The phrase "desire to be radiant" nearly brought me to tears. I think when you boil it down to that, which is the feeling I didn't have the words for that now encapsulate the need I feel to create my art, it alleviates some of that imposter syndrome. It is such a pure intent that it beats back the some of the darkness that can creep in as one journeys down this (somedays, seemingly impossible) path.
I realize I'm a year lat to this particular party, but I'm glad I arrived fashionably late.
I always secretly judge people who turn up on time, Laura. Definitely better to be fashionably late. I love his phrase 'the desire to be radiant' too and I feel it when I am writing. I find when I strip everything away, all the pressures I feel to be visible online, to be this, to be that, to be 'successful' whatever that is, when it's just me and the words and crafting how I want to communicate ideas, my feelings of self-doubt just disappear.
Oh wow, it's hard to imagine someone of such brilliance having imposter syndrome. But I believe it. "Turning insecurities into content" is an incredible mantra to turn these feelings into something productive and beautiful. Thanks for sharing this. Now I love Kehinde even more.
I really connected with what Wiley says about feeling like an imposter. I feel like that all the time! When I think about it rationally I know that I have a lot of experience in what I do and shouldn't feel that way about myself. But it's interesting what you say about class, race and gender as systemic elements that make people feel like imposters. You can never take those things out of people. Add to that the language that is used around art as not being a proper occupation, and the difficulties of surviving financially, I think it must impact on identity and confidence for many many artists. It would be interesting to do some proper research on it.
Even the Detroit art microcosm is highly competitive with a distinct hierarchy of galleries and artists. You can’t show in the commercially successful spaces unless you’re selling and it’s difficult to sell outside of those spaces, particularly without the desired pedigree of the ‘right’ degree from the ‘right’ institution. There are definite prejudices and can’t emphasize ‘it’s who you know’ enough.
The ones who make it—and by ‘make it’ I mean enjoy a stable existence on an art and art related career—are the ones who are willing to do what’s necessary to keep it all going. There’s a woman in my realm who recently declared she isn’t going to make art anymore because she can’t support herself on it. She’s a victim of the fantasy which we have Van Gogh, Hemingway, etc. to thank for the image of what a ‘real’ artist’s life looks like. Most who are moderately to wildly successful have jobs. A lot teach, which, gratefully is considered ‘acceptable’ work for a ‘real’ artists. Many have some kind of help like a spouse who has a good job and can make a mortgage payment. Somewhere in there we never give up on the chance we might, someday, make to The Show. While we wait for that breakthrough moment, we’ve still got it pretty good.
Kudos on going mostly paid. We have the same bills everyone else has. If anyone should get paid more it’s those of us who contribute to the quality of life. What’s life without art and poetry? Pretty dull.
Ha! yes, I agree. What would life be like without art and poetry. Going mostly paid doesn't mean more paid subs though, sadly! It just means I have shifted my own thinking on the value of my work. The majority of content on the internet is free and people expect that now, it's a losing game for most writers and content producers. It's interesting to hear your account of the Detroit art scene. Those who are moderately to wildly successful have other incomes or are fortunate enough to be in a position where they don't need to make money. I've also wondered about how many artists there are who come to art practice after a career doing other things and now no longer need to focus on making an income.
There’s a group of women here who didn’t start painting until after their kids were raised and out of the house. Elizabeth Murray has talked about balancing raising kids while having an active practice. Most of us need to earn so jobs, that are hopefully art related, are necessary. Very few artists live on their art alone unless they hit the big time, which, as discussed, is rare. Even if an artist hits that level, sustaining that is another beast in a fickle world where art is treated like stock.
As much as my colleagues pleaded for another critical art publication—there’s only one other in Detroit—they’re slow to financially support it because, as you say, there’s so much free content out there why pay for it? Yet are quick to ask to have their show reviewed. Frustrating.
Hi. I wonder whether ‘imposter syndrome’ is an occupational hazard for serious artists who, as Wyley infers,come to tackle the problems in art that the really big names in the traditional or contemporary canons have done. Going up against the big names and their achievements must at some level feel like a preposterous attempt to join that club. Wyley demonstrates perhaps that it is possible to put himself in contention with the ‘greats’ of portrait painting and be comfortable with himself.
He's very conscious, isn't he, or owning those feelings of self-doubt so that he can just get on with his thing. That's a great space to be in. I do wonder how he would feel if he hadn't made it big, if he hadn't received professional and financial validation from the art establishment.
Such an interesting view ! IP is a homogenous construct informed predominantly by samples of white women, and the scales used to measure look at different dimensions, and critically ignore systemic bias. On top of this most of the published research has been focused on the individual rather than the context, what we measure and therefore think of as IP isn’t robust enough to cover the reality of IP in 2023.
Nonetheless, from the literature we can group imposter into feelings of fraudulence, the fear of exposure (which is so interesting when you consider artists and exhibition) and thinking in ‘Im just lucky’ terms rather than talent or skill (again super interesting when you consider the art world goes in cycles and fashions)
The extra things that specifically show up for entrepreneurs (my sample actually included creatives and artists) and I think translates well for the art world, there’s varying control over the visibility of representation of their work. I called this the visibility trap in my research because entrepreneurs need to innovate and be visible to get their innovations out in the world.
Especially for Black participants in my research , narratives echo themes around low or marginal social positionally, visibility in this sense often comes in hand in hand with expectation they will be representatives for black voices and experience
There’s something really interesting about artists though, people with imposter spend a lot of time thinking about imagined audiences, and I wonder how for the professional identities of artists actors and writers that imagination is swinging back and forth at a greater velocity than someone who has a smaller audience, who works in an office for example. My participants describe this as an exhausting place to be, it absolutely impacts productivity.
The biggest theme I found in my research was risk, people with IP have an amazing capacity to assess and manage their social situations according to a perceived (and somewhat inflated) level of risk. They find risk averse ways to put out their work and take part, Hiding in plain sight, behind a brand, perhaps a piece of art.
People with IP actively shrink or contain their world to manage risk when IP feelings are rife! It’s a helpful strategy in small doses. It’s career limiting in large doses.
There’s also two opposites with imposter for entrepreneurs that can again be relatable to the artist community, first up, comparison behaviours (in this context other artists and the competition for scarce resources and the right exposure) that are attributed to avoidance and risk management, and secondly appraisal of collective identity, this appears to be a helpful comparison
technique when used to navigate community, and this makes me think of artist collectives, and spaces where artists are literally housed altogether in studio spaces or presented side by side in galleries. This idea of side by side with others who can extend our network in helpful ways, he clients or competitors is known as context collusion. Mostly we see examples of this online as it gives rise to more collusion without the barriers of geography, class, race etc.. but it exists in real life too, online is just an extension of our real world.
It's so interesting to have your perspective Leila, as an expert with your head in real research about it. The fear of exposure and navigating perceived levels of risk totally makes sense when art is such a volatile field of judgement. People can be very dismissive when art doesn't conform to ideas about beauty or even what art should be. I can see how many artists would feel more comfortable exhibiting in group shows. The comparison with others' perceived success I'm sure must be crippling for some though. I've often wondered what the weight of instagram does for artists who aren't engaged in making reels or constantly building their followers. Putting an image out there and getting very few likes or comments. It is of course about working the algorithm and understanding that rationally is one thing, but the reality is that it can be really disheartening and surely must have an impact on confidence for some.
I’ve had time to watch back the video again and I’m picking out Wiley’s words, ‘the fancy kids and the fancy schools...’ and describing his art as ‘for people on the periphery’ - definitely get a sense that he highlights the inequity through as he puts it ‘self portrait’ .
I love Wiley’s idea of “turning his insecurities into his content” and how that made him an “interesting person.” I think imposter syndrome in the arts has less to do with artists’ belief in their talent and more wondering if they really have something valuable to say to the world. Once we recognise we all have ideas and stories to tell, we can release from that. I’ve seen Wiley’s work at art fairs and then went to the Boston MFA showing of the Obama portrait: his work is so remarkable in person! I know that’s been a topic recently in regards to other artists you’ve looked at in this newsletter. I mean his reproductions are beautiful, but the in person statement: this portrait is raw and real and matters...it’s so tangible in his work. There is a kind of aura that I think comes purely from his recognition of his own vulnerability.
Yes, I think you might be right about artists wondering whether they have something valuable to say. I think the elite system of the art world, which raises some few artists up, gives legitimacy to those artists. It says 'these artists voices are worth something', and I'm sure that doesn't help the rest. The way we measure success is by professional and financial validation. When you don't get that you must surely have to have a strong inner voice to keep going.
Also -- was just reading about the Schiaparelli haute couture show and “homage to doubt” -- made me think of what you discuss here and Wiley’s interview --
The phrase "desire to be radiant" nearly brought me to tears. I think when you boil it down to that, which is the feeling I didn't have the words for that now encapsulate the need I feel to create my art, it alleviates some of that imposter syndrome. It is such a pure intent that it beats back the some of the darkness that can creep in as one journeys down this (somedays, seemingly impossible) path.
I realize I'm a year lat to this particular party, but I'm glad I arrived fashionably late.
I always secretly judge people who turn up on time, Laura. Definitely better to be fashionably late. I love his phrase 'the desire to be radiant' too and I feel it when I am writing. I find when I strip everything away, all the pressures I feel to be visible online, to be this, to be that, to be 'successful' whatever that is, when it's just me and the words and crafting how I want to communicate ideas, my feelings of self-doubt just disappear.
Oh wow, it's hard to imagine someone of such brilliance having imposter syndrome. But I believe it. "Turning insecurities into content" is an incredible mantra to turn these feelings into something productive and beautiful. Thanks for sharing this. Now I love Kehinde even more.
I really connected with what Wiley says about feeling like an imposter. I feel like that all the time! When I think about it rationally I know that I have a lot of experience in what I do and shouldn't feel that way about myself. But it's interesting what you say about class, race and gender as systemic elements that make people feel like imposters. You can never take those things out of people. Add to that the language that is used around art as not being a proper occupation, and the difficulties of surviving financially, I think it must impact on identity and confidence for many many artists. It would be interesting to do some proper research on it.
Even the Detroit art microcosm is highly competitive with a distinct hierarchy of galleries and artists. You can’t show in the commercially successful spaces unless you’re selling and it’s difficult to sell outside of those spaces, particularly without the desired pedigree of the ‘right’ degree from the ‘right’ institution. There are definite prejudices and can’t emphasize ‘it’s who you know’ enough.
The ones who make it—and by ‘make it’ I mean enjoy a stable existence on an art and art related career—are the ones who are willing to do what’s necessary to keep it all going. There’s a woman in my realm who recently declared she isn’t going to make art anymore because she can’t support herself on it. She’s a victim of the fantasy which we have Van Gogh, Hemingway, etc. to thank for the image of what a ‘real’ artist’s life looks like. Most who are moderately to wildly successful have jobs. A lot teach, which, gratefully is considered ‘acceptable’ work for a ‘real’ artists. Many have some kind of help like a spouse who has a good job and can make a mortgage payment. Somewhere in there we never give up on the chance we might, someday, make to The Show. While we wait for that breakthrough moment, we’ve still got it pretty good.
Kudos on going mostly paid. We have the same bills everyone else has. If anyone should get paid more it’s those of us who contribute to the quality of life. What’s life without art and poetry? Pretty dull.
Ha! yes, I agree. What would life be like without art and poetry. Going mostly paid doesn't mean more paid subs though, sadly! It just means I have shifted my own thinking on the value of my work. The majority of content on the internet is free and people expect that now, it's a losing game for most writers and content producers. It's interesting to hear your account of the Detroit art scene. Those who are moderately to wildly successful have other incomes or are fortunate enough to be in a position where they don't need to make money. I've also wondered about how many artists there are who come to art practice after a career doing other things and now no longer need to focus on making an income.
There’s a group of women here who didn’t start painting until after their kids were raised and out of the house. Elizabeth Murray has talked about balancing raising kids while having an active practice. Most of us need to earn so jobs, that are hopefully art related, are necessary. Very few artists live on their art alone unless they hit the big time, which, as discussed, is rare. Even if an artist hits that level, sustaining that is another beast in a fickle world where art is treated like stock.
As much as my colleagues pleaded for another critical art publication—there’s only one other in Detroit—they’re slow to financially support it because, as you say, there’s so much free content out there why pay for it? Yet are quick to ask to have their show reviewed. Frustrating.
Hi. I wonder whether ‘imposter syndrome’ is an occupational hazard for serious artists who, as Wyley infers,come to tackle the problems in art that the really big names in the traditional or contemporary canons have done. Going up against the big names and their achievements must at some level feel like a preposterous attempt to join that club. Wyley demonstrates perhaps that it is possible to put himself in contention with the ‘greats’ of portrait painting and be comfortable with himself.
He's very conscious, isn't he, or owning those feelings of self-doubt so that he can just get on with his thing. That's a great space to be in. I do wonder how he would feel if he hadn't made it big, if he hadn't received professional and financial validation from the art establishment.
Such an interesting view ! IP is a homogenous construct informed predominantly by samples of white women, and the scales used to measure look at different dimensions, and critically ignore systemic bias. On top of this most of the published research has been focused on the individual rather than the context, what we measure and therefore think of as IP isn’t robust enough to cover the reality of IP in 2023.
Nonetheless, from the literature we can group imposter into feelings of fraudulence, the fear of exposure (which is so interesting when you consider artists and exhibition) and thinking in ‘Im just lucky’ terms rather than talent or skill (again super interesting when you consider the art world goes in cycles and fashions)
The extra things that specifically show up for entrepreneurs (my sample actually included creatives and artists) and I think translates well for the art world, there’s varying control over the visibility of representation of their work. I called this the visibility trap in my research because entrepreneurs need to innovate and be visible to get their innovations out in the world.
Especially for Black participants in my research , narratives echo themes around low or marginal social positionally, visibility in this sense often comes in hand in hand with expectation they will be representatives for black voices and experience
There’s something really interesting about artists though, people with imposter spend a lot of time thinking about imagined audiences, and I wonder how for the professional identities of artists actors and writers that imagination is swinging back and forth at a greater velocity than someone who has a smaller audience, who works in an office for example. My participants describe this as an exhausting place to be, it absolutely impacts productivity.
The biggest theme I found in my research was risk, people with IP have an amazing capacity to assess and manage their social situations according to a perceived (and somewhat inflated) level of risk. They find risk averse ways to put out their work and take part, Hiding in plain sight, behind a brand, perhaps a piece of art.
People with IP actively shrink or contain their world to manage risk when IP feelings are rife! It’s a helpful strategy in small doses. It’s career limiting in large doses.
There’s also two opposites with imposter for entrepreneurs that can again be relatable to the artist community, first up, comparison behaviours (in this context other artists and the competition for scarce resources and the right exposure) that are attributed to avoidance and risk management, and secondly appraisal of collective identity, this appears to be a helpful comparison
technique when used to navigate community, and this makes me think of artist collectives, and spaces where artists are literally housed altogether in studio spaces or presented side by side in galleries. This idea of side by side with others who can extend our network in helpful ways, he clients or competitors is known as context collusion. Mostly we see examples of this online as it gives rise to more collusion without the barriers of geography, class, race etc.. but it exists in real life too, online is just an extension of our real world.
It's so interesting to have your perspective Leila, as an expert with your head in real research about it. The fear of exposure and navigating perceived levels of risk totally makes sense when art is such a volatile field of judgement. People can be very dismissive when art doesn't conform to ideas about beauty or even what art should be. I can see how many artists would feel more comfortable exhibiting in group shows. The comparison with others' perceived success I'm sure must be crippling for some though. I've often wondered what the weight of instagram does for artists who aren't engaged in making reels or constantly building their followers. Putting an image out there and getting very few likes or comments. It is of course about working the algorithm and understanding that rationally is one thing, but the reality is that it can be really disheartening and surely must have an impact on confidence for some.
I’ve had time to watch back the video again and I’m picking out Wiley’s words, ‘the fancy kids and the fancy schools...’ and describing his art as ‘for people on the periphery’ - definitely get a sense that he highlights the inequity through as he puts it ‘self portrait’ .
I love Wiley’s idea of “turning his insecurities into his content” and how that made him an “interesting person.” I think imposter syndrome in the arts has less to do with artists’ belief in their talent and more wondering if they really have something valuable to say to the world. Once we recognise we all have ideas and stories to tell, we can release from that. I’ve seen Wiley’s work at art fairs and then went to the Boston MFA showing of the Obama portrait: his work is so remarkable in person! I know that’s been a topic recently in regards to other artists you’ve looked at in this newsletter. I mean his reproductions are beautiful, but the in person statement: this portrait is raw and real and matters...it’s so tangible in his work. There is a kind of aura that I think comes purely from his recognition of his own vulnerability.
Yes, I think you might be right about artists wondering whether they have something valuable to say. I think the elite system of the art world, which raises some few artists up, gives legitimacy to those artists. It says 'these artists voices are worth something', and I'm sure that doesn't help the rest. The way we measure success is by professional and financial validation. When you don't get that you must surely have to have a strong inner voice to keep going.
Also -- was just reading about the Schiaparelli haute couture show and “homage to doubt” -- made me think of what you discuss here and Wiley’s interview --
http://officemagazine.net/homage-doubt-schiaparelli-ss23-haute-couture
"That moment in which we’re shaken by what we don’t know.” I feel like this ALL the time!
I love this article, it really captures a feeling of holding back and tentativeness that we associate with imposter 💛
It's a good point. It's an exclusive realm and field of knowledge, and that continues to be the case.