up to me and even sent me their stuff for feedback. And I am thinking: “Who the f*ck am I to assess what they do?”. I myself sometimes feel like I’m winging it and wonder when will others finally figure it out.”
“Making it is really about luck, about being at the right place at the right time, you know.”
If any of these sound familiar, or if you are experiencing any form of impostor syndrome, this programme is for you.
By booking a place you will join a small group of people who are on the same journey as you are.
The combination of a 90-minute main workshop followed by three weekly group implementation sessions will help you stick to applying the insights you will gain and keep you on track as you start forming new habits to transform your self-doubt into creative self-belief.
In the main workshop you will:
Gain an understanding of what impostor syndrome is, your specific triggers and what your reactions to those triggers really mean
Start developing a new mindset and learn about new ways to deal with those negative reactions in a more self-affirming way
Lay the foundation for more self-trust and confidence in yourself and start creating greater self-alignment towards achieving your creative goals
In the weekly, group implementation sessions we will explore how you are progressing with applying all that you have learnt in the workshop, hone in on some specific aspects of dealing with your impostor syndrome and provide encouragement and support to keep you going.
The main workshop will kick off on the 3rd of May 2022 18:30 – 20:00 BST while the weekly implementation sessions will be held on the 10th, 17th and 24th of May 18:30 – 20:00 BST.