Stock photo provided by Pexels
“You can never be an imposter if you know who you are.”
Donna Jackson, local artist, curator, designer and principal at DMJStudio, didn’t always stand by those words she eloquently quoted to The Michigan Chronicle recently.
Doubt. Fear. Crippling anxiety — it all crept up in Jackson’s creative space and impeded her work at times because she dealt with the imposter syndrome and let false feelings of inadequacy take over.
The imposter syndrome is self-doubting, so much so that the person feels like they are a fraud. For others the syndrome might show up at work where they feel unworthy of accolades and have a hard time accepting their accomplishments; it impacts high-achieving people at a greater rate, too. For Jackson, the imposter syndrome showed up during one of her first promotions at work where she was a graphic designer for a Detroit-based library system and later became the manager.
The Art of Authenticity
“People who were friends and, in most cases, were older than me now reported to me,” she said. “I felt so inexperienced and undeserving. How am I going to do this? Will they respect me? What are the expectations?”
Dealing with the imposter syndrome caused Jackson to miss out on money, too, she said.
“When I first became a freelance artist and designer, my life was so very different and structured so differently. I got so much done in less time than when I was doing traditional office work,” she said. “For about a year and a half, I did not feel like I was earning my money or my keep. My value system was off. I was buying into the 40-hours value system and it made me feel, for a while, that I was not doing honest or good work. It sometimes messed with my self-esteem.”
Jackson added that it didn’t help that when she worked from home people asked her when she was going to get a real job. But her values eventually changed and she learned how to value herself and her work environment.
“The fact became that I was more efficient as a freelance worker and I am good at it. It is not about the amount of time but the quality of product and experiences that come out of the time and the outcome of my work,” she said.
Jackson is, thankfully, past all that. As the owner of DMJStudio where she creates things that matter to her personhood “as a woman, a person of color, an urban dweller and as a global citizen.” And she confidently stands firm in the spaces she stakes territory in and artistically helps others show up better in the world through her vibrant works of art often seen in public spaces like parks, empty lots, libraries, outdoor photo exhibitions and more.
“Those questions about ‘do I belong?’ still happen but they diminish with every opportunity I receive and every success I achieve,” she said.
Jackson’s artwork is a piece of who she is and it paints a picture of her most genuine self with each stroke of the brush.
“It is my soul and my true voice. I want to feel like my artwork all the time,” she said. “My art is a daily reminder for me of who I am, what I am capable of, what I feel and what I can do. It keeps me grounded and it also lets me know I can do anything and everything… everyone needs something to help them tap into that.”
According to Therapy for Black Girls, Dr. Valerie Young, a subject matter expert, told the mental health organization that the imposter syndrome can be broken down into these categories:
- The Perfectionist
- The Superwoman/man
- The Natural Genius
- The Soloist
- The Expert
Dr. Young’s book, “The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer From the Imposter Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It,” covers her decades-long research on studying feelings of inadequacy in high achievers and negative thought patterns that are keeping them stuck. Some of the above categories include people whose beliefs range from being the Superwoman/man who gets stressed when they’re not working and they find downtime completely wasteful, to the expert who bases their competence on what and how much they know or can do.
They also believe they will never know enough and they fear being “exposed as inexperienced or unknowledgeable.”
According to https://mint.intuit.com/, studies show that 70 percent of millennials deal with the effects of imposter syndrome. This impacts every job market and even celebrities like Serena Williams mentioned facing the imposter syndrome but is learning to find herself.
The article added that imposter syndrome is costing workers, too:
- Burnout and stress from being spread too thin costs the typical working American $988 a year.
- Tension from unrealistic goals and schedules costs, on average, $2,244 per person annually.
- When not making one’s health a priority, performance falls behind. Lack of sleep in the US costs $2,569 per person each year.
- Decreases in productivity and mood cost businesses $3,400 per employee annually.
- Avoiding salary talk and not negotiating your worth can cost you $7,528 each year.
- On average, Americans spend more than $18,000 annually on unnecessary purchases. This income could be kept or spent on a side gig.
Tips on overcoming it include:
- Be vulnerable.
- Leave your feelings out of it.
- Focus on your strengths.
- Fake it ‘til you make it.
- You’re not the only one.
- Celebrate your achievements.
- Fail fast and fail often.
Growing into Her Own
Jasmine Evans, 25, of Detroit, is a successful businesswoman and hairstylist managing Girl Boss Beauty Bar & Boutique, a salon that her parents opened in Detroit.
Evans recently told The Michigan Chronicle how her success didn’t come overnight — she faced the imposter syndrome when she was a little girl growing up in her parents’ church.
“Well, I’ve always faced imposter syndrome. As a young girl I knew I wanted to be great and that eventually I’d achieve all my goals but somehow something in the back of my head always would allow me to doubt myself no matter … how many achievements I made — somehow, I always would end up doubting myself until recently during this pandemic I started to remind myself of Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me,” she said.
Evans said that her parents were a huge part of helping her overcome her past fears, depression and believing better things about herself.
“Giving up was never an option — our parents pushed us daily to want the better things in life,” Evans said, adding that she is a great stylist but sometimes she would doubt herself. “I would give up; I even took my state board test three times before passing but the thing is, I kept going.”
Evans added that she was overweight all her life but in March last year she decided to take her life back. “I started losing weight. I was almost 400 pounds — people wouldn’t believe it but this time I said I’m kicking depression’s butt. I’m kicking doubt out of my way and I am going to do this.”
As of today, Evans lost over 80 pounds and is inspiring other young girls and women to keep going on their journey — or to even start their own.
“Because of my life and the things I’ve faced I can truly say it has made me who I am. I have a group on Facebook that I started during the pandemic with almost 500 women,” she said of her group called “Girl Talk Hair & Make up.” “We talk, uplift, encourage and teach one another how to be beautiful.”
She added that her journey’s just beginning.
“Although I’m not where I want to be, I’m grateful for being an influence. … I’m still striving to be the best me,” she said.
About Post Author
