Keep showing up, regardless of how creative you feel.

The truth is, I regularly feel like a raccoon in the creative profession. In part because of the bags under my eyes and my poor posture, but also in part due to the nature of my role and the imposter syndrome that comes with it. My job is to collect assets, ideas, and creative inspiration and convert it into something functional and habitable for my clients. I spend time sort of pawing at things, testing what works and what doesn’t. Recycling an old idea from a former project that was canned, and giving it new context it for a current project.

I’ve been doing this a while, and I still mess up. Still overthink. Still get stuck and frustrated and wonder if I should just go back to my middle school dream of being a beekeeper.

What’s changed is how I react to all of it. I panic less. I reflect more. I take a deep breath and accept that my dumb mistakes are useful, if I’ll let them be.

And honestly, I’m proud of that.

Maybe you are reading this and you are not in the creative industry, but you are feeling stuck and ineffective in your role today. Maybe you’re a beekeeper.

If that’s you, let me pose a few questions for you. First of all, how much does beekeeping pay? Are there healthcare and retirement benefits? Do bees ever wiggle their way into your little ventilated suit and sting you? Is your beekeeping organization currently hiring?

Seriously though, don’t give up. Everyone has imposter syndrome—you are not unique. I’m a decade into the creative profession and still plugging away. Still learning. Still showing up. And you can too.