We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful James Rao. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with James below.
Hi James, 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.
Imposter syndrome is something I feel all the time and sometimes it’s not easy to overcome. When I start to feel imposter syndrome I like to remind myself that everything I create isn’t for someone else it’s for me. When other people enjoy my work or products as well it makes me realize I may not be like every other professional out there but I can still bring joy to myself and others with what I make.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I started my artist journey when I took my first graphic design class in my 2nd to last year of high school and in my final year of high school I took another graphic design class along with a screen printing class and I was hooked. When I got into college I started with a graphic design major but have since changed it to photography. In 2018 I got my first vinyl cutter machine to create my first ever Etsy shop and have just grown from there. Now in 2024, I want to expand what I can make for my Etsy shop, do more digital art, and screen printing, and become a freelance photo editor. I’ve learned so much by trying new things or customers of mine asking for certain things that allowed me to gain a new skill. I’m still growing and learning new things to add to my business and what I offer to people.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Some qualities and skills I feel helped me through my journey are believing I can learn anything, creating things I like, and don’t quit when you’re just starting. I believe anyone can learn almost anything if enough will is put into it. A lot of what I know is self-taught and progressed through trial and error. If there is something you want to try, just try it, don’t worry about not being a master at it right away or thinking all the best equipment is needed right out of the gate. Everything I make came from me personally wanting it, I didn’t start out thinking all about how much money I could make it’s all about what I wanted to make. People reach out to me and ask me to make them custom items which I love to do, I love making stuff that makes me and others happy. One last thing that kept me going was not quitting a few months after I started. My first-ever shop did not do well at all and instead of shutting it down I decided to rebrand to what it is now, I had to remember It will be a long time before I’m like the most popular shops with thousands of sales and I’m still not there but i keep going,
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed I try a few different things to try and help get that feeling to go away. My best working solution to feeling overwhelmed is exercise, it helps clear my mind and also get the creative thoughts flowing as well. I tend to just go outside and walk when I feel overwhelmed it really helps and I would recommend it. I don’t like walking at night so if it’s too late to go walking I will take a pause on what I’m doing and play games for a little bit or stop working for the night. Playing games helps me because I can focus on just the game and destress for a little bit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jamesrao.myportfolio.com
- Instagram: photography_by_jamesrao
- Other: personafactory.com
