Meet Steve Jun

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Steve Jun a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Steve, 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.

I’ll be honest: I don’t think I ever really did.

Like any creative, it still pops up here and there. What keeps it at bay is a quote that I came across during high school by Dita Von Teese that read “You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches.”

This stuck with me throughout the years. It reminded me that just because someone else doesn’t like me or my work or whatever, that doesn’t necessarily make it bad. Everyone has different tastes and I’m not for everyone. In regards to imposter syndrome, I find that the reverse also holds true. Just because I don’t like something about myself or my work doesn’t mean that someone else won’t like it. So even if I believe that I don’t deserve or earned something or about the quality of my work, as long as someone else might believe that, that should be enough for me. Everyone, myself included, has things they like and dislike and that’s the best part about being creative: there’s an audience for anything and everything.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m a simple struggling artist in LA.

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, I came out here to study and pursue acting. I took a drama class during grade school as a way to open myself up as I was a painfully shy child and to pad my college applications and I’ve been doing it ever since. While that had its many ups and downs, it’s still something I actively do and I love it. Though I originally started out in musical theatre, I’ve transitioned more into film but I’m still a theatre kid at heart.

I was a hobby writer when I was younger and I never thought much of it. It was always more of a self-therapy/creative outlet for me than something to be presented for others but many of my peers have informed me that I have somewhat of a knack for it so I write as well on the side. I first started with poetry but now write fiction as well as screenplays.

I was told by a college professor once that this career is a marathon, not a race. I don’t have some big lofty goal I’m trying to achieve; being able to continue being creative is a gift.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1) Be kind to yourself.
While it is important to be able to look at yourself critically, we tend to be our own worst enemy. We’re much harsher on ourselves than we would like to admit and that becomes detrimental. It’s better to find value in the work itself than in the results.

2) Just do it, even if it’s bad.
Admittedly, this is one I struggle with but I always have to remind myself: no one is a master at the start. All things take time and practice so there’s no point in beating yourself up over it. Even those with lifelong careers have bad days here and there. The important part is that you keep doing it and because you want to keep doing it.

3) Excellence, not perfection.
We always strive to do better if we know we can and that can be a powerful motivator. It’s a double edge though as that can create high standards that we’re not always able to meet. If you worry about something being perfect, it can reach a point where you’re stuck thinking “perfection or nothing at all.” Nothing is ever truly perfect and that’s an unrealistic thing to expect. So do good work but don’t force perfection from yourself.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

Honestly, the most impactful thing was that they gave me the space to grow and develop myself.

While my parents expected a lot of me, they were also very kind and supportive even during times I myself wasn’t. They weren’t helicopter parents and they always expected me to do my own work. They supported but they never just did things for me. It gave me this mentality that a lot of things in life I have to do for myself, I can’t expect someone else to do it for me. It taught me to be independent, almost to the point where I hate asking for help.

While my parents tried to make sure I had a happy and wonderful childhood, they also know that the world isn’t always a happy and wonderful place. There were plenty of times I felt like I couldn’t go to my parents about my struggles for support but it taught me how to deal with my own problems. I respect my parents for how they raised me. They taught me that this is my life and I shouldn’t have someone else live it for me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @spiffystevie
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

Youth in Action Film Collaboration
LA Metro
Stephen Chang
Steven Depaz
Lisa Dring
Amir Levi