That nagging little voice telling you that you’re not good enough.

“Psst. You’re not fooling anyone"

“I feel like an imposter”

“I think that being older isn’t great for my work”

“Do I even know what I’m doing?”

Almost everyone in a creative business of one feels like this about themselves and their work at one point in time. Self doubt is common amongst most creatives - from designers, illustrators, writers, and photographers, we ALL face these questions of our self worth.

Part of the reason is our society generally frowns upon creatives. You’ve heard the negative comments about “those crazy creative types”. We’re generally regarded as unreliable, overly sensitive, difficult to work with. Which isn’t always the case.
But these stereotypes gnaw at us from time to time.

Usually when things are slow. Or we look at our work and wonder why anyone would hire us. We’re “taught” as we grow older to become less creative. That being a creative is for only for kids.

And while we’re told to push down creativity, these negative perceptions hit us personally and can drag us down.

Yet, at the same time, our culture also romanticizes and celebrates creativity. It’s a strange paradox.

Sometimes, it feels like the more creative you are individually, the more you get punished for that. If you’re not producing the same style of image that the other 50,000 wedding photographers are, then you’re judged and pushed aside. If you play the game and match your work to the current look of the season, then you’re part of the tribe. You’re accepted.

Ironic isn’t it, that being creative is no longer about being truly unique and authentic, but rather about being relevant and trendy.