We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brandi Cottingham . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brandi below.
Hi Brandi , thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
For many years I believed I would and could overcome “Imposter Syndrome” by doing more, bigger projects with famous clients and international Brands. I was fueled to prove the naysayers wrong! Reflecting now almost two decades later I agreed to believe and allow others opinions and judgments of my skill, passion and dream to blanket my understanding of me. Those early moments after the rush that came in that AH HA moment at my dining room…..”I AM AN ARTIST” when I courageously spoke to the statement to family and friends was quickly diminished when their feedback, my tribes feedback, was that which only aligned with my fears. One really important person in my life told me I didn’t. have a degree which stated I was what I said I was and recommended I seek a counselor. Even though I felt every bit of those words and they aligned with the fear I also had inside of me which where also attached to a consistent low voice in my head telling me I wasn’t enough for the dream. Fortunately, for me The Rebel inside of me was a stronger presence and all the negative feedback became the fuel source to project me into taking action towards my dream becoming a reality. Those early days where lonely of success, assurance and peace. As my actions became more profound those who didn’t believe with me also seemed to fade away. Recollecting, I can’t say for sure if they pulled away or I pushed them away, the nuances of how I broke free are clouded by the memories of my feverish forward movement. Early on that movement was comparable to baby steps, honestly baby crawl sometimes exactly like a toddler tantrum rolling around with tears of anguish crippled by fear and insecurities, however in time, I began to take big girl steps, which lead to a more upright demeanor, accompanied by self assured instinct which lead me towards those who where willing to open doors, say yes, believe with me and now I could start fueling off these victories and early successes. The transition was more like a hybrid model. The Rebel was still very strong in me recycling the negative thoughts and feelings of the outside world magnifying my inner dialogue. I also had another alternative mode of inspiration as I my action was building story and the dream was now emerging from my mind, to my words to now being seen in the world. I cherish those early studio days in the corner of my living room in that house next to a corn field in Indiana and then quickly popping up in my friends loft in the hip area of Dallas as I traveled back and forth letting go of that past life as I built the new one. Painting myself into the next chapter, next evolution of myself. How those simple moments of my first coffee house show in Uptown and then that day I installed my first series at that Restaurant in Art District in Fort Worth. Those early moments became the proof to the those that I was right about me. Now after all this time my wisdom tells me it was me proving to me that me mattered most. That my dream mattered more than their opinion. I was in a journey to proof to myself that who I was and what I had to share in this life mattered!! However, those where just passion plays….my hobby. It was years after these first moments that I took the deepest plunge and decided to take the dream from art shows and a private studio to risk everything and make this my full time career. Skipping through a decade of projects, work and service to my craft. Looking through the pages of my grown resume. Checking off the boxes of those international Brands that hired me for projects, viewing the map of locations where my work hangs both in public and private venues. As I sit in my home office surrounded by both completed and current projects and take the trip into town to be in my pubic studio and gallery I can come back to the question that started this dialogue…How did I overcome imposter syndrome. My answer is this…I haven’t! I learned how to live with it!! In all honesty just like in the beginning they’re are better moments and still moments of paralyzing uncertainty. Of course today I can lead with years of experiences, successful partnerships and collaborations, and completed concepts. But here I am again staring onto the blankness of my next moments which stir up the same thoughts, ideas and emotions of doubt. Ironically those past voices both from the outside world and my internal dialogue can and do regurgitate limited beliefs of my future expression. However, older and wiser filters allow me the opportunity of discernment and to know it’s just a choice. Do I believe? Am I willing to take the action involved in birthing the next possibility that my expression, just like yours, is deserving enough to breath life into and birth out into the world.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Like many my post pandemic projects continue to transform my work into a new chapter. I continue to take commissioned projects from both private and corporate clients. I continue to accept opportunities of speaking engagements on being a dynamic thinker on the how and why to merge both the logic and creative brain. I have been opening up more time to work with clients both small and large on building conceptual experiences for team building and motivational workshops. I’ve been adding back the opportunity to work with individuals who desire creative coaching and one on one private sessions. My West 7th Studio is still in place currently by appt; using the space as my sanctuary for my current projects, private parties and a place for local and national artist to share/sell their work. My Non-Profit BeArtSee is restructuring the programing and ways we can connect and continue to serve young people from the underserved communities. Open to new community partners and organizations to expand this very meaningful and important work. During the moments that I paused several avenues to which I shared my work the new moments are revealing that most of what was done before will in fact continue to be offered now in a more powerful and expanded process. I continue to lead with YES!!! When a client calls with a desire and design I see the gift in both small and larger projects to be involved. It’s exciting for me to have a variety of clients, each with a unique purpose to collaborate with me. I love my commissioned art projects if it’s a pet portrait, hand made earrings, beer can picture frame, recycled reclaimed crosses, canvas work or whatever the viewer imagines. I love my time connecting with groups, presenting the exciting material of the creative brain and working with large groups to inspire. I crave the “Whale” projects those seemingly impossible projects that causes me to go beyond my personal best into further realms to build the mystical into physical form.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back I believe the most important qualities that supported the growth of my success as an artist started years before I picked up the brush. I made a conscious choice for MORE in my life. It all started with small choices made which eventually lead me down a new path. Choosing to turn off the TV and spend time reading Motivational Books, getting off auto pilot with information was just entering my mind and being intentional about what quality of information I was allowing and gathering. Making different choices about food, friends, how I spent my free time, how I took care of my mind, body and spirt. Every choice lead to another choice and with those more powerful intentional choices so came the output. My life started to be richer, brighter and elevated. Giving myself time not needed instant gratification. Never measuring the current state as success or failure more seeing it all as the process. My advise to anyone who has desire is to make the best choices they can make in any moment and give themself grace their will be another opportunity to choose again. What I learned was the frustration felt during the process became the very measurement to the satisfaction of completion. Embracing all of me, understating myself at a deeper level. Getting very intimate with myself allowed me a road map of where I needed to develop myself more and where my strengths where already working for me. Being wiling to never give up on myself and also permission to leave the room when I felt my time was complete. Be a complete and total demand for your dreams!!!!
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
My personal belief and where I found my magic potion was to better understand my strengths and weakness. To look at my thinking style, my personality, my personal conditioning, beliefs systems, my likes and what I adore doing and previous experiences. I actually choose to see this process of raising myself. Once I identified where I believed I lacked; ie I hadn’t had personal development beyond college. I went to work for my families small company which did not offer training or development I was seeing my peers offered from larger corporations. I felt like people were growing around me and I also needed to put myself in an environment of a growth culture. Since this wasn’t offered through my work I choose to invest in myself. I used part of my income to pay for personal development courses, retreats, coaching, aura readings, books, documentaries, travel and anything else which came across my desk that intrigued me. I will admit some of it was too far out and I was skeptical of the process or information. However I find all of it has its importance into my development and some of those early skepticisms that I stayed curious about eventually my mind caught up to the wisdom. Intriguing to me to think because I stayed curious and open to the idea that their was could be wisdom in things I did not logically understand at the time grew into what I define as wisdom now because I grew into the understating of those concepts. My advise would be to stay curious and keep yourself postured for growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brandicottingham.com
- Instagram: @BrandiCArt
- Facebook: BRANDI COTTINGHAM ART
- Linkedin: BRANDI COTTINGHAM
- Twitter: BrandiCottingha
- Youtube: @brandicottingham6806
- Yelp: BRANDI COTTINGHAM ART
