We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aric Harris a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Aric, 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.
I don’t know if I ever really overcome imposter syndrome. If anything, I find myself able to recognize it more. That said, I am still very much affected by it.
I think battling imposter syndrome is just like waking up in the morning and getting out of bed. You just have to take it one foot at a time. It’s hard. It takes a lot, and there are just days that you don’t feel worthy enough for any kind of admiration or acknowledgement..
It’s the “fake it until you make it” model. I don’t know anyone in my creative circle that doesn’t feel like an imposter from time to time. But then you get done with a project, and hear people praise what you just did, and then … BAM! You feel like you made it for a short time.
But that feeling like an imposter is always there.
I think it’s a matter of pushing past that feeling constantly, which is exhausting at times. It also means that on occasion, you let that feeling move through you. Sometimes it can actually be helpful to sit with that feeling for a bit. You have to acknowledge that it’s there. It helps to develop humility. It also helps you to truly listen to and observe your work, and the work of others.
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 am a visual artist, web developer, and Tikiphile.
During the day I run 4621 Creative Solutions (4621creative.com) – an Indianapolis-based digital creative agency. I provide website design and development services for small- to mid-sized businesses. A lot of the work revolves around trying to get into the client’s head and truly understand their brand, what they are selling, and how that product can benefit their customers.
At night, I am the principal artist of TikiKitchen Studios (tikikitchen.com). We create art pieces inspired by Oceanic and Science-Fiction themes. This is where my passion really resides. I love creating artifacts that promote escapism, and giving people an opportunity to unwind.
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?
Oh man. This is a hard one to distill into three. I guess I try to look at it like this:
1) Be willing to learn new things. Anything can be an influence. Knowledge and skills are not immediately exclusive – within reason of course. So many topics are multi-disciplinary that you make yourself a stronger creator by at least trying to have a base understanding of each discipline.
2) Make yourself a reliable resource. When I started working in restaurants, I read ‘Kitchen Confidential’ by Anthony Bourdain. The big lesson I learned from that book was that being dependable is a skill that needs to be developed constantly. The more reliable you make yourself, the stronger your work becomes. It has a profound affect on your relationships both personally and professionally.
3) Take “Not taking yourself seriously” very seriously. I grew up watching Marx Brothers movies. There is kind of Nirvana that comes from understanding that this life is fleeting, and the more serious you make it the less you enjoy it.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
I think Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential has been one of the most influential books in my life. It reduced the art of cooking down to a craftsperson level. It also instilled work ethic values that I have used in every part of my career.
* Be the first in and last out
* There is no job beneath you
* A clean workspace is the product of a clean mind.
There is more that I could probably remember, but these stick with me constantly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tikikitchen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TikiKitchenStudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TikiKitchenStudios
- Other: https://4621creative.com
