We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marissa Nguyen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Marissa , 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’m working on it 😅. This is an ongoing battle that I struggle to overcome. When things are good they’re really good. When things are slow this ugly monster starts to rear its head.
For example, if a market is going slow and I’m not making any sales and I perceive the people around me are making sales the self doubt REALLY starts to creep in…”omg. Does my work suck? Is it bad?…am I going to…cry???😅Are people around me afraid to tell me I should stop? Did I make a mistake making this a business? Are my prices too high? Too low? Is my work boring?” These are not healthy thoughts and they’re deeply rooted in anxiety and a fear of failure.
Last year was really bad. I truly understood what people meant when they said there are risks in business. I did about 40 markets and threw spaghetti at the wall trying everything like new pop ups including some really expensive ones and I didn’t come out on top.
In therapy, I was able to understand that I only questioned my work when sales were low. But there are so many factors that have nothing to do with whether or not I was good enough. I only wanted it to be so I could have control over what was happening. If it was about me then I could fix it. It was really difficult (and it still is) to accept that sometimes it’s out of my hands. Sometimes it’s the traffic, market attendee demographics, weather etc. and the he economy is going to economy.
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?
Hi:) My name is Marissa.
I make lightweight, durable and hypoallergenic polymer clay jewelry and trinket dishes all in house (read: I create in my studio aka the corner of my bedroom in LIC and bake pieces in my oven). I started at the end of 2020. After almost a year of not working, I decided to put some unemployment money towards supplies and now my pandemic baby is 3 years old and some change.
My specialty is intricate detailed work. I create in microbatches or made to order to minimize waste. I use my sanding and drilling bits to make resin earrings. So far, I’ve donated almost 5k to charities through a percentage of profits and fundraisers.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think those qualities are watching, learning and trying. In a nutshell, be curious and give it a shot.
My mom is very artistic and I think I caught the bug from her. Arts and crafts were easily accessible in our household. I loved using my hands. I’m a visual learner and I think I gained a lot of confidence by watching and doing. My mom always told me I was very observant. After watching my mother give herself a French braid hairdo I was able to mimic the motions and do it myself. I was in second grade 😂. I can’t tell you if it was good but I did it. I also remember spending summers with my mom at her nail shop and watching her do nail designs. At 10 years old, I was able to give myself a French manicure.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I hope that therapy is tomorrow is usually my thinking 😂. It’s really difficult for me to pull away from my desk when I’m overwhelmed. There’s an anxious part of me that thinks if I do more now I’ll have less to do later and that’s never true. There’s always something to do but I can take a break RIGHT NOW. I have to physically leave my work desk. Even better if I leave the room. If that seems too much as times there is always the floor. It’s amazing what just laying on the ground on your back or stomach and taking deep breaths can do. I love restorative yoga so I’ll take some of those stretches and poses and implement them at home.
Contact Info:
- Website: filthymariatelier.com
- Instagram: Filthy_mari_atelier
