Impostor Syndrome: The creative’s constant companion

For somebody born in the 80s who finds it hard to accept that the 90s were not ten years ago and haven’t been the last decade for quite some time now, it’s almost impossible to comprehend that 2025 has arrived. Another spin around the Sun. Another year slides into view.

And as it does, I find that while some things have changed for me, others have not. After ten years in the creative industry, I still feel like a debutant most of the time. So, as we career through the first week of January, let me take you on a journey that, if it doesn’t help you, will at least give you comfort in knowing you’re not alone: of course, it’s time to discuss impostor syndrome.

The Impostor’s Dilemma

Picture me: a wide-eyed novice, armed with audacity, dreams, and a whole load of nothing much else, who decided ten years ago to give up his well-paid job in the city and launch himself into the complete unknown of the creative industries. I had no safety net and no qualifications to speak of. I had no relative who had trodden the boards already who could give me pointers. No friends who could put in a good word. I had nothing but an incredibly misplaced sense of self.

That was me ten years ago. And to a lesser or greater degree, it still is.

Let’s face it: if you work in the creative industry and haven’t felt like a complete fraud at least once in your career, you’re either lying to yourself or a mirage. For the rest of us, we often believe we’re just one small step away from being exposed as the talentless hack we secretly think ourselves to be.

I assume you’re hoping this is where I tell you it gets better. It doesn’t.

The Creative Conundrum

You’d think, after a decade of treading water, of never quite drowning, I’d have realised I can swim. But no. Not even close. Despite an entire body of work that would make a pretty decent CV, and despite running a successful agency that last year popped its cork on its tenth anniversary and a new one launching in just a few short weeks, you’d believe I’d be able to shake this nonsense, right? Wrong. Instead, I feel just as much like a pretty lucky impostor as I ever did.

Sound familiar? Well, congratulations! You, too, are an initiate in the not-very-exclusive club of creative impostors. We meet every day, usually around 3am, when normal people are sleeping, wide awake, questioning every life decision that led us to this point. We have name badges and everything.

But here’s the kicker: the fact that we’re creatives makes us more susceptible to impostor syndrome than, say, being an accountant. Why? Because unlike balancing books, there’s no objective measure for creativity. You can’t quantify inspiration. Nor can you put a number on innovation. The subjective nature of our work means we’re constantly comparing our behind-the-scenes chaos to everybody else’s uber-polished highlight reel.

The Impostor’s Greatest Hits

Self-doubt takes centre stage quite often, right? Well, as I say, you are not alone. So, here are a few chart-toppers from my list of professional panic that will hopefully serve as a hopefully-not-too-triggering demonstration that we are all friends here:

The Client Pitch Paralysis

You’re about to present a perfectly polished pitch to a dream client. Your palms are sweaty, knees trembling a little, and arms are heavy. You’ve got that feeling in your stomach that is impossible to describe in words, but you know what I mean. You’re convinced they’ll see right through your façade of incompetence. You can feel it now, right?

I vividly remember a pitch I gave to the first FTSE 500 company I worked with. I’d spent weeks perfecting the proposal, but as I sat there, I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. I could feel my brow getting sticky. Sweat was running into my eyes. “Who the eff do you think you are?” bounced round and round my head. I slipped on my words and almost fell off my chair at one point. I even started the presentation with “goodbye” rather than “hello”. I was an absolute mess.

The Resolution: If you’ve ever got yourself in this state, then all I can say to you is learn to channel the anxiety. I know, easier said than done, but it is possible. And unfortunately, it all comes down to meticulous preparation. Well, not quite. One thing I do now, before I enter a room or go to meet a client, is mentally run through past successes. Better yet, I write them at the top of my notes. And not just on the first page, but every page, so they are never far away. The best bit: it brings a smile to your face, which is undoubtedly preferable when sitting across a table trying to charm a client.

The Social Media Comparison Trap

Frankly, Instagram is where aspiration dies. The days of loving photographs and wonky filters are dead and buried. Replacing that nostalgic loveliness is profile after profile of creatives appearing to be living their best lives, interspersed with artisanal coffee breaks and sweat-free yoga classes.

I once spent an entire weekend in a spiral of self-loathing after seeing a peer’s work go viral. It’s happened on LinkedIn, too. A billion likes for them, barely crickets for me. Everything I’d ever created suddenly the physical manifestation of watching paint dry.

The Resolution: I’ve implemented a pretty strict creation-before-consumption policy. I liberally apply Focus mode on my phone so that screens containing any access to social media are completely shut off to me until the day is out. Until I’ve managed to create something myself. Why does this work? Well, for me, at least, the desire to compare myself to others only happens if I haven’t created something myself. Honestly. Do your thing first, then admire rather than catastrophise about other people’s work.

The Impending Doom of Success

Ready for a plot twist? You see, the thing about impostor syndrome is that it’s not only perceived failure that triggers the beast but quantifiable success, too. When I’d completed a year’s worth of projects with that FTSE 500 company I mentioned before, instead of the much-vaunted sex, drugs, and rock n roll that ostensibly accompanies achievements such as this, I shut down. I was paralysed. Fear washed over me for weeks. And since then, whenever I am even vaguely successful, it is almost always followed by a nasty dose of detachment from the world.

The Resolution: Now for the disclaimer: I haven’t fully overcome this one yet. If you have any ideas, then I’m all ears—feel free to get in touch—but sometimes, what I find works is the creation of my Brag File™. This is a collection of positive feedback, milestones, achievements, and goals yet to be realised. I find that anchoring myself in the positives of the past and the things I’ve yet to achieve brings me right back to the here and now. I say sometimes. Your mileage may vary. I know mine does.

The “I Have No Idea What I’m Doing” Moment(s)

Creatives have this completely messed-up belief that they should know absolutely everything about their careers, their clients, and their craft. Yet, they know without question that they will never, ever achieve this. I call it the Jekyll and Hyde Effect.

Whenever I’ve leapt into something new, I’ve done so because the risk-taking part of my brain has seen an opportunity. Almost immediately after, of course, comes the crippling self-doubt and the realisation that I have just signed my death warrant. “What were you thinking?” I scream. “Who the hell do you think you are?” I demand.

The Resolution: Instead of telling yourself “no way”, try “not yet”. Rather than: “There’s no way I’ll ever know how to do that”, try: “I don’t know how to do that…yet”. You’d be amazed at how this simple shift in mindset turns most challenges into extraordinary new opportunities. They aren’t a potential exposé but rather an ability to grow. Try it. You’ll see what I mean.

The Impostor’s Toolkit

Believe me, as much as you’d like to fake your death sometimes and start a new life as a hermit in the Himalayas, try these simple strategies for overcoming impostor syndrome instead. It’ll save a fairly pricey airfare if nothing else:

1. Embrace the suck: Remember, not a single creative on the planet is satisfied with their work. The dissatisfaction is what keeps us going; that is the human condition, after all. So, if you feel like your work isn’t good enough, then that’s exactly how you should feel. You’re in good company.
2. Fake it right up until you make it: The greatest Hollywood actors have often said they sometimes feel like they have no idea how to act. If they’re allowed to doubt themselves, so are you. And let’s be honest, most of business life is walking around in a suit while feeling like a child, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
3. Talk about it to anybody who will listen: Fellow impostors are a great testing ground for your feelings. Sometimes, those entirely unconnected to the industry are even better sounding boards; knowing that those from other walks of life feel the same has a lot of power. Do you think those lit windows at 3am up and down your street are all people having the time of their lives? Doubtful.
4. Perfection is boring: The Japanese believe in wabi-sabi, the notion that imperfections make something desirable. Having spent time in Japan, I tend to agree. Achieving perfection is impossible. Stop trying.
5. Break the rules: You know the one thing that gets my goat? When I see a designer layer their beautiful logos over those perfect grids, showing you how they created the thing out of three circles and a triangle. Those rules might work for some people, even most people, but who wants to follow somebody else’s path anyway? Learn the rules, then break them. That’s where the magic happens.

The Impostor’s Silver Lining

Impostor syndrome is a good thing. I know it sounds like I’m protesting too much. But stick with it. If we can never attain perfection, then we have to be ready to accept that doubt will always be there. Constantly attempting to banish the beast, while useful some of the time, is not the best idea all of the time.

The way I see it: if you feel like an impostor, you’re pushing yourself. You’re striving. You care. You’re not a fraud; you’re showcasing how much you want your thing to work.

David Bowie once said:

If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.

If it’s good enough for the most remarkable creative of all time, it’s good enough for anybody.

2025 is going to be your year. You got this.