Matt Korinek
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Photo Proventure Vlogcast

Episode 08 - Embrace Imposter Syndrome?

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Shownotes:

Viewer Question: Meg Raines on the last episode on YouTube.

Actions from this episode:

  1. Find ways to accept or even embrace when you get that imposter syndrome feeling

  2. Take on a personal project that allows you to try those ideas you’ve had on the back burner.

  3. Experiment with a different style and see what you can take from it.

  4. Collaborate with someone else who has an expertise your project would benefit from. See what you can learn from them.

  5. Notice other areas of your life where your knowledge is lacking, yet you feel confident of your own abilities. Perhaps it’s because you don’t know enough about the subject. Stay open-minded.

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Episode Transcript:

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

It’s Matt here.

My last episode of the Photo Proventure Vlogcast on photographic style seemed to strike a chord with a lot of you and I really appreciate all of the comments, shout outs and discussions. I’m truly touched that you’re seeing value in what I’m sharing.

I definitely don’t have the answers, but asking questions, shifting perspectives, and sharing ideas with people who are committed to life-long learning is what fills me up.

So if you know anyone else who might enjoy this vlogcast, I would love it if you share it with them and have them join us on this journey.

But on to the important stuff: what are we getting into today?

We are going to dive into imposter syndrome. What if there is a good reason you’re feeling it? And what if it’s a feeling you should seek out and embrace.

Let’s get into it.

I’ve actually been thinking about this for a long time; ever since I listened to Seth Godin’s perspective on his Akimbo podcast. I’ll link to that and other references in the shownotes available at photoproventure.com/vlogcast

But it was recent sparked by an Instagram conversation with Jen, a photographer from Toronto. You can check out her work over @jn.creative.

Jen told me she is feeling stuck in the style she has created for herself.

In our chat she wrote: “I find a lot of resistance in feeling too defined by my style and wondering how it can evolve? It carries a weird imposter syndrome type of feeling when I veer too far from what people are accustomed to seeing.”

Can you relate?

If not, have you felt imposter syndrome yourself? What was it like for you? Let me know in the comments on YouTube or shoot me a DM on Instagram: @mattkorinek

To be an imposter is to deceive others by pretending to be someone else.

And imposter syndrome is that uncomfortable feeling when someone feels like a fraud and it leads them to doubt their skills, talents, or achievements. Although it was first noted in high-achieving women, studies have found that it affects men equally and over 70% of people experience it. 70 percent!

So clearly, if you’ve felt this, you’re not alone.

Now, what if, a tiny, three-letter word has the power to potentially shift your perspective on being an imposter? That three-letter word is “yet”.

Let’s try it on.

An imposter is trying to be someone they’re not.

Someone with imposter syndrome is trying to be someone they’re not, yet.

An imposter is trying to do something they don’t know how to do.

Someone with imposter syndrome is trying to do something they don’t know how to do, yet.

Consider that if you’re trying to create something new, to find a different way forward, or even to find your truest self, you’re bound to feel like an imposter.

Why?

Because you are, for now.

You’ve never done this specific thing before and you don’t know what the results will be. As Seth Godin puts it: “You are describing a future that hasn’t happened yet, so of course you’re an imposter.”

Remember that the words “yet” or “for now” imply something that differentiates an imposter from someone with imposter syndrome. A person who is experiencing imposter syndrome has an intention to become that person. They are actively learning and taking action on what it takes to achieve that.

An imposter is just trying to deceive those around them.

Now it probably doesn’t help that people always spout the advice “fake it till you make it”. I actually wonder if this advice, coupled with hustle-culture has made imposter syndrome worse.

Better advice might be to "take bold action to create a new future”, but it just doesn’t rhyme.

The second aspect of imposter syndrome is the feeling that you don’t deserve your success. That it was just luck. Or perhaps because you've tricked others into believing you have more skills than you think you do.

I believe that both aspects are related to a saying my grandma always used to tell me as a kid “Ja vím, že nic nevím” which when translated means “I know that I know nothing”. My grandma didn’t come up with it, it was just some old Greek guy named Socrates.

And the way I understand it is that the scale of what every human doesn’t know dwarfs what they do know. That the more we learn, the more we realize how much we don’t know about a subject. Things that used to be simple become complex and nuanced.

Now I’ll bet, that when you first started photography, you didn’t even experience imposters syndrome at all. Am I right? Let me know in the comments on YouTube.

Although that might seem weird at first, it actually makes sense.

It’s based on a cognitive bias called the Dunning-Kruger effect, where people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability.

That was definitely me when I first started in photography. Very low ability, but high confidence in my photos. Boy was I wrong about that. But without that ignorance, I probably would have quit before I started.

As a beginner, it wasn’t surprising when I didn’t know anything. I mean clearly, I was coming from a place of no knowledge. There was so much I didn’t even know, that I didn’t know.

Since other people knew I was a beginner, I didn’t feel they expected much of me. So although I was less knowledgeable, I strangely felt more confident.

But as I became more experienced, I not only gained actionable knowledge, I also gained knowledge of all of the things I didn’t yet know.

I became aware that there isn’t a simple, quick path to success. That even with all the knowledge I've gained, I still face situations where new problems show up. Ones that I don’t know how to solve right off the bat. And I have to try something new, something I've never done before and don’t know if it’ll turn out.

Each time I face these situations I feel imposter syndrome. Part of me says, as a professional I should have known. I should have the answer. I feel that others have a higher expectation level of me, now that I’m considered to be a “pro” photographer.

I’ve felt it at times like:

  • When I struggled to get images in focus when I first started shooting fitness.

  • When I didn’t understand how relative light intensity mattered when it came to balancing flash in dark situations.

  • When I moved from a small and nimble team that did 95% of our work in natural light to a team where we have a lighting crew

  • And most recently, when I started this vlogcast! I feel like an imposter each time I sit down in front of this camera.

Really, anytime I’m trying something new in photography that I’ve never done before I feel like an imposter because I’m making it up as I go along.

But what if that’s what it takes to be truly successful. To create something impactful based on who you are.

What if everyone you see that’s successful is making it up as they go along - at least to a degree.

If that’s the case, perhaps imposter syndrome can be used as a radar, giving you a signal that you’re extending yourself to a new area of growth. That you’re trying something that hasn’t been done before, at least not by you, at least not yet.

Maybe that means we should feel excitement when we get that ping from our internal radar.

Remember that fear and excitement are emotional siblings and we can switch between the two just by changing our story about a situation.

The Dunning-Kruger effect tells us that self-awareness and knowledge actually open a door to recognizing our own lack of ability.

As an experienced photographer, I’m aware of how much I rely on the talents of those around me to achieve great results. Having a great shoot is a combination of many little things done well.

I recognize that luck does play a role too. But I believe that hard work creates more opportunities for luck to strike.

So I think there are two main ways of dealing with imposter syndrome when it arises.

1. Accept it - know that imposter syndrome is a normal part of the human condition and that you’re not alone. Not making it right or wrong. Not trying to fight it or change it. Acceptance is all about letting it be and allowing it to pass.

2. Embrace it - What if you took acceptance a step further and embraced that feeling? Could you turn it into something that empowers you rather than holds you back?

Try these on and see what works for you.

Now let’s jump into some more concrete suggestions by answering a viewer question.

Meg Raines asked this question on Youtube, which is related to what Jen was concerned about in terms of evolving her photographic style.

Meg wrote: "I am struggling with separating my own style from my client work? Today, I am drawn to moody, dark, minimalist photography but don’t think that is what my clients would like. I have only done food photography for the same clients and don't really work on anything else. But, I would like to start defining and discovering myself as a photographer so I am committing to doing more personal work this winter. Is it possible to have a different personal style than my client-work? Or do I merge the two somehow?”

Another great question from the community. Thank you, Meg!

Please keep those questions coming! If you have a question for me, head over to photoproventure.com/ask, put it in the comments on YouTube, or shoot me a DM on Instagram. I always love hearing from you.

I think always hard to define and discover your style fully through client work. It can give you insights into things you don’t like, or even push you into new ways of thinking.

But it just doesn’t allow the freedom to fully follow your own internal voice.

So in Meg’s case, her idea of executing some personal shoot. I’d suggest doing a few! That’s because it may take a while to build up the skills and techniques needed to create stunning shots. Note that imposter syndrome is likely to show up since you’ll be making it up as you go along. Ideally it’s enough shoots that integrating them into your portfolio doesn’t seem random or like a one-off.

The other reason I’d set up multiple shoots is that having a selection to choose from will give you flexibility in how to showcase it. You could split your portfolios into client and personal work. Bright and dark work. Or you could integrate this new work into your current portfolio.

For example, my own portfolio contains a bunch of client work, mostly from the same client. But I only include the work that I connect with. The work that I'd be happy to be hired for, because most often people will hire a photographer based on what they've done, rather than taking a risk to hire you for something that isn't shown in your portfolio.

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you which is better in your case, but I’m guessing that as you pursue this it’ll become clear.

By only having client work in your portfolio, you may currently be attracting clients that don't fully align with where you want your style to grow.

Thinking of it as an evolution may be helpful. It’s ok if your current clients don’t connect with it, as they already know you’re capable of delivering what they need. This is all about attracting new clients that align with the work you want to do. Perhaps some of your current clients will evolve with you.

Remember, style is more than just a way of editing your photos, or the light you prefer, or even the subjects you focus on. It's a combination of all of those things and more.

Your style is you.

Ok, it’s that time when I’ll share a few actions to further develop yourself as a photographer.

  1. Find ways to accept or even embrace when you get that imposter syndrome feeling

  2. Take on a personal project that allows you to try those ideas you’ve had on the back burner.

  3. Experiment with a different style and see what you can take from it.

  4. Collaborate with someone else who has an expertise your project would benefit from. See what you can learn from them.

  5. Notice other areas of your life where your knowledge is lacking, yet you feel confident of your own abilities. Perhaps it’s because you don’t know enough about the subject. Stay open-minded.

Remember that you're on a journey, and you haven’t reached the end, yet. And perhaps you never will. What if the journey is all we have? Then enjoying the journey is how to win at life.

I hope that I can be a part of your journey and help you achieve your goals and dreams. If you like the sound of that, subscribe on YouTube or on your favourite podcasting platform.

I want to leave you with a final thought experiment: Is someone an author before they’ve published a book? But how can you publish a book without authoring it first?

We all start as imposters. And it’s the actions we take that bring who we want to be to life.

So try one new thing, and get closer to the photographer you want to be.

Opinion, Photography, Actions, Mindsets for SuccessMatt Korinek