I stayed up late last night to participate in a west coast book launch on FaceBook. The book is: Living Like Lions by J.R. Duren and the launch began with this video of quotes from C.S. Lewis.
Nice touch.
J.R. is an author, artist and musician who lives in Spain with his wife Heather, and their cute dog Charlie.
In the course of the conversation with guest and worship leader Kennon Bickhart: mention was made of The Imposter Syndrome.
J.R. asked Kennon: "This
internal struggle...the fluctuating between feeling inadequate and
feeling over-confident...do you think this is something common among all
artists?"
Kennon Bickhart: "I
do. You even find it in other professions. I see many web programmers
who struggle with this as well. They call it the imposter syndrome,
which I think is accurate."
Wikipedia defines it as: The impostor syndrome, sometimes called impostor phenomenon or fraud syndrome, is a psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize
their accomplishments. Despite external evidence of their competence,
those with the syndrome remain convinced that they are frauds and do not
deserve the success they have achieved. Proof of success is dismissed
as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they
are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be.
Have you ever felt like a 'poser'?
I have heard from some very well published authors that they feel as if one day they will be discovered to be the fraud they are. Silly.
But then I recall the time I went to Haiti as a medical missionary, pulled teeth and performed minor mouth surgeries in the poorest of conditions; how at times I couldn't believe the patient actually got numb after an injection, or was so thankful, having been alleviated of their tooth and toothache. But I have the photos to prove I was there and did those things. I wasn't posing (slang for pretend or mimic) after all.
Our mind can play tricks on ourselves.
Objective feedback is so important for writers. It keeps your feet on the ground, and ones head out of the clouds.
But when it is your day to celebrate your books launch- go for it. Have a party, invite your friends.
8 comments:
oh! Diana! I have NEVER heard of this before. I thought I was the only one battling this sort of thing. NEVER have I heard this openly talked about. I feel like this MOST of the time. I thought I was being prideful and sinful. Yet, I feel so compelled to move forward and take my place as a speaker and writer. It is so deep inside of me. Please point me to more on this topic so I know what I'm really battling. It was as though someone was in my head describing the inner conversations in my heart. I need to overcome this to break out of my shell and "grow into greater things" like my own picture book is all about. Crazy!
Is this what the book is about? Couldn't get the video to play. Would love to see it.
Thanks again for being so encouraging to me at the GPCWC. Looking forward to hugs next year, too!
Joy!
Kathy
Kathy, You are definitely not crazy. This link will take you to a list on amazon of books about this syndrome. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=The+imposter+syndrome
Living Like Lions tells of a handful of men throughout history and a few contemporary ones whose lives resemble the tenacious fervor of lions. The men of Living Like Lions are a rare breed of tenacity, strength and love.
Each story reveals bravery, commitment and masculinity. Each man challenges us to rise above the contemporary definitions of masculinity and to embrace godliness.
Great post! I think I have lived with this my entire life. And now with writing, even more. I'm wondering who doesn't?
Yeah, I experience this, especially when I'm teaching missions classes. I'll feel unqualified, then I'll tell some amazing story and think, "Yeah, wait. I was there. I lived that. Maybe I DO know something after all.
It's my guess this is not uncommon. And I'm not even sure it's a bad thing. God uses us for great works, even though we know we're just little tools in His big hands. So in a way it's all on Him. He gets the glory, and we get to experience the joy and privilege of being used.
So many folks in the 'arts' community I have a feeling suffer from this. Constant need for validation in whatever they do. I think we all have it a bit. But it seems to cripple some folks.
Thank you Diana. This was spot on. It's an all too familiar struggle for me. It's a comfort to know that in our weakness He is strong. Secretly I'm glad I'm not alone :D
Had a sneaky suspicion this would be the case. Now we have a club :-)
Thank you Diana. This was spot on. It's an all too familiar struggle for me. It's a comfort to know that in our weakness He is strong. Secretly I'm glad I'm not alone :D
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