Imposter Syndrome is defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. As an anxiety-ridden college student, hearing about this phenomenon struck a chord with me. For Phase 1 (the guerilla campaign), I made a physical representation of being caught in a spiral of negative thoughts, which I hoped would catch the attention of students and faculty and drive them to consider what role negative thinking played in their lives. For Phase 2 (the gallery exhibit), I recreated the guerilla campaign in a smaller space and included literature explaining Imposter Syndrome and how to combat the anxiety associated with it.
Above: Portraits taken for poster imagery.
Below: Images of Phase 1.
Below: Images of Phase 2.
Below: A selection of responses from the exhibit (Phase 2).
CREDITS
Role Design, Photography, Lettering, Copywriting
Professor Bernard Cannife
School Iowa State University
A Note / One Thing That Has Bothered Me Since 2016 / Ongoing Imposte[o]r Syndrome
When I was creating this project, I chose to spell imposter with the "er" ending as opposed to the "or" ending. Technically both are correct, and as a college senior, I merely chose the one that felt more correct to me at the time. However, since then, I have been plagued with the horror that prospective employers may think otherwise, and that I am so shit at spelling that I just blindly ruined this whole project with the swap of an e for an o. Perhaps it is Imposter(or?) Syndrome humorously sliding into my life again, or maybe this note will show someone that I am not a total idiot.
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© 2020 / Hanna Carter