We were lucky to catch up with Sara Bowersock recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sara , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Ahhh…. good ol’ Imposter Syndrome! I actually want to talk about how I HAVEN’T totally overcome it, and how I don’t really think it’s something that ever totally goes away for most people who deal with it. However, I want to talk about how I’ve gotten better at handling it, and in a way, embracing it, because I think it might be helpful for people reading this who struggle.
Part of me “embracing” it, is just understanding that I’m probably always going to have this little voice telling me I’m not good enough, talented enough, smart enough, etc., and accepting the fact that that voice is going to show up. But, I don’t HAVE to listen to that voice. I don’t have to give in to what it’s saying, and I don’t have to let it hinder my success. I talk back to that voice now. Sounds weird, but one of the tools I gained in therapy, when I was dealing with extreme anxiety (partially due to imposter syndrome), was that when the anxiety showed up, instead of trying to fight it, accept it, acknowledge it – say “hey anxiety, there you are. I see you. Thanks for trying to protect me, I know that’s what you’re doing, you’re just trying to help. It’s okay that you stopped by, and it’s normal for me to feel this way, but I’ve got this.” I try to remind myself that I’m safe, and what I’m feeling is normal, but I’m not going to let it have the upper hand. Anxiety is just our body’s central nervous response to perceived threat. I’ve also worked with an incredible woman in Denver who has helped me be in tune with my body, and helped me learn to calm my central nervous system, and therefore get a better grip on anxiety. I can step outside of it, and see a bigger picture now. And so I’ve applied all of these things I’ve learned dealing with anxiety, to my imposter syndrome when it shows up.
Another thing I’ve done, is start saving messages people have sent or comments people have posted on my social media, and making notes of stories people tell me in person, about how my art has impacted them – how it brought them joy, reminded them of a loved one, how they were glad my art was in the world etc. I have them all in one folder on my computer, and when I hear that voice talking to me, telling me I’m a crap artist, that I’m not good enough, that I should just go back to a day job because nobody wants my art, and so on, I go to that folder and start reading the messages and notes. (This is why I myself always try to tell people how they have impacted me – you never know how much someone needs to hear that, and how much it could help them get through a tough day) When I start reading all of those positive things, it makes me so grateful to get to do what I do, and it reminds me why I do it, and why I should continue to push through the self-doubt, discouragement, and sometimes failures, that come with being in business for yourself, or, well, life in general. As I’ve applied all of these things, the voice has definitely gotten weaker, and it goes away quicker now.
Lastly, I’ve gotten a lot better at not comparing myself to others – I’m not 100% there yet, but here’s the deal – there’s always going to be someone out there more talented, or better at what they do than you are, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have value. It doesn’t mean that you don’t have a niche to fill, or that there isn’t someone out there that will benefit from or get joy from your talents. I’m not here to be the “best artist in the world”, to have the most IG followers, to make millions (although all those things would be great), I’m here to do what I love, and in the process, bring joy to other people in some way or another, which overall, is truly the thing I love the most!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I quit my day job as a graphic designer at the end of 2018 to pursue an opportunity of traveling the country and selling my art with the Oddities & Curiosities Expo. That actually led to a HUGE blowup of self-doubt, anxiety, and of course, imposter syndrome, that led me down a rabbit hole of depression before I could even get on the road with the show. That is another story all together, but I got the help I needed, and was able to hit the road in February of 2019. That year was really life changing – I traveled to 24 cities, exhibiting my art at the Expo, and meeting all sorts of amazing people, and making new friends. Since then, these shows have been my main focus, and where most of my energy for my art business is going. I even got to do 3 shows in Australia with them in December! We went to Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne. Not sure if I would have ever taken that risk, or believed in myself enough to have committed to something like that without having worked on those anxiety and imposter syndrome issues I previously discussed. This year my focus will be the same – creating art for these shows and traveling to 21 cities. I look forward to getting to connect with my audience in person. There’s just something so special about it, and it’s so rewarding. Excited for another year of slingin’ art and adventures on the road!
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?
This is a hard one for me to answer…and not sure if my answer will be what you’re looking for, but I’m just going to say what first comes to mind – and that is knowing you’re not alone. I think a lot, if not most people, no matter what field you’re in, struggle with some aspect of being in that field, whether it’s creative or not. I find that being open, and sharing your struggles is SO beneficial. For one, it helps other people not feel alone, and often leads to people opening up about their struggles as well, which makes YOU not feel so alone. Having a community has been so important for me in my journey. And that can just be a couple of trusted friends. It’s incredibly helpful to be able to people who can relate, and who you can share things with openly and honestly.
The second one for me has been acknowledging that I can’t do everything on my own. Sometimes I need help, and that’s okay. Learning to let go of some control (which is honestly still something I struggle with big time, in running my own business) But, I’m taking baby steps haha
Third, I’m going to say it again, even though I mentioned it previously – stop comparing yourself to others, and focus on yourself, and your own growth and goals. Jealousy and insecurity can take us down so fast. Get off Facebook and Instagram for a while – I know I have to do it from time to time. There have been times where I’ve sat for hours scrolling and comparing, and letting that self-doubt grow and grow….when I could have been in my studio creating something new or doing something productive that made me feel good about myself… it’s so easy to get so consumed with comparison, and all it does is get us off track, and feed the critical voice in our head. Again, I’m still a work in progress with this, but I’m soooo much better than I used to be, and being able to recognize it, and correct the behavior has helped me so much when it comes to creating.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
“Overwhelm” is definitely a feeling that comes up for me often haha… I touched on some of this stuff in the previous questions, but for me, it’s about stopping, taking a breath, stepping outside of my brain for a minute, and looking at the big picture, and then taking it one task at a time. For me it seems best to tackle the task I want to do the least – for me it’s usually bookkeeping stuff, sales tax stuff, and anything that involves me having to log into a government portal haha. If I can get the things out of the way that I want to do the LEAST, some of that overwhelm and anxiety is alleviated, and I can more easily roll through other tasks that need to be completed in order of importance.
I struggled with procrastination for years (and still often do), which would result in me being in stressful positions. I got an ADHD diagnosis early last year, got some meds, started learning some strategies to cope with it, and confront the procrastination, and that has helped so much. I’ve learned that I struggle with concepts of time, and when I make a to-do list that has 27 things on it, it’s not likely I will have TIME to do those 27 things in one day, which then causes me anxiety and overwhelm because I’ve set unrealistic expectations. So, I make shorter lists for my days now, and I’ve had to start tracking how much time it actually takes me to do certain tasks, which has helped me in making more realistic to-do lists, and helped me with my expectations of how much I can actually accomplish in a day. Sometimes I still put too much on the list, but I’ve learned to be gentle with myself, and not be so self critical if I don’t get it all done…it just goes on the list for the next day 🙂
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