A little talk about good mental health. - GC Forums
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A little talk about good mental health.
As I beaver away on issue 7 of The Embodied, delayed due to illness, I have found myself a little ground down and thought why not discuss it openly. Though it is not uncommon during these periods to let the self doubt and imposter syndrome creep in, I have learnt over the last couple of years there is real power in not keeping it bottled up (a time honoured tradition I have been trying to get out of the habit of).
So I ask you fine people and creators, what are your ways of coping with the negativity of a human mind and the inevitability of imposter syndrome? I ask not to try and bring you down but in the hopes that we can all help each other to minimise the downward spiral and rise above knowing that we are all human. Who knows maybe your strategies can help a fellow artist to break out of the negative zone.
Imposter syndrome does suck doesn't it?
One of the things that I do to help is review past artwork, especially my earliest years, which for me was 2009 when I started drawing.
Another thing I think about is talking to my younger self as is they were feeling how I feel now. IMHO part of learning to work past Imposter Syndrome and down times is identifying WHAT is making you feel that way, and having a conversation with yourself about that thing. Identifying what is making me feel that way helps me solve the issue or know what about me that I need to work on.
Most of what bothers me personally as a creator is the idea that, as a manga creator, I'm never going to succeed because I'm not in Japan, or I'm not able to very easily reach Japanese publishers AND the very low number of western manga publishers. It feels pretty hopeless a lot of the time. But when I think about how my younger self would feel hearing me say those feelings to them, as if I was telling them it's impossible, I realize how unkind those words and thoughts are. What would I say to me instead? I then say that to myself and remind myself that I don't have to follow anyone's definition of success, only my own.
Also, having multiple goals is ok too. If I can't be published, what would I do instead? What else would make me happy?
Thank you for your reply @ArtCrumbs. You have given a very thoughtful and elegant response as always. You raise some interesting strategies. The reminder that the only definition of success being the one you define for yourself is a good way to look at it. That said I think I can be my own worst enemy when it comes to that. I can have a tendency to put too much pressure on myself at times. I do, however, feel there is great merit in taking time to appreciate any goals achieved, however small they may be.
I like to remember a few things I've learnt ;
1. Thoughts shape your life : So I find something that brings me joy. Whether it's comedy or playing my video game. And I process said thoughts.
2. I remember a philosophy of life ; Where there is a will, there is a way.
3. Toph's quote when teaching Aang earthbending ; "You gotta face it head on".
About #3, for me I realized the moment I put a face on the problem, I can face it head on. Like the fear disappears, even when it is a challenging problem.
Those sound like some solid philosophies. Taking time to find the joys in life is something that can easily be forgotten in the break neck speeds of life but vital.
Imposter syndrome makes me beating the bush over being not good enough [which is a horribly vague statement]. I think I'm pretty lucky to be in touch with some knowledgeable people who would give me proper pointer of what exactly are those not enoughs and how I can improve that. I also try to study the techniques I want to hone from how-to books and by scrutinizing the works from my favorite authors. If you know which part you exactly suck at, it's possible to at least make attempt to improve that specific aspect.
So yeah, either I actually study to help that whatever-that-thing-I-wasn't-good-enough-about, or I simply look away until that thought is no longer too intense.