I've spent my entire adult life battling imposter syndrome - defined succinctly by Wikipedia as a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments or talents and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud".
I've been fortunate enough over the last five years to have been nominated a handful of times and won once or twice for categories in The Community Edition's Best Of, and this year I have been nominated for Best Writer and Best Maker. Finding out this news pulled me out of my 6 months into quarantine/Mars Retrograde torpidity and into a nice little patch of happiness. But still, as with any other time I've been nominated, I think 🤔 am I even really a writer? Am I an artist?
I've been making art and writing pretty seriously for a good 15 years now, but I didn't go to art school, my stuff is distinctly homemade and most of my publications consist of my own self-published zines. Up against some of the other amazing, hard working and accomplished writers and artists I've been nominated alongside, many of whom I'm friends with and greatly admire, I kinda feel a bit like:
And another thing - in the light of Trump, COVID, and above all the Black Lives Matter movement - I sometimes wonder does my art even matter?
But I have been creating more writing and artwork than ever during this period, a lot of it as a way to process my complicated feelings of grief, rage, and isolation. And having my community recognize that I'm still doing stuff really means so much to me.
So I'm not asking you to vote for me, but asking you to check out the amazing list of businesses, artists, activists, writers, and community members on this list, support them, and vote for whoever your heart tell you to vote for. I love you! 😍 🤟 😘
https://communityedition.ca/bestofwr-2020-shortlist/
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