We were lucky to catch up with Rachel Hiemer recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rachel , 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.
For me, imposter syndrome comes in waves. Some days it’s heavy – maybe I haven’t made an online sale in a bit, a market wasn’t as profitable as I expected, I hear a comment that makes me doubt myself, or I’m in a creative block and can’t get what is in my head on paper. Some days it’s absent – I have a great sale day, a client or customer raves about my services or products, I have great connections in a workshop, or I hear loads of cha-ching notifications on my phone.
Over the past year or so that I have been in business I have noticed that my imposter syndrome has been dwindling though even when it used to be heavier on the occasions I listed before. I noticed that after putting myself out there enough times where the outcome was either good or bad, the good always outweighed the bad experiences. I’ve learned that a lot of the value I was putting on myself was based on what other’s thought of me or how many people wanted to buy. This would cause me to be SO nervous to talk about my work with people in person or write a confident post on socials. I noticed that whenever I was afraid to be confident or proud of my work people could sniff the fear on me which would make me crawl deeper into my little imposter syndrome hole. So one day, I just decided to change my outlook on each day and experience. I wouldn’t focus on getting the sales, I’d focus on what kinds of cool people I could meet or I could connect with. Then I started having an incredible time and the confidence came naturally.
I realized that art is so subjective and some people may resonate with my work, they may have space on their walls, and the budget to buy and if all three of those lofty things aren’t there you won’t make the sale. And not making the sale doesn’t take away an artist’s value. The value of an artist comes from how they feel about what they are making and if it what they love. When I create things for me and what I want to do, I’m able to be more confident about it, and it shows in my process. So while some days I still get imposter syndrome, I’ve learned how to move within it. That often times it means I need to search out experiences that make me uncomfortable and start saying, “Yes” even if I’m scared. At the end of the day, you just have to go through some motions to get out the other end and realize you were fully capable even though you started with so much doubt.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a printmaker, illustrator, and florist here in Charlotte, NC and the owner of Rachel Hiemer Studio. I’m the type of person who needs to bounce around from project to project which is why I dabble in so many different mediums/services.
My career in floral started back in 2013 and something that I have always been so incredibly passionate about. There is something really special about working with the beautiful natural world to create something to enhance events or weddings. I love to discover new flower and foliage varieties and finding new ways to pair them in a beautiful arrangement. Working with brides is my absolute favorite because you get to be part of such an important day in their lives. I am currently booking weddings for end of 2024 and into 2025!
My love of printmaking started back in high school with a unit on linocut. Since then it’s been something I toyed with on and off then came back to in full force during covid. It’s been such a fun time challenging myself to use my hands to carve out small details and see a print come to life. I also have a huge passion for teaching printmaking classes here in Charlotte. I often host them monthly at various locations in the area where groups of people come together to learn to design, carve, and print! It’s always such a blast.
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?
Three things I would say are most impactful on my journey in creating my business are: Having a beginner mindset, being open to feedback or critiques, and saying yes to any opportunity that scares you.
Having a beginner mindset is such an important quality to have because there is always something you can improve on, learn more about, or ask questions on. If I entered into a space assuming I knew everything, there would be no room for improvement or opportunities to grow from other people’s advice. This also helps in the art world because it allows you to play and experiment. I feel like it is so easy to get wrapped up in your process and how you are used to doing things, that you forget to play and try something different which would make your work so much more special.
Being open to feedback, in my experience all comes down to ego. Sometimes people see something I’m not noticing that could be really hurting my sales or how my business is being perceived. I think naturally we have the inclination to become defensive or offended, but changing your mindset to understand that person is trying to help you succeed really helps you to be more open to feedback. My policy, especially from clients, is that any and all feedback is always welcome. If I am offering a service or workshop, it is to benefit my clients and I want to know how they think I can improve their experience. People are spending their hard earned dollars with a small business and I don’t take that lightly.
Finally, say Yes! If there is an opportunity that freaks you out, but you know or even suspect slightly it will push you forward, just do that dang thing. Not only is it a way to grow or get exposure, but it will make the next opportunity seem less scary and saying “Yes” will be that much more simple.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
My life and schedule is pretty hectic. I like to do a lot of different types of things and often times find myself overbooked in social events, leaving less time to get new designs drawn or loads of printing done. I have a hard time saying no to people, mostly because I really want to do all the things! So when I find myself in one of these situations and feel really overwhelmed by my schedule I like to get a few to do lists down. First I write out all of the tasks I need completed that week, then fill out a weekly view calendar page with my list of things I absolutely need to get done each day. This helps me to have a daily to do list that won’t overwhelm me and can be checked off as the day goes on. Then it looks like a lot less to get done when I have a timeline made up!
Contact Info:
- Website: rachelhiemerstudio.com
- Instagram: @rachelhiemerstudio
- Facebook: @rachelhiemerstudio
- Other: Email: [email protected]
