We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stephanie Lamb. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stephanie below.
Stephanie , 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 know that I am convinced I will ever overcome imposter syndrome (says my imposter syndrome). I think it is something that will always sort of wax and wane. The best I can do is try to shut it down when it gets out of control. I think imposter syndrome can actually be utilized in a healthy manner in the sense that it can challenge growth. When that “mean girl” voice rears its ugly head, I have a choice to either succumb to it, or defeat it.
Because I associate imposter syndrome with intrusive thinking, I apply some CBT and cognitive thinking reprogramming techniques that I learned some years ago through a helpful therapist. It goes like this… I have picked out a few “go-to” positive affirmations for myself, and I press my middle finger to my thumb and repeat the mantra either in my head or out loud until the imposter syndrome stops. Once practiced enough, the time I spend repeating the mantra lessens, and it is almost 2nd nature now.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My purpose as a writer and publisher was found when I woke from a long psychological and writer’s block slumber. In my mid-20s, I sought medical intervention for severe insomnia and anxiety. The medications helped with the symptoms but also zombified me. When I decided to start my journey to come off those meds, my brain began rapidly firing, and I had more words flowing out of me than I knew what to do with, so I began writing them down. I then found an excellent writer’s community and thought, “How do I give back to the people who gave me my voice?” I began to map the next chapter of my journey. I spent nearly two years researching the publishing industry and author trends, and in late 2020, I took a leap of faith and opened Quillkeepers Press. Uplifting the voices of others is and will always be a passion of mine.
As a traditional publisher and self-publishing services group, we are always looking for ways to uplift writer and literary working professional’s voices. We run 2-4 anthology opportunities a year, as well as open our submission window for traditional publishing once a year. We also recently started a quarterly literary journal, The Aerial Perspective, and are always looking for interviews, still art, photography, short stories, and poetry to include in our issues. To find out about any of our opportunities, writers and working professionals can visit our website, join our newsletter, follow our social media, or find us on Submittable.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The skills that get me through is not taking things too seriously. It is important to create a work/life balance for yourself to avoid burnout. I have also found that in business, often, no reaction is the best reaction. I deal with many personality types in this industry, and you have to discern between what warrants a response and what you need to let go of. This skill also goes hand in hand with another of my principles of allowing people to “move” the way they want to “move” and then adjust yourself accordingly. We are all beings of free will; we choose what is acceptable and unacceptable in our lives. If you don’t like how something is going, change it; if you don’t like the role someone has in your life, remove them from it.
While I am not a religious person, there is a scripture I quite like, “don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3). I like this saying for a few reasons, one being the biblical meaning of doing things for others out of the goodness of your heart, rather than expecting something in return. I have also applied my own meaning to it, and think of it as “making moves in silence,”. This tactic safeguards your intellectual property until you are able to share it with others. It also keeps you humble by not broadcasting everything you do until it has come to fruition. Over the years, I have found that the people who are always trying to convince you they are “this” or “that” are usually trying to convince themselves because they know they are not whatever they are claiming.
Most importantly, be kind to yourself!
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?
Small traditional publishing houses are not what the mainstream thinks it is. Mainstream thinks we are all made of capital and have deep pockets. However, most people I know in the industry are working 2nd and 3rd jobs to keep the lights on in the publishing house. Quillkeepers Press is no exception.
To keep the lights on and expand while still providing our traditional publishing opportunities, we also offer self-publishing services. We have a wide variety of editing, formatting, cover design, and coaching available for the self-starter author. In addition, we also run a small vintage bookshop and sell the selections we handpick at auctions and 2nd-hand stores to keep the cash flow going.
Contact Info:
- Website: quillkeeperspress.com
- Instagram: @quillkeeperspress @aerialperspective @qkpvintagebookshop
- Facebook: Quillkeepers Press
- Twitter: @quillkeeperspress
