How to develop your documentary - Part 3: Conquering imposter syndrome

This week, I'm running you through how to conquer Imposter Syndrome – so that it doesn’t take hold and paralyse you during the filmmaking process.

This is part 3 in the Moonshine Moonshot mini series, which will help you develop your documentary and take it from an idea to a ready-for-release motion picture.

If doubt sets in every time you start a new project, you don't want to miss this episode. I'm going to show you how to rid yourself of those awful, anxiety-inducing questions like: “Do I have the knowledge to pull this off? Is this idea actually worthy of making a film about? Will people be interested enough to go see it?”

These thoughts are unhelpful and downright disruptive. But loads of filmmakers and creatives feel this way – at least at some point in their career.

If  you’re serious about making a film, you need to be armed with the right tools to ensure you actually finish that film, see it on the big screen (or wherever you intend to publish it) and generate the impact you’re hoping for. 

So let's kick Imposter Syndrome to the curb.

Listen now!

And if you missed parts 1 and 2, you can catch up clicking the links below:

How to develop your documentary - Part 1: Ideation

How to develop your documentary - Part 2: Planning

If you'd like to download the Ultimate Guide to Video Storytelling, click here.

Finally, you can also follow me on social via these links: 

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Twitter @moonshinecomms
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LinkedIn Mike Hill 
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LinkedIn Sue Collins 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-collins-moonshine-agency/

LinkedIn Company Page Moonshine Communications Academy  https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/moonshine-communications-academy

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:03

Hello, my fellow creatives. Are you working on a new project or dreaming up a new idea for one? And I'm guessing if you are, then you might have experienced some nagging thoughts in your mind. Things like, why me? Why would anyone want to hear this from me? Why would I be the one to make this project? Or do I have the knowledge to pull this off? Is this idea actually worth making a film about? And will people be interested enough to go and see it? And this doubt can be a stopping force. These questions can leave you feeling very insecure about your own abilities. So why does this happen, particularly when you're at the start of a new project? There is a name for it, imposter syndrome. And why does imposter syndrome happen? And how can you conquer imposter syndrome if you're a filmmaker? I have a whole list of things that you can do to try and overcome it, so please do stick around. For anyone new to this podcast, welcome. It is really great to have you join me here. The Moonshine Moonshot Podcast is all about making movies that matter. And I'm your host, Sue Collins, and I have been producing documentaries, films, and videos of all shapes and sizes for almost two decades. And today I am discussing imposter syndrome. Because when it rears its ugly head, the thoughts are really unhelpful and downright disruptive. So even after many years of successfully making and distributing impact films, these thoughts creep into my head and I push past them eventually. Of course I do, or I just couldn't continue to create and put my work out into the world. Because these internal struggles, you can't let them get the better of you. So as I share the documentary development process with you, which I've been doing through the past couple of episodes, I started to think perhaps other filmmakers are feeling this way too. And I was triggered to think that because I'm currently developing a couple of new projects and yep, there they are again, those nagging thoughts. Fortunately, because I know what imposter syndrome is, I can quickly identify it in myself, and that definitely helps me to work through it. But after speaking to some of my colleagues, both experienced and emerging, I discovered that almost everybody has dealt with imposter syndrome at some point in their filmmaking journey. And I suspect you might be experiencing it as well, which is quite possibly what's led you to this particular episode. So if you're serious about making a film, you need to be armed with the right tools to ensure you actually finish that film and see it on the big screen or wherever it is you intend to publish it and generate the impact that you're hoping for. And conquering imposter syndrome is a big part of getting started and importantly, finishing. So this is part three of the mini-series, which I've designed to help you develop your documentary, and that's to take it from an idea to a ready-for-release motion picture. I've actually got a really great resource that you can grab over at the Moonshine Communications Academy. It's an ebook called The Ultimate Guide to Video Storytelling, and that is also a fantastic place to start to get some support if you're just getting underway with a new project. So make sure when you finish this podcast, you jump over to the Moonshine Communications Academy and grab your copy. So let's unpack imposter syndrome so that it does not take hold and paralyze you during your creation process. In the last episodes, I've already covered ideation and planning, but if you missed part one or part two in this series, you can easily catch up by jumping back to episodes 35 and 36 on how to develop your documentary. Let's define imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome was actually first identified back in 1978, and it is defined as the feeling that you've only succeeded because of luck and not because of your skills or experience. In short, it makes you feel like a fraud and it inhibits your ability to get on with the project you're so eager to make. And you are not alone. An article published by the International Journal of Behavioural Science revealed that over 70% of individuals experience imposter syndrome at least once in their career or lifetime. And I would argue anyone in a creative endeavor has almost certainly experienced it. Even prolific creators like M. Knight Shaman and Maya Angelou have suffered from imposter syndrome. M. Knight Shamelan said in an interview with Chris Cornelius, he said, I've only recently felt like a filmmaker. We all feel imposter syndrome. It is a version of coming through your life journey to believe that your specific limitations and attributes are amazing and what's needed in the world. It's hard for us to accept and be happy with that combination. I was really surprised to hear this from M. Knight Charmelin because he is such a prolific filmmaker with films like Old The Village and The Sixth Sense, just to name three of dozens. And then I came across a quote by Maya Angelou and she said, I have written 11 books, but each time I think, uh oh, they're gonna find me out now. I have run a game on everyone and they are going to find me out. So despite her own self-doubt, Angela was fiercely accomplished. She was nominated for the Pulzer Prize and a Tony Award. She won five Grammys for her spoken recordings, and she served on two presidential committees. And she still thought people would find out that she was a fraud, even though she wasn't. So just Google famous artists and imposter syndrome, and you will find some of the most unexpected celebrities revealing that they too have self-doubt. It often stems from the need to create something that's perfect, and I have definitely been guilty of this in the past myself. But for one, perfect is a completely arbitrary term that no one, not even big-time Hollywood directors, reach. And secondly, all those feelings of self-doubt are stifling your creativity, which makes it really hard to create anything, let alone something that you may or may not deem perfect. So strive for excellence, I say that's my solution to perfect, is striving for excellence. It's much more productive than perfect and way less of a stopping force. So let's get into some ideas around how you can conquer imposter syndrome. It often stems from thinking that you're simply not good enough. Which is why I love the idea of creating a hype file. And I came across this when I was watching one of Marie Faulio's videos. She came up with this concept of the hype file, and it's essentially a folder or uh somewhere that you keep all of the accolades, testimonials, awards, everything you've received over the years, and it doesn't have to relate to filmmaking either. It can be just anything that you've received to reward you for the work that you have put out into the world, and that will remind you that you're worthy because you didn't achieve all that success by sheer luck. It was damn hard work. So it's also important to tell yourself that you and your projects are unique, which is a good thing. You'll bring your own distinctive signature to the films that you produce because if you're drawn to the story and you're willing to invest your energy, your efforts, and your passion into creating it, it's going to be amazing and it's going to be uniquely your voice. So you should try seeking out a cheer squad. I think this is so important for filmmakers. And by a cheer squad, I mean turning to your trusted friends, colleagues, family members, people whose opinions that you value and share your doubts and fears about your abilities and see how they respond because almost certainly it will be with high praise and support, and having that support will help rev you up and keep your creative juices flowing. Now I have to say, if you don't have anyone in your immediate circle to give you praise or revue up, then you do need to find people who will. Being a creative in the film industry can be really tough going, and you need to surround yourself with people who will lift you up and support you. So if you don't have them in your life yet, I really encourage you to seek some out. Perhaps you could do a short course on your specialist area to meet some like-minded people. Or you could join a filmmaker's Facebook group just as a starting point. Whatever it is you do, just get yourself out there, meet some positive people and really get them encouraging you and making you feel like you can achieve the things that you're setting out to achieve, particularly when you're experiencing imposter syndrome. The next thing I suggest you could try doing is to turn your mind outwards. Reflect on why you want to create the film in the first place. What triggered the idea in your mind? Was it to entertain people? To change behaviors? Are you trying to influence policymakers? Remind yourself of the impact that you're trying to achieve through your work and what is at stake if you don't follow through and you never share your message. Shifting the focus away from you as an individual and putting the spotlight on the positive changes your film is striving to make can really help you reprioritize and it makes it less about how you might be feeling and more about the great things that your important work could achieve to support others. Another piece of advice is to avoid comparing yourself with your peers because comparison itis is the thief of joy. The grass is greener, as they say, on the other side, and you may not have a genuine understanding of what other filmmakers are dealing with, what barriers they're facing, how much funding they've received, or the intricacies of their project. What somebody else is doing may look awesome, but it's quite possibly not what you yourself are truly passionate about. I was often frustrated early in my career because my peers seemed to be getting the breaks that felt so elusive to me. But I persisted, and here I am, two decades later, with a lot of great projects behind me that I'm really proud of and have made some real-world impact. And sadly, many of the people I envied are no longer working in the industry for various reasons. So stick with your plan. You can get where you want to go. Don't worry about what everybody else is doing, and to be cliched, run your own race. Do it your own way. So a big part of learning to run your own race is learning to enjoy the ride. If you've ever had that, oh my gosh, I'm in over my head. Any minute now they're gonna find me out feeling. I hope that this podcast has helped. It's often really reassuring just to know that other filmmakers go through these emotions too. But that does not mean you have to sit with all that noise running through your head. Try out some of the techniques that I've shared above and let me know if it's working for you, or perhaps you have some advice of your own on how to conquer imposter syndrome. Just DM me over at Moonshine Communications Academy on Instagram or email support at moonshinecommunicationsacademy.com. And I really hope once you've kicked that imposter syndrome to the curve, you can get really excited for part four in how to develop your documentary, which is the next episode in this series. And I'm going to be sharing tips to help you stay motivated when the going gets tough. So you won't want to miss that episode. So be sure to tune back in next week, and I will be sharing how to stay motivated as a filmmaker. Speak to you then.