Imposter syndrome & doing it anyway

Little story here. I’ve been working with interior designers recently to support them bu curating art for their projects. I reached out to a new designer the other day who I thought would be a good fit for a new partnership and she responded by asking for my credentialing. Which has actually never happened before. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be surprised by that or not. I had a moment of complete panic.

Here’s the thing. I don’t have it. I don’t have a degree that naturally leads to art consulting. I actually don’t even know what this woman was looking for. For a moment, this froze me. Because who doesn’t suffer from imposter syndrome, or from feeling like we’re not enough, or doubting our own capacity.

The reality is I’ve been in the arts for ten years. I’ve been working directly with clients for two years. I’m really good at what I do.

I actually think because I don’t have formal arts training, I’ve been able to connect with people in a more authentic and relatable way. I think that my path has made me really scrappy and creative in how I source art. It has pushed me to build an asset for my company which prepares me to genuinely meet my clients where they’re at and curate hyper personal art for them from living artist at any budget. I just don’t think I would niched in that way if I had taken a traditional route. I have never once felt like I lacked a skill or knowledge set in this job. Which is not to say I haven’t learned or grown. I do, every single day. But I always feel prepared to rise to whatever challenge is immediately in front of me.

When I sit with a client, we never discuss art movements or schools. What we discuss is how a piece makes them feel. I don’t equip them with art jargon, I equip them with practices to deeply appreciate a piece of art. I don’t talk to them about the artist’s technique, I talk to them about the artist’s intent, about the story, about the emotions. We don’t interpret a piece using academic texts to make meaning, we interpret a piece based on somatic responses, free associations, cultural context and human elements visible in the work.

I’m sharing this with you, because I think that it mirrors what a lot of the clients who come to me feel, and maybe it mirrors your experience too. I know that a lot of people feel a social pressure around art to say something intellectual or academic. I know a lot of people feel like there’s something they just “don’t get” about art. But the truth is that art— both making and appreciating it, is ingrained in what it is to be a human. Loving art is your birthright. Speaking about art from your heart and not a notecard is so much more meaningful and effective.

So if you’ve been curious about art, about owning art, collecting art, learning from art— this is your sign to do it. Whatever you know about art right now is all you need to know. Art collecting is really much more about your personal story and your personal experience.

I really want to empower you to become an art collector. It’s why I started a YouTube channel, it’s why I write a blog, it’s why I post everything I post on social media. It is all to give you the tools and resources and perspective that you need.

Living with art is really powerful. And you deserve to have that experience. I started this company on the foundational knowledge that owning art is a transformative and beneficial experience. The power of living with a curated collection of art radiates out into endless areas of your life. And I am absolutely baffled by how few people actually get to experience this.