Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anna Lee. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Anna, 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.
I don’t think I have or ever will overcome imposter syndrome, I use my work ethic to gain, and pair it with my experience to exist at all. Education has helped me secure my goals and aims, but I doubt I’ll ever overcome feeling outside the norm. Typically, my anxiety outweighs my presence, but I hide this really well, at least I like to think I hide it. Some people who really know me, have made statements or comments about it but it’s not something I manage well. I have put so much into being where I am, and other people acknowledge that I’m where I’m supposed to be in my field. However, to me, I’ve always got to do more and be better to feel like I belong. Feeling like I’m an imposter makes me feel fear daily, but it pushes me to be the best and I think this matters more than moments of uncomfortable points. I’d say that I’ll never be satisfied with being normal anyway, and this suits me.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
A large part of what I do is freelance art handling and installation for Museums, Art Centers, and Galleries with some Hotel/Motel/Personal gigs on the side. Holding art, and hanging it is something I can’t replace with words, it floors me if I had to be specific. Even volunteering my time to this craft or trade is worth every moment because it’s intoxicating. One of the biggest rushes I’ve ever experienced is un-crating art, unwrapping it and seeing a piece for the first time. Not a photograph or magazine article, and definitely not a social media post but the real thing. This brilliant creation, that speaks its own language and has a presence unlike people themselves. It’s fantastic.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Being an artist, pushed my career into handling art, exposure, and references. Easily the best way to get a foot in the door is to be apart of the threshold that is apart of the thing. Working in museums gave me an edge unlike most other people, I had a mentor, interned, and pursued this one thing above everything else. Nothing in my life means more to me than art itself and installation work. All my eggs are in this basket, and I’d have it no other way. Being humble though, gave me everything else, and it’s the most important bit of knowledge in the field. If you are humble, every part of the process matters, and this elevates you.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
In art handling and installation, the “Boys Club” is the hardest thing to overcome. It’s ruthless. Probably the worst part and then theirs the elitists, they don’t like abnormal people, the people with like alphabet soup for credentials. Those people can be difficult to work with, but manageable. The hardest parts and just aspects of what I’ve experienced. So, it’s not an accurate portrait but just an acknowledgement.
