We recently connected with Olive Jolley and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Olive, 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 don’t really think I have. It’s hard to explain, sometimes things will happen and I’m like “How did I even end up here.” It’s something that I struggle with a lot, because I’m in a huge transitional period of my life, going from turning photography from a hobby into an actual business. It’s a different mindset, and there’s much less pressure when you’re just shooting for fun. At least in my experience, I feel like when there’s more at stake, I tend to get really nervous and almost fall into this pit of negative thinking where I feel like I don’t deserve whatever good is happening to me. As I’m gaining more experience and becoming more comfortable with myself and the direction of my life, I experience imposter syndrome less, but it’s definitely still there.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a photographer that specializes in music, fashion, and art photography. My favorite part about creating is telling stories and connecting with others through art.
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?
The three qualities I would say that have been the most important to keep or develop in my journey as a creative would be integrity, open-mindedness, and determination. The more sure you are of yourself, the more comfortable you become with who you are and that translates outwardly and makes everyone around you feel comfortable with themselves too. It’s such an incredible quality to have, and I really admire people like that. It makes you confident and more expressive within yourself, and that really helps in a creative working environment where everyone feels like they can express themselves without judgment and create freely.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
My biggest area of growth or improvement in the past year has definitely been my mental health. I struggled a lot with it for many years. I feel so much more like myself than I ever have, and compared to last year I’ve grown an astronomical amount. I feel now that I really, deeply care about myself, my life, my well-being, and my ambitions and it has led me to some of the most incredible, transformative experiences of my whole life. I don’t think I could have said that 3 years ago, or even last year.
Contact Info:
- Website: olivejol.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/olivejol
Image Credits
Pictured – @jeleel, @jelaniwilliamss, @roxybanos, @dev3ra, @itsm4tth3w Styling – @fionarynd3rs Assistance – @johnmichae.l, @jej.fotografi, @janana_27 @viviaanho
