Burnout and Imposter Syndrome:

Through discussions with fellow practitioners and students, two words seemed to pop up a lot - burnout and imposter syndrome. Most interesting was that these experiences are shared no matter the age and where artists are in their career – early stages and established in their practice - there are always fears that you aren’t good enough, not skilled enough etc. Pursuing these things, we can overwork ourselves to point of falling out of love with the process and focus too much on the outcome.

Participating in these discussions from the ‘tutor’ perspective allows room to suggest things that have worked for me personally and reassure that this is a universal experience that we can handle together. And it seems to all come back to the process of making. Not how perfect the lines are, or the colours your using, or how well your composition works – that thinking too much into it – I mean to actions you’re taking to make this piece of art. Maybe more like your childhood, and how your art was an extension of the feelings you had and the imagination – the scribbles and joy from finger painting.

Making sure you’re taking in the world around you, taking a break from creating and just consuming: to observe, experience and enjoy the world around you. Going for a walk, sitting in a coffee shop and people watching. Talking/ spending time with friends, cleaning your home, cooking a favorite meal, going dancing. Trying something new: pottery, photography, going to a life drawing class, a museum or gallery and appreciating others work. Reading a book, watching a movie etc.

And when you’re entering that space of creating, allowing yourself to make mistakes and not adding pressure to be perfect – have a rough book, a few sketches of scribbles, finger paint a rough draft – just go for it. It's in these sessions that you’ll make happy accidents- ideas that you'd never considered before allowing yourself to get a lil ugly.