7 Habits of Highly Effective Artists, Pt. 1
A Guide to Build Habits That Silence Imposter Syndrome
Firstly, give me a minute to shout out the inspiration for today’s article: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey. The classic personal development book shifted my perspective on showing up effectively as a woman, a writer, an employee, and a friend…
…but it left me thinking: How can I deploy these tactics as an artist?
Because — and if you’re here, you’ll probably get this — artists have a tendency to reject efficiency. Efficiency, in the typical sense, doesn’t foster an environment conducive to creativity, autonomy, freedom, inspiration. And it certainly doesn’t feel “wild” like I want to feel when I’m sitting down to create.
But, I also know that many artists (myself included) have to overcome a lot of creative mental blocks to continue creating. And this is where habits come into play…
Because, if establishing habits sounds like building yourself right into a little jail cell, reconsider that your habits actually allow you to master yourself and your creative process. And if you can master these two things, you’ll taste creative freedom — that wild we want when we pull out a pen to write or approach a canvas to paint.
Further, your habits are either a vehicle for creative acceleration…or creative destruction. (For more on this, I’d recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear. Very good book.) Your habits are the infrastructure of your life, and as an artist, you have a great creative responsibility to continue storytelling, to continue working, to continue making.
So, we can either build habits that encourage self-mastery and propel creativity, or we can build habits that inhibit us, that convince us we are inadequate and, ultimately, destroy us.
Building Habits to Silence Imposter Syndrome
One of the most common (and most frustrating) mental blocks artists tend to run into is imposter syndrome (the sense that you are “inadequate,” or that you don’t belong, or that what you have to say/sell/do isn’t valuable, despite having a track record to prove otherwise. Ridiculous, right?).
Today, specifically, we’re diving into how imposter syndrome shows up in your habits, and conversely, how your habits are either giving weight to the voice of imposter syndrome, or working to silence it.
I’ve found that there’s a cyclical effect here — the cycle, or the exchange, between imposter syndrome and your habits.
If you’re someone who finds that you have trouble concentrating, or completing projects, or moving the ball forward in your life (like, you’ve been saying, “I need to find a new job” for about 4 years now, but haven’t done anything about it), this is imposter syndrome showing up in your life, and tangibly through your habits.
For many of us, this could also show up in the form of procrastination, using the excuse that we’re still in “research” mode. We’ll say: “I’m not ready to start the business yet, because I want to do it correctly. And I need money to do it correctly, so I can’t get started now. I’ll wait for the right time.”
And Here’s Why This is Destroying Your Creativity
The weight you’re giving to imposter syndrome (the voice that says, “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”) is defining your habits.
And if you don’t know, you should know: The habits that make up your days are the habits that make up your life. All those little things you do, day in and day out, seem trivial on a small scale. But consider the Grand Canyon, carved by water. Look at the glory of this natural structure, carved by nothing but consistent, day in and day out motion in the same direction.
If you’re letting imposter syndrome dictate your habits, you’re letting imposter syndrome control your life. You’re letting a sense of inadequacy, or a fear that you’re just not quite ready, actually keep you from living abundantly, finding work you enjoy, and committing to people you love exceptionally, because you don’t think those little choices you’re making each day add up. You think, “Ah. It’s okay that I skip another day at the gym. What does it cost me anyway?”
Over time, a lot, if it costs you longevity and a healthy life.
Or you think, “Well, I’ll just stay at this job until something else I’d rather do pops up. I’m sure it will happen in the right time.” But do you know that committing to a place of work every single day is a habit that’s defining your life? You spend 40 hours a week working on these skillsets to do this job well. Which means, in effect, that you are spending 40 hours a week not doing the thing you know in your heart you’re called to do. What’s the cost of your choice to go to a job every day that doesn’t align with your purpose?
Over time, a lot; you lose, and the world loses out on what you have to offer.
Or, maybe you think, “I’d love to be dating but I haven’t found anyone I can see myself with for the long term. So I’ll keep causally dating, because it’s kind of fun and it’s not causing me any harm.” That’s a belief straight out of the mouth of imposter syndrome, who’s convinced you that you don’t deserve any better, so “casual dating” will do for now. What is this costing you?
Perhaps the time you need to spend alone instead, healing and growing and self-discovering, so that the relationship you’re dreaming of is healthy, life-giving, and aligned. Over time, the cost can be devastatingly high.
The way habits make up our lives shows up in our jobs, in our relationships, and of course, in our craft. Our artistry.
Here’s What Imposter Syndrome Sounds Like
If you’ve done research on this, you know that a mindset defined by imposter syndrome around your craft probably sounds like:
“I have an idea for this project, but I’m not ready to get started. I’ll begin when I’m ready/when I have time/when I lose weight/when I have the right colored pencil kit.”
Here’s the crux: You can’t wait to be ready to start, or finish, a project. You can’t wait to be ready to write the book or launch the business or ask the girl out. You can’t wait to be ready to go to the gym or apply for the dream job or give up self-sabotaging habits in place of those that serve you instead.
Because, the thing is, you’ll never be ready.
You have to build your life on habits that propel you to start and finish things before you’re ready. This looks like waking up before you’re ready to get out of bed. This looks like applying for the dream job before you feel qualified. This looks like asking the girl out before you talk yourself out of it.
It looks like approaching your canvas TODAY. Even if you don’t know what 2 colors make purple. And it looks like starting that movie script TODAY. Even if you have no idea what you’ll do with it next year.
Imposter syndrome wants you to feel like you need to be ready so badly.
Because imposter syndrome knows you’re just not going to feel it, ever. Imposter syndrome knows that in order to do it, you can’t wait to feel ready.
Write These Down: 7 Daily Habits to Silence Imposter Syndrome
- Start before you’re ready. Stop expecting that you’ll get things done once you’re ready, because you’re just not going to get there. Get the wheels in motion and only then will things start to click. (Marie Forleo says“Clarity comes with engagement, not with thought.”) Put pen to paper, figuratively or literally, even and ESPECIALLY before you think you’re ready to do it.
- Practice artist affirmations. If you have an affirmation practice already, great! Draw some up (5 is great) specifically for your creative self. If you don’t start one. (Yep, today.) Write them down on a piece of paper or a sticky note where you can see them every morning. Repeat them OUT LOUD (and in the mirror, if you really wanna go for it!) every single day. They should be in line with what you know to be true about yourself and your craft. They should be prophetic — calling out who you are at your best, and pulling your future self into the now. They might sound like: “I am beautiful, bright, and brilliant; I am authentic to my work and my process; I am wildly imaginative; I am a creative genius; I am worth showing up for myself today.”
- Apply new learnings immediately. I’m a big proponent of all of us being lifetime learners (it sound so dorky every time I say it but, like, it’s true). Learn new skills, foster new techniques, take classes, step outside of your comfort zone. But do something with your newfound learnings right now. Don’t sit on them. Practice. Consumption of educational material (podcasts, books, webinars, technique classes, etc), is great, but not without application.
- Go to bed. If possible…regularly. (Almost every single person that has found success, either financially or in impact or in living an abundant life, prioritizes sleep as a factor of overall well-being.) Having an inconsistent routine is breeding ground for imposter syndrome tactics, because poor sleep is a self-sabotaging habit.
- Celebrate the little things. As you grow as an artist, you’re going to crave continual growth. What you create today won’t have the same technical skill as what you create a year from now, and that’s a good thing. But stop to celebrate the milestones along the way. Did you sell your first piece? CELEBRATE. Did you complete a project you’ve been putting off? CELEBRATE. Did you start a project you’ve been putting off? CELEBRATE. These are good times, come on now.
- Draw with your eyes closed. (Or, do something creatively weird, if this feels irrelevant to your craft.) Exercise muscles and techniques that challenge you to grow as an artist. Have fun in the process — this is where that wild comes out to play. (Interestingly enough, one of my all-time favorite pieces is a blind one-line contour drawing, Un Homme. Whipped this b*tch out in 90 seconds and I’ve loved him every day since then.)
- Rest. Your validity and value as an artist is the same when you are creating and when you’re not. If you’re exhausted, chill out. Just stop. Implement sustainable rhythms — take a break, for the purpose of sustainability. Not only will your creativity come more seamlessly, but you’ll probably enjoy the process more, too. And isn’t that why we’re artists in the first place? If we MUST suffer for our work, let us find some enjoyment in the process, right?
Finally, as a bonus tip (but not really a habit, per se), don’t confuse being prepared with being ready. Please do not begin projects or quit your job or submit your manuscript to a publishing company haphazardly. Make it a habit to do the necessary work. Do the research, spend time in self-evaluation and in reflection. But then do it. Don’t confuse the feeling of readiness with the behavior of preparation.
Do it when you’re prepared. But don’t wait to be ready. Make that your habit.
If you don’t know me, hi! I’m Sophie, a Chicago-based artist and writer.
Connect with me on Instagram or Twitter, or shoot me an email if you’d like to get in touch (sophie@sturdevantcreative.com).
Or, if you’re an artist looking for help, reach out to work with me — I’m a champion of healthy minds in artists, having spent way too much time working through my junk for the purpose of making art (and enjoying being an artist).
