We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jeremaine Luber a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jeremaine, 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.
As a creative, I feel like having imposter syndrome is one of those qualities that will always be a part of me for the rest of my life. In my opinion, imposter syndrome is one of my greatest teachers as I grow as an artist. It’s a lesson that teaches me about presence, self-compassion and dedication.
To give a little bit of my background, I’m 30 years old now and I would have to say that the last decade has been the most explorative I have been with learning different art forms, so far at least. I practiced dance, graphic design, modeling and acting. I’m a very curious person and I enjoyed pursuing them all. The year 2021 was the start of when I became obsessed with film and cinema; I feel like the spark was always there from when I was younger but for some reason that year, a fire was ignited within me.
Fast forward around October of 2022, while living in a new city, I had an idea to direct and produce a short dance film. I wanted to create a film about my personal journey experiencing solitude and self-love. I was inspired and yet I had no idea about anything. I didn’t know how to begin; where do I start? What tools do I need? How can I do this by myself? Am I capable of doing this? So many questions. However, I’m a problem solver by nature and I knew that the first step that I had to take was to learn from someone who was in the field already. So I took a workshop available at the time, DIrecting and Producing a Dance Film 101 (I don’t think that was the actual name but let’s go with it.) From there, I learnt the basics and received the tools to start planning. Immediately, a couple of months after, I started producing the film from creating the film treatment and building a small crew. It all just snowballed after that to the actual filming on set, post-production and hosting a film screening to showcase the final product. I realize that It all sounds very straightforward and rewarding as I wrote that but I have to be very transparent that each part of the process was just as brutal. I have never felt so much self-doubt and disbelief in myself throughout the year while working on this project. I think it was due to a combination of things; 1. It was a completely new art venture to me, 2. This project was the first time that I would be releasing something extremely personal. 3. I had a recurring thought that I didn’t deserve to make my art a big deal to the world. I felt inadequate the entire time.
I had a tough time at first and I didn’t even know these negative feelings all fell within the umbrella of “imposter syndrome. I remember the first thing I did to try to overcome those feelings was to just sit with them and acknowledge they were there. Those feelings weren’t going to go anywhere if I ignored them, so I tried to be as present with them as much as possible. I meditated, and journaled my way through. I even talked about what I was experiencing to my friends, even if I felt like I wasn’t making any sense or weird about it. I knew that If I let the negative thoughts linger in my brain, they would never leave. During that entire time, I also had to remind myself to be more self-compassionate. When it comes to new projects, I tend to get very excited and set high standards for myself that can turn into unnecessary pressure or even stress. I have to remind myself that it’s OK to make mistakes and to take it one step at a time. After all, this was a new art form I just started learning and I’m doing my best from what I know to accomplish the project.
Now thinking long-term, I knew that if I wanted to pursue a career in film and continue my journey as an artist, I had to get used to experiencing these negative thoughts and feelings. I realized that my purpose and my art itself is more important than any uncomfortable feelings I experience in the moment. I thought that whatever art or film I release involves not just myself but other people who could be impacted positively, it helped me understand that I needed to let go of all the self-doubt I was feeling because I was only doing a disservice to myself and my work. My biggest learning from last year is that imposter syndrome is always going to be there, we just have to learn how to work with it during the process. The negative thoughts and feelings will always come and go; we just have to embrace them and treat ourselves with kindness along the way.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My name is Jeremaine Luber. I am a Filipina interdisciplinary artist, dancer, actress and filmmaker currently living in Toronto, Ontario.
Involved in a variety of work through art, dance and film; I continue my exploration by connecting to my audience with relatable and diverse life experiences, illustrating that every narrative is valuable and worth telling. I draw inspiration from my Southeast Asian ancestry, movies, music, and nature, which I incorporates into my whole body of work.
I am passionate about utilizing my voice to encourage and motivate other Filipinx to cultivate their own stories in the art and entertainment industry. Through inspiration, my mission is to inspire others to gain knowledge of their true potential so it may radiate through their work and the community.
I recently released my first short dance film, Sol. It is a visual diary that explores self-love, acceptance and vulnerability; a small part of the journey of going inward. This project is the start of my creative journey in film that depicts my emotions and experience, condensed in a 2.5 minute visual.
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. Take risks – Allow yourself to take the risk and start. A great idea is just left to potential until it’s executed. As an artist there’s just something so rewarding about being a part of the entire creation process and seeing your idea come to fruition. Give yourself the permission to start.
2. Listen to yourself more than you do others – From experience, I know that it is a lot easier to ask for other people’s opinions, and it does help at times to gain different perspectives but at the end of the day the only opinion is going to matter is yours.
3. Stay curious and committed to learning about life – For me, continuing to learn new things has always made the process more fun and more about play than work. Being curious has helped me gain new skills, connections and experiences along my journey.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
It’s not a book. Right now, I’m currently watching The Bear (which is a phenomenal show) and in one of the episodes there was a quote and one of the main characters said “We can’t operate at a higher level without consistency.” That really resonated with me because this year one of the things I am focusing on is to create small habits that allows me to stay consistent and dedicated to my craft.
Contact Info:
- Website: jeremaineluber.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/jemzluber
- Other: Link to my new short film: Sol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UlVbQMu9IY
Image Credits
Lorenzo Colocado Alexa Abayon Reggie Gecale
