I remember it like it was yesterday.

After wanting to make some changes in my business, I was at home thinking:

"I don't really want to call myself a videographer anymore, cause I really want to be a director.

But.... if I put that I'm a director in my bio, I don't even have the work to show for it. I'm a fraud".

Does any of this sound familiar at all?

It's a constant battle between identities.

I didn't even know what "filmmaking" really meant. Were the barbershop videos I was shooting considered filmmaking?

Or would the "pros" look down at me and laugh.

It's a horrible place to be at and sometimes your own brain can be the thing that's holding you back the most.

Luckily, I was able to navigate my way through that feeling.

But it took a lot of hard work to finally overcome the feeling of imposter syndrome.

So... how did I do it?

I'm going to be truthfully honest with you...

It was a ton of focus and determination, but here are the things I did that helped with my imposter syndrome.

• Faked it till I made it...

Yeah, sometimes you just need the mental shift to get over a hurdle. Often times you're your own biggest critic, and that's the one thing that's holding you back.

Sometimes it's good to jump into the deep end and to have a goal to work towards.

The skills and confidence you grow along the way through experience, will give you the internal growth you needed to label yourself.

Time goes on, and one day it just sinks in and you accept it as face value.

• Focus on what's next, not what's going on right now.

Avoid spending too much time online and feeling bad for yourself on socials.

Spend time learning, evolving, and doing things that excite you.

To me, that was filmmaking and getting better at my craft as a director.

When I was completely invested and surrounded myself with only my ambitions to get better, I didn't even have a minute to think about "myself as an imposter".

​

• What you DO and your EFFORTS are what "make you" what you are.

That's a tongue twister.

No, you don't need to shoot a certain "budget" video to be a director. You don't need to work with a "celebrity" to consider yourself a working DP.

There is no one giving away "Director name plates" that officially signifies that you're a director or cinematographer (that would be crazy though if that role existed).

Just remember that people evolve. You evolve.

You're allowed to change directions at a whim, and your sole identity isn't meant to be solidified in a weekend.

Today, I love directing. Tomorrow I love business. I can love both, but I still identify myself as both too.

----

That's all to say...

Give yourself grace to explore and learn.

There are no "up and coming" directors that didn't take a risk on themselves.

If you don't give yourself the shot to try, you'll never win.

It's important that you don't come in the way of your biggest enemy.... yourself.

Filmmaking isn't easy, but you don't have to make it harder than it needs to be.

​

P.S If you have any questions about imposter syndrome as a filmmaker or have any questions, feel free to reply directly to this email!