Episode 131 Why Imposter Syndrome Is Just Comparison Syndrome

On today’s episode of Make + Design, Carina talks about Imposter Syndrome. She finds that Imposter Syndrome only pops up when we compare ourselves to others. In that way, it’s not really Imposter Syndrome, it’s Comparison Syndrome. Have you ever had a moment when you look at someone else’s work and you think, “Wow. I’m not as good as them.” The feeling that gives us often makes us feel like an imposter. One tip that Carina gives us is to make sure we’re not comparing ourselves to people we shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to. A new designer should not compare themselves to someone who has twenty years of experience. Another way to avoid comparison is to celebrate that someone has created something beautiful for us to enjoy. The last way to overcome Comparison Syndrome is to focus on getting better at our skill as a designer. Also, if we ask ourselves, “Why not me?” then it will keep us motivated to continue to work hard and win. Finally, a great way to get over Comparison Syndrome is to find a Community that will support us and help us to level up. When people come together and work together to make everyone in the group better then the temptation to compare disappears. 

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY 

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About Carina Gardner:

Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.

Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.

Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com

Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp

 Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/