We recently connected with Joshua David McKenney and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Joshua David, 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.
Like many creative people, I deal with impostor syndrome on a daily basis. And I actually think it can be positive, insofar as it motivates you to be critical of your work and constantly look for ways to improve. But it’s a balance. When the self-doubt becomes so overwhelming that it cripples your workflow, then you have a problem. Whenever I reach that tipping point, one of the things I ask myself is, are there people who have achieved a lot more than you with a lot less—less talent, less resources, less education, etc.? Of course there are. And that’s motivation to keep going. Everyone has a different path to success.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m an LA-based artist, sculptor, and designer, but I’m probably best known for being a doll maker. My brand is called Pidgin, which is also the name of my doll. Pidgin is the expression of my design aesthetic and my lifelong love of femininity. I love being a doll maker because it allows me to combine several disciplines in one medium: sculptor, makeup artist, hairstylist, fashion designer, and photographer.
I’m fortunate to have gained a large social media following, so I also make a lot of videos about my artistic journey and process. My audience really started to grow about 3 years ago, when I started posting process videos on TikTok. Before that, I mainly posted photography of my dolls, and most of my income came from selling handmade art dolls to collectors. In the last two years, I’ve become more of a designer and influencer, creating art and videos for commercial and media projects.
In the future, I’m hoping to turn Pidgin into a fashion and beauty brand that reflects my “doll aesthetic.” I’m currently working on a collection of Pidgin Doll fashion accessories for humans that will launch this holiday season.
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?
1. The ability to identify what really interests you. In my case, that interest was art—specifically, art as a way to express a love of femininity. I was fortunate enough to be encouraged by my parents and other mentors early on. It’s so important to surround yourself with people who understand and encourage you.
2. Practicing and exploring your craft should be a constant. I always made time to work on my art, whether I was waiting tables or doing commercial illustration. In fact, it was during my illustration career—which I thought was my dream job—that I began teaching myself how to make dolls.
3. Openness to evolving. I’m constantly learning new skills—whether it’s teaching myself digital sculpting, shooting and editing videos, or creating human-scale fashion. The ability to learn new skills is especially important in the creator economy, where change is so rapid.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
I find it’s much more effective to focus on developing the skills that come naturally to me. It takes me far longer to learn a subject or skill that I’m not genuinely interested in, and even if I succeed I often don’t retain it for very long. That said, it’s important to be able to identify your weaknesses so that you can seek out and work with people who complement you in those areas. For example, while I’m able to focus intensely on my creative work for long periods of time, I can be pretty scattered when it comes to the day-to-day tasks of life or running a business. My husband, who’s also my partner, is better at handling a lot of the organizational and administrative tasks like emails, scheduling, legal contracts, negotiations, etc.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pidgindoll.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pidgindoll
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PidginDoll
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pidgindoll
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pidgindoll
Image Credits
photos by Joshua David McKenney
