The Dubious Rise of Imposter Syndrome
Editorial Illustration | Concept Development
Imposter syndrome is the phenomenon of feeling as though you faked your way into making it. It’s become quite a buzzword in today’s society. But what is it really? This article goes into depth of how this ‘syndrome’ is not what it seems.
The intent of this project was to highlight the subject of this article without being too on the nose. This article suggests that imposter syndrome lies entirely in the minds of those who have never had to fight for their achievements to be recognized. The goal of this illustration is displaying the dichotomy between perception and reality.
Development
Many themes were tested surrounding the various topics covered in the article: identity, expectations, gender and race, among others. Some concepts came from direct quotes, while others were more general.
Final Edits
The first draft of the selected concept felt off. The surreal aspects were trying too hard to appear realistic. I decided to scrap the eyelashes, reformat the pupils, and redraw the entire head. The final result was much more visually appealing. Sometimes less is more.