Meet Jon Lybrook

We recently connected with Jon Lybrook and have shared our conversation below.

Jon, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story, lessons, and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how to describe in words now, 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.
One of the core survival attributes given to some animals from nature is the ability to blend in. Those animals that don’t blend in with their surroundings are sometimes eaten.

To be an imposter is to fail to blend in by not demonstrating an astute grasp of the terrain, domain, and other requisite ‘virtue signals’ proving your pedigree and legitimacy.

As a child of technical recruiters who moved around frequently growing up, I had unique challenges fitting in. Every new school, and stage of maturity brought a new set of trials, and bullies to contend with. (The bullies haven’t gone away, by the way, they’ve just evolved into older sociopaths!). Over time I’ve also gotten to see other people struggle with fitting in and how they handled it. Ultimately you have to stand alone with your convictions, accept the consequences, and improve with each new opportunity.

I’ve worked at everything, from being a dishwasher to stage manager, from web programmer of security applications to print publisher for legendary artists. Since my first job as a paperboy at age 10, I have either outgrown, been promoted or fired from every job I’ve ever had. At some point you realize most other people have not had a pure track record in their profession as well, and that’s okay. There is not a prescribed path of requisite classes or formal position titles that are guaranteed to result in a rewarding career journey.

Many of us have come into our careers or businesses from different fields. When I wear a hat, I take on the role and do my best to learn about how to do the job most efficiently and effectively. If I don’t, the competition will help me learn faster, or will push me out of business entirely. Which has happened to me more than once in my business career. I watched it happen to many other small entrepreneurs as well, sadly. The world moves quickly. Not everyone can be the best at a given job. If you can’t be the greatest, find your key differentiator that sets you apart from the competition, and market it.

I try to provide quality, detailed communications to my artists and vendors, as I would want from them. I never claim or imply I know everything, and wouldn’t trust anyone implying they did. Having studied and worked in the arts as well as in technology for a few decades, I’ve held many different roles and over time developed confidence in my experience. When I didn’t have confidence or experience, I compensated by being more attentive, and working harder. Determination tempered with reason and experience usually results in better personal character, as well as insight as to the competence, trustworthiness, and professionalism of others. When you see those same positive qualities reflected in others over time that you earned yourself, you know when they are genuine. You can’t fake grit. Imposter Syndrome is a lack of genuine self-trust.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as good handshake deal anymore. Get everything in writing. There are true imposters who prey on people without self-confidence. Learn who these people are and the kinds of tools these con artists employ. The proper use of one’s attorney saves alot of time and money in the long run.  Some con artists get even more shifty when they are asked to sign on the dotted line, so it makes for a reasonable test of integrity. A written agreement also helps bring any genuine, logistical concerns to the surface. Clients who have no consideration for your work process and just want control all the time are a huge red flag. We want clients we can cooperate with, and trust. In exchange for that trust, in writing, we commit work to their project. Clients who sign right away and those who kick the can down the road for as long as possible are not being genuine and can be safely fired – sooner the better!

In conclusion, I’d say worry less about yourself and look closer at others in the case of imposter syndrome. A true imposter is someone who is intentionally being dishonest. No amount of business potential is worth having to commit to a project with someone who lies to you, for any reason. The person who lies is the imposter, not the less experienced, but honest person trying to do a good job.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Sure. Since my parents helped scientists find jobs for a living, and my mother had a degree in Art History, I grew up in a home environment that encouraged the study of art and science. All my progress in computers, photogravure, and printmaking is credited to the scientific method. Out of gratitude to those who came before me, I share most of my background and custom research in polymer photogravure printmaking our shop’s art blog https://photogravure.intaglioeditions.com

Since 2006, my company Intaglio Editions LLC, has provided both photogravure/intaglio and inkjet editioning services to artists and businesses. Old-school, archival approaches to contemporary printmaking is our specialty.  We also make quality inkjet print editions using state-of-the-art equipment and materials. See https://shop.intaglioeditions.com for more info about our printmaking services.  We mostly print for artists, photographers, other printmakers, as well as galleries and handmade book publishers.

This year we are publishing an exclusive, open edition of inkjet prints of musician Peter Gabriel, from vintage photographs by his friend and legendary bass player Tony Levin. These prints are being released in coordination with Peter’s world tour starting May 18, 2023 in Krakow, Poland.  See https://TonyLevinPrints.com  This kind of project allows us to work on historic art, publish and put it in the hands of regular people and potentially introduce some of them to the world of fine art collecting is thrilling.  To paraphrase the great avant garde filmmaker and artist Stan Brakhage, what are we doing if not moving the culture or the medium forward? Read about my connection to Brakhage when he was living and teaching in Colorado here: http://jon.lybrook.com/index.php/gift-from-stan-brakhage/

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’d say the three best qualities anyone in any profession can have are:

1. A genuine curiosity in your craft and in addition, cultivate a deep understanding of how it can help with other people’s needs and goals.
2. Knowing your craft to the point that you can confidently talk to others about it in your sleep, and have it make sense!
3. A willingness to share your knowledge in some detail to anyone interested, at an appropriate level of detail.

The need to cultivate a professional interest in the people you work with and depend on should not be overlooked. Don’t rely on people who don’t care about you, or those who don’t have a professional obligation to provide you with good work. The road to hell is paved with well-intended volunteers.

My best advice on how to have a career you love is to know your personal biases about yourself and those of your key players intimately, and try to not be swayed by them. Learn to live with uncertainty without anxiety. How? Know what you are smart about, as well as what you are stupid about, and be vigilant about keeping yourself and others out of harm’s way in your quest to make a good and lasting impression on the world, and the people you care about. Being a part of a project people or society as a whole cares about is key to having meaning for most of us. Surround yourself with people better than yourself as much as possible to deepen that understanding. The side benefit is it sometimes allows you to create new opportunities that never existed for you before.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
 Yes! We are always looking for artists with a following of fans and collectors to publish editions with! We love to work with photographers and other artists with a need for creating traditional photogravure prints made from affordable polymer plates. We have a process to make these plates resulting in the smoothest continuous tones this process allows for. Some of our more noteworthy collaborators include:

* Tony Levin – New York bassist to Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, California Guitar Trio and others. https://TonyLevinPrints.com
* Paul Richards – L.A.-based founding member of California Guitar Trio) – http://PaulRichardsPrints.com
* Jerry LoFaro – Celestial Seasonings airbrush and digital artist – https://timeless-prints.com/jerry-lofaro-fine-art-photography/

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Photo credits : Tony Levin, and Jon and Bonnie Lybrook

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