The term imposter syndrome is floating around a little more as of late after Lewis Capaldi’s documentary debuted on Netflix, revealing that his struggles with the syndrome are leading to the potential of him quitting music for good for the sake of his mental health.
Imposter syndrome is common among high achievers in every industry. The false belief and normal response to stressful stimuli often hit musicians the hardest due to the nature of their creative vulnerability, leading to a spiral of thinking they have been foolish to believe that they were worthy of any accolades and successes.
If you have ever noticed a pervasive narrative of “I don’t have a clue what I am doing” when things get difficult in your music career or your personal life, there is a strong chance that you are dealing with imposter syndrome. It may not be a psychological or mental health issue, but it can be severe enough that it leads to depression, chronic stress and anxiety.
The Artist and the IS
Anything from a negative review to a lack of interest after pouring your heart and soul into a PR campaign to not being able to perfect the song you have been labouring over for months can trigger imposter syndrome. Which will leave you feeling like you’re a fraud or it is only a matter of time before the imposter police come knocking on your door.
Lewis Capaldi certainly isn’t alone in his struggles with imposter syndrome; it has dampened the careers of other highly revered and celebrated artists. Nina Simone, David Bowie, Lady Gaga and Billie Holiday battled it at a certain point in their careers. Naturally, it is just as common amongst independent artists trying to put traction behind their careers as for globally acclaimed megastars.
Up-and-coming musicians hoping to get their lucky break can fall into the trap of believing that a certain amount of conditional praise or conditional worth is enough to break free from the confines of the syndrome, which forces them to look for the negatives and blind themselves to the positives. Even the sincerest praise can be dismissed by thinking, “What do they know anyway” or “They were only being nice”.
The good news is that these thought patterns are often far from truthful. The emotions you feel when this cognitive process is in action are valid. But that doesn’t mean there is any weight behind negative belief systems. Furthermore, you can relearn your habitual responses to stressful stimuli that trigger the spring in the imposter syndrome trap.
What Imposter Syndrome Is and What It Isn’t
The feelings and emotions spurred by imposter syndrome can vary and be subject to other factors, such as previous trauma. Typically, it is a feeling of being a fraud and that at any given moment your cover will be blown, and you will be found out. Though struggling with imposter syndrome can be difficult at best, it is always worth remembering that it isn’t inadept people who struggle with it. Only capable people suffer from imposter syndrome. Take solace from that fact.
Many musicians and creatives fall into the trap of relying on conditional worth for their self-esteem and confidence. It is only natural, given that no major artist has got to where they are without being championed by the right people in the industry and celebrated by legions of fans.
However, in the long run, this becomes detrimental. You can never control others. Therefore, you can never bank on conditional worth to see you through whatever the stressful stimulus is. Whether playing plenty of bum notes at an important show or struggling with writer’s block. Relying on conditional worth and praise only exacerbates stress, leading to prison bars fortifying the confines of imposter syndrome. Self-worth should always be internalised and associated with your own values. Not extrinsic ones. When you internalise your worth, you make your sense of worth unconditional.
It is often easy to confuse imposter syndrome with a lack of confidence or struggling with self-doubt. Typically, people with a diminished sense of self-confidence are often too worried about failing to try to reach their goals. People with imposter syndrome struggle when attributing their success to their ability – hence why they tend to rationalise their successes on other bases, such as luck or nepotism.
How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome isn’t something that should be brushed under the rug for musicians – regardless of where you are in your career. It can crush your ability to perform to the best of your ability, as you will be too in your head to focus on your performance and could lead to you not reaching for or accepting opportunities because you don’t feel worthy of them and that by agreeing to them you will be exposed as the fraud you think you are.
To overcome IS, accept you need to change your responses to stimuli and that unless you rectify it now, it will only exacerbate if your status improves, your audience expands, or you get bigger opportunities.
How you overcome your imposter syndrome will depend on how it has a bearing on your music career. For example, some musicians will become perfectionists, others will feel the pressure to live up to their professional status, and others will struggle to ask for help. Once you find the root cause of your IS, you can start to address it.
For all types of IS, it is crucial not to generalise your negative feelings. Feeling anxious when meeting musicians you admire or performing in front of a large audience is natural – don’t attribute any of these feelings to your talents or skill.
Changing your relationship with failure will also be a crucial part of overcoming IS. Without failure, there is no opportunity to learn, grow, and try again. It will never expose you as a fraud – you deserve to be where you are, even if luck did open the door because excepting the role of luck is a major part of the transformation. Luck is a requirement within today’s music industry, but what you did before and after that stroke of luck matters.
Article by Amelia Vandergast
