I had this on my inbox, unread, waiting for the right moment to read it, even if unwillingly. Today was the right moment, and it felt good reading this. Thanks for sharing it and, well, here I go swimming a little bit further than I have ever before.
Great advice, Cav! I think I get an Imposter Syndrome wibble with every new book I write but the worst one was on my first Who. I took time out to remember why I loved the show and remembered, as ever, the immortal words of Robin Williams in DPS, quoting Whitman: “What will your verse be?” We all have our own verse to contribute.
I've been feeling the syndrome a lot in recent weeks, particularly as my work is fairly isolating and very "shout into the void and hope the void shouts back." Thanks for taking the time to tell this story, Cavan. Looking forward to my Keeve Trennis moment.
I appreciate your honesty and vulnerability sharing that story with us! Aside from being a creatively interesting writer, you're a good guy. Shadow Service, All of your Star Wars work, it's all so fantastic!
About a year ago I was asked to step into a role at my work that I've never felt fully capable of/deserving/qualified for, and those feelings have really increased lately. Reading this really helped. Thanks for sharing, Cavan!
Every single time I sit down to write something, there is always that little voice telling me that i'm not good enough to do it. Bad part is that it usually wins. I've gone a few months now with not doing a single creative thing. Thanks Cav for all of your tips
Thanks! I am a UX designer and I recently started a new position. I have a ton of experience – which means I am much older than many of my peers. I have struggled to keep a lid on the feeling that I am a sad, washed up designer even though I have coached other designers through imposter syndrome. I received a lot of praise for my first project in this role. I am going to take your advice and save that in a file as a reminder.
This post is very helpful in so many ways. I tend only to see the flaws in what I’ve done without feeling the accomplishment in 97.3% that is pretty good actually. I never considered a theme song, but music does have a huge impact on my emotional well-being. Stepping away is probably the best advice here (for me) because I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been struggling with something and the solution occurred to me when I’d given myself a break. I only wrote 200 words yesterday and I couldn’t think of a way to get out of the problem. So, yesterday I started a movie with the kids (The Two Towers) and didn’t worry about it. This morning, when I was making coffee, an idea came to me that I think will only strengthen the world and characters in building. It very reassuring to know that one of the architects of The High Republic struggles in very much the same way I do!
10 ways to beat imposter syndrome
I had this on my inbox, unread, waiting for the right moment to read it, even if unwillingly. Today was the right moment, and it felt good reading this. Thanks for sharing it and, well, here I go swimming a little bit further than I have ever before.
I LOVED this! Thank you! And what a great opportunity, it sounds pretty cool to be able to work on Star Wars! *-*
I believe everyone feel like imposters, you just have to remember that when you feel overwhelmed.
Great advice, Cav! I think I get an Imposter Syndrome wibble with every new book I write but the worst one was on my first Who. I took time out to remember why I loved the show and remembered, as ever, the immortal words of Robin Williams in DPS, quoting Whitman: “What will your verse be?” We all have our own verse to contribute.
I've been feeling the syndrome a lot in recent weeks, particularly as my work is fairly isolating and very "shout into the void and hope the void shouts back." Thanks for taking the time to tell this story, Cavan. Looking forward to my Keeve Trennis moment.
I appreciate your honesty and vulnerability sharing that story with us! Aside from being a creatively interesting writer, you're a good guy. Shadow Service, All of your Star Wars work, it's all so fantastic!
Thank you for sharing this amazing advice. As a recovering academic, I can certainly relate.
About a year ago I was asked to step into a role at my work that I've never felt fully capable of/deserving/qualified for, and those feelings have really increased lately. Reading this really helped. Thanks for sharing, Cavan!
Every single time I sit down to write something, there is always that little voice telling me that i'm not good enough to do it. Bad part is that it usually wins. I've gone a few months now with not doing a single creative thing. Thanks Cav for all of your tips
What a marvelous message. Thank you so so much for sharing!
Love that. Thanks for sharing
Thanks! I am a UX designer and I recently started a new position. I have a ton of experience – which means I am much older than many of my peers. I have struggled to keep a lid on the feeling that I am a sad, washed up designer even though I have coached other designers through imposter syndrome. I received a lot of praise for my first project in this role. I am going to take your advice and save that in a file as a reminder.
This post is very helpful in so many ways. I tend only to see the flaws in what I’ve done without feeling the accomplishment in 97.3% that is pretty good actually. I never considered a theme song, but music does have a huge impact on my emotional well-being. Stepping away is probably the best advice here (for me) because I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been struggling with something and the solution occurred to me when I’d given myself a break. I only wrote 200 words yesterday and I couldn’t think of a way to get out of the problem. So, yesterday I started a movie with the kids (The Two Towers) and didn’t worry about it. This morning, when I was making coffee, an idea came to me that I think will only strengthen the world and characters in building. It very reassuring to know that one of the architects of The High Republic struggles in very much the same way I do!
What an excellent post. I don't need this now, but I bet I will at some point. Thank you.
Useful. Thank you.
#9 is an especially good tip. Humility is essential to any creative process. The moment someone buys into their own genius, they're headed for a fall.
Thank you for sharing this, and thanks for the tips!