We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brandon Powell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brandon below.
Brandon, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
From my corporate career to my art career, imposter syndrome is something that has chased me much of my professional life. I have been the first to do something in situations, or the only person that looks like me in multiple situations throughout my career. Not having that blueprint or example to follow makes it very easy to feel imposter syndrome. In my past corporate life, setting up brand marketing strategies, systems, and departments for companies where very few, if any, people look like me left a lot of room for imposter syndrome. Likewise, the speed at which my art career is progressing is leaving me with that familiar feeling.
I use a number of tools to overcome imposter syndrome, but the one that works best is stacking wins. I am a perpetual goal setter, but I like to break large goals into smaller accomplishments in order to stack minor wins on the way to larger victories. Then I believe myself. Not necessarily what I’m saying to myself, although positive self-talk is mandatory, but rather I believe in the wins. If I consistently stack wins it’s hard to feel like an imposter at something when I keep winning. The times when I don’t win are important as well because they allow me to stay balanced on the spectrum between imposter syndrome and narcissism.
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?
After spending 14 years in corporate branding and marketing, I was laid off twice in one year. After dealing with anxiety, depression, and everything else that comes with being laid off, I decided to stop applying for jobs after a certain time each day and instead focus on doing something that made me happy. That ended up being painting.
While I have been an artist my whole life, drawing since I could remember, I never spent time painting, except for the few pieces I painted to fill the walls of my house. This exercise of painting everyday got rid of my anxiety and depression and created a cohesive body of work (8 paintings) I called The Stuff of Legend vol. I. This collection represents the joy of nostalgia, while recognizing growth. I ended up selling out this collection at my first art show. It’s been a whirlwind experience since then. In less than a year as a full-time artist I have exhibited at multiple shows across the US and sold over 25 paintings.
What’s coming next is the biggest accomplishment so far in my burgeoning career, I will be exhibiting at the Florence Biennale in Florence, Italy later this year.
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?
I think the three most important qualities or skills I developed over my journey are perseverance, adaptability, and faith. Perseverance and adaptability go hand-in-hand. Being adaptable helps you to persevere when situations change or don’t go your way initially. Your ability to adapt will greatly impact your ability to persevere. Faith is an action word. It requires you to do something. You cannot have faith and do nothing. Whether it is faith in yourself or God or whatever you believe in, faith is not manifested unless it is tested. Tests require action. The act of utilizing faith means that you have to have action behind whatever believe.
The best way to improve perseverance is to push yourself to your limit, and go one step beyond each time. Weightlifting is the easiest analogy so if you can lift 100lbs today lift 101lbs tomorrow. To improve adaptability put yourself in unfamiliar situations regularly. A great way to practice this is to do something you are used to doing, but with one less tool or instruction to change the situation enough to build adaptability. Finally, faith is strengthened by acting on the things you believe are possible constantly. Whether you succeed or fail, your faith will be strengthened one way or another.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal “client” is someone who appreciates cool stuff. My collectors are varied, but they have a few things in common: they love dope art, they enjoy bold statement pieces, and they are fun. I’m always looking for new people that connect with my art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://artxbe.com
- Instagram: @artxbe
Image Credits
Ashane Bernard
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