Anyone working as a creative will encounter this feeling. It’s the one where you start believing your own doubts about your capability and expertise. That you’re faking it despite all your accomplishments – and are nowhere near as competent as others see you. Feeling like an imposter can show up in various ways: you may overwork to try and prove your worth, refuse to take up new opportunities for fear of failing, or dismiss compliments because you think you don’t deserve them.
Here are five ways to deal with negative self-talk, so you can push through and start making again.
Thuy On is the Reviews and Literary Editor of ArtsHub and an arts journalist, critic and poet who’s written for a range of publications including The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Sydney Review of Books, The Australian, The Age/SMH and Australian Book Review. She was the Books Editor of The Big Issue for 8 years and a former Melbourne theatre critic correspondent for The Australian.
She has three collections of poetry published by the University of Western Australian Press (UWAP): Turbulence (2020), Decadence (2022) and Essence (2025).
Threads: @thuy_on123 Instagram: poemsbythuy
