Thirteen

In episode 70 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Jessamy is joined by Alice Imposter and returning guest, artist Carissa Karamarko. We chat about going all in, feeling like you’re always behind, relationship to the word ‘artist’, the relief of letting things go, choosing the quality of your problems, partnerships, balancing inputs & outputs, worrying about what your work day looks like to other people, not acknowledging progress as it happens, the seduction of busyness and newness, having the space to see the big picture, mindset shifts vs opt-outs, the binding nature of gossip, all-girls schools, preparing young people for the real world, and the value and limitations of old friendships.

In our first mini-series of ‘Alice Imposter’ episodes, Jessamy sits down for a chitty-chat with the brilliant Dr Marion Piper. 

This chat covers sobriety and being “sober-curiousity”, the drinking culture in Australia, being honest with ourselves and others about how we feel about our relationship with booze, personal development, social lubrication and connection, what the research says, shifting into a new version of you, the value of doing less rather than more, avoiding things that threaten your identity, transferring your loves, how belief becomes identity, dissecting your experiences to understand what you value and crave, the twisted cultural narrative, being afraid to be a beginner, sitting in uncertainty, rebelling against yourself, having a support crew, focusing on how alcohol makes us feel, outsourcing decision making, the hardest bit being just not doing it, being terrible at editing, being confronted with presence, setting expectations and controlling what you can, and that it’s actually none of your business what’s coming for you… so find comfort in the unknown. 

In episode of 65 of The Imposter Syndrome Club Alice and Jessamy start with an important announcement, then chat about Alice imposters, the seven types of rest, the shitstorm of 2023, the long tail of pandemic recovery, the pressure of making up for lost time, the value of mental models, napping, sensory rest, the quality of silence, morning routines, social media timers, rebelling against yourself, mental rest, hot firey brains, productive procrastination, the power of changing your environment, the long term impact of big life events, being scared of the dark, the difference between scary and creepy, ghost trains, emotional rest, impression management, emotional literacy, and the experience of change.  

This week Alice and Jessamy chat to the incredible comic artist and author Gillian Goertz about accomplished friends, hype girls, undermining local recognition, shamelessness, confidence, the energy of the States, working in sales, the benefits of working lots of different jobs, being a late bloomer, resisting the golden handcuffs, opportunity cost, access to representation in the arts, setting the bar high, having basic needs met as a requirement for creativity, hanging out with people who are better at the thing than you, the importance of having people to talk shop with, why comics, the power of finding mentors, self-gatekeeping, writing for kids, using real references to create imaginary worlds, the joy of seeing things you recognise in art, the weight of research, being a stickler for details, tying up loose ends in writing, character design, the personhood of children, terrible haircuts, early vs late development, the “period toilet”, wanting your childhood to last, the convention of adulthood, what we can learn from kids, playfulness and flow states, creativity as an asset everywhere, finding friends that want to have the same fun as you, costume parties, drunk feminist films, and the hard work that goes into fun projects.

In this PACKED interview with Jaz Designs (aka Your Pricing Queen) Jessamy chats with Jaz about the one thing that makes most creatives squirm in their seats - money, honey.

We chat about how a rising tide lifts all boats, not devaluing work just because you enjoy it, the myths of the starving artist and work/life balance, resting in your own way, the power and detriment of going all-in, feeling creatively inspired by running a business, identity shifts, confidence coming from mind shifts and information cultivation, you’re not “asking for money” - you’re letting them know the ticket price, you are giving - not taking, the importance of information gathering, client red flags, creating processes and checklists, boundaries, worth vs value, businesses exist to make money (the client’s AND YOURS), your self worth is not tied to what you create, quantifying outcomes not creativity, imposter syndrome and comparison, reframing imposter syndrome as a sign you’re trying something new, saying yes when you know it should have been a no, resentment pricing, FAFs (fuck around fees), being a service provider and advisor, not an employee, white label situations, taking a problem-solving lens, cheese puns, pro bono work, reciprocal value, being big enough to serve someone but small enough to know them, everything is currency - you just need to get creative with it, collaborating with clients, and how working together builds mutual respect.

In episode 58 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Alice and Jessamy chat about country people, inter-generational relationships, deep dive on our work as graphic recorders, managing energy, Alice’s tour guide career, “top deckers” (it’s not what you think), history and learning, the value of imagination, the subtle art of not giving a fuck, choosing the quality of your problems, are there “shit” values?, toxic positivity, you don’t always have to make lemonade out of your lemons, learning to fight with your partner, being biased toward the meaning that you make, everything is wrong, but all change comes from being wrong, you are responsible (but not necessarily to blame) for everything, entitlement, and that with great responsibility comes great power - not just the other way around.

This week we speak to the amazing actor, writer and set-dresser Tamzen Hayes about #susananalbumparty, removing yourself from performance, formulaic writing, why we (rightfully) revere actors, the power of storytelling, feelings about day jobs, professional jealousy, thinking visually, self consciousness, approaches to writing, stage isn’t about you, Never Said Motel and very personal performances, the best review ever, the role of a director, wanking on stage, people wanting to see themselves in art, reality tv, how good it is to be into things, Lego Masters, legacy, the difference between fame and impact, Marilyn Monroe, and being ok to have a backup plan.

In episode 56 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Alice and Jessamy catch up after an enormous couple of weeks to chat about being angry at India (it’s not your fault India, I’m sorry), calling in sick, misplaced blame, theory vs reality when it comes to burnout, not taking your own advice, imaginary arguments, performative travel, who decides what a “cultural experience” is, straight-manning humanity, dream murders, and why our dogs would make the best life coaches.

In this week’s episode of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Alice & Jessamy chat to musician & composer Ian Cameron Smith about commitment to quality, being self taught, sliding doors moments, having drive, feeling your own potential, the nuance of mastery, striving for improvement, not creating for the audience, doing it for you, being your biggest self critic, not wanting to die wondering, producing what you’re feeling, letting artists evolve, defaulting to the familiar, living a creative life, music as the divine, balancing inputs and outputs, getting out of your own way, having patience & giving projects time, allowing people to enjoy your work on their terms, negativity bias, presence, honouring the moment, and choice.

In episode 51 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, we talk about coming with purpose, learning and fucking up in public, compassion fatigue, not feeling like doing the work, having a shitstorm of a week, embarrassment being at the core of most anger, street harassment, picking fights, conscious or unconscious intimidation, turning skills on and off, when compounding shit things start to feel personal, the seduction of wallowing in righteous rage, empathy takes effort (outrage is easier), ask how you change gears to get out of a rut, connection via a common enemy, cynicism as an adolescent trait - cowardly and lazy, not realising how many decisions or opinions we outsource, the unravelling and existential crises, listening to the voices you value the most and being aware of who they are, showing your workings out…

and then we woke up and it was all a dream.

References: 

In episode 49 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, it’s Alice’s birthday! We chat about Ferrero Rocher cereal, the perfect gift, practical gifts, stationery being a promise of a better me, Dad’s office, Gak, tattoos without purpose, the pointlessness of ‘what if’s, starting at the start, doing an intention audit, Chat GPT, the death of the essay as assessment, school vs learning, an antidote to the fear of the blank page, ethics of AI and art, taking time to form your opinion, “I don’t know” can be a position, where we sit on the adoption curve, and getting the pig cake you deserve.

(Apology: we've had some issues with the video so it cuts out a little early - so enjoy our faces while they're there!)

References:

This week, Alice and Jessamy chat with the incredible dog behaviourist and trainer Jordan Weizman from Chilled & Fulfilled.

If you don’t have a dog, or think you’re not interested in dogs, HANG ON A MINUTE. The insights from this chat are so deep, insightful, and absolutely applicable to the human experience. Ok. Good boy.
In this fascinating conversation we cover balanced training, punishment, living in the moment, thresholds and boundaries, how dogs are different from humans, the importance of being calm, assertive and confident, that everything you do is training, whether you mean it or not, love as action, building trust, love and power, imaginary emotional problems, personalities, communicating in the language that’s understood, avoiding mixed messages - it’s about what you’re doing, not what you’re saying, ABC: activity, boundaries, and calm & consistent leadership, meeting physical and social needs, managing post-covid issues, managing social pressures, and shared territories.

It’s episode 43, we’re back to our classic series of tangential nonsense and BOY ARE OUR ARMS TIRED.

Given the past few crazy weeks, we chat about burnout, as well as what the ‘Ultimate Jessamy’ would look like, trying to find a vision for the future, kissing frogs, forgetting words, learning French (ooh la la!), the vulnerability of trying, marathons, editing, exhaustion being the enemy or creativity, the making of Elf, creating worlds, finding magic, imagination, kid learning vs adult learning, and cows with boobs.

In this special SUPERPOD episode, we chatted to five amazing guests live at The Finders Keepers Business Summit - Matt & Lentil (Grown & Gathered, Minimum Wines), Becca Stern (Mustard Made), Pete Cromer (Artist), Shuh Lee (Artist & Maker) and Esther Sandler (Togetherness Design).

We chat about process, being courageously creative, the joys and challenges of running your own creative business, working in partnerships, collaborations, the power of community, and much more.

In this special episode of The Imposter Syndrome Club, we interview not one but TWO amazing guest ahead of both theirs and our involvement in the Finders Keepers Creative Business Summit this Friday - Lauren Baxter (Peppermint Magazine) and Fiona Killackey (My Daily Business Coach).

First up is Lauren, where we chat about privilege and sustainability, creating a safe space for conversations, balancing style and sustainability, the importance of nuance when discussing sustainable fashion, acknowledging that we don’t have all the answers, the righteous olympics, that systemic change takes time, how fashion should be fun, just being conscious in your consumption, The Devil Wears Prada & cerulean blue, what ‘purpose-lead’ looks like at a practical level, “Empower-tising”, walking the talk, doing the silent work, leading by example, the importance of transparency, the dream of working for a values-driven company, fedoras and tramp stamps.

And just like that, we’re 40! We start off with some primary school assembly announcement vibes with exciting news about the Finders Keepers Creative Business Summit, and a goddamn LIVE SHOW announcement!

We chat about moving house, the housemate interview process, Jessamy’s worst job ever at a market research call centre, evaluation scales, nightmare housemates, applying life lessons from RuPaul’s drag race, dog names, bridesmaid betrayal, backhanded compliments - reality vs interpretation?, your experience, my experience, and the truth, and the courage to be disliked.

This week, Alice and Jessamy sit down with the gorgeous Annie Carter, founder of Eve Studio.

This week, Jessamy and Alice chat with trans non-binary writer, editor and activist Jasper Peach. This is an amazing chat that covers a lot of ground, including how the personal is the political, bridging the gap between confusion and understanding, invitation over advice, the importance of ritual, finding yourself in the silence, teaching through showing rather than telling, pretending you know what’s happening, the influence of external messaging on gender, the societal obsession with gender, honouring doing your best, the importance of modelling and making it easy, accepting everyone for who they are (and who some people are is kinda a dick), finding fabulous clothes for fat bodies, buttons that do nothing, dealing with other people’s curiosity, managing medical systems, clarifying your boundaries on info sharing, practicing responses, the weight of representing your community in every interaction, how other people’s discomfort is not yours to manage, the asymmetry of entitlement to personal details, and finally…

If you’ve already gone through the process of finding out who you are, and living that way, you’re a pretty courageous human. And there’s nothing you’re not capable of. You are capable of anything.

Find Jasper online:

This week Jessamy and Alice had the pleasure of hanging out with the ray of sunshine that is film-maker and podcaster, Sammy Petersen.

We chat about being an ex comedian, the concept of “paying your dues”, the comedy police, rough gigs, finishing on your own terms, romanticisation of self destruction, being an addict addict, trial and error, finding your voice, practicing in public, being someone’s shot of whiskey, finding comfort in silence, making things for the love, new friends, the post-hang text, blind ambition, creating home wherever you are, never being bored, spending your time with positive people, low stakes gossip, influencers, and not being afraid to ask.

Where to find Sammy:

In episode 34 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Alice and Jessamy chat about Clueless, going to the movies, designing your days with intention, not replying to emails, phone free time, scrolling, making excuses, learning to drive, being present, planning over prioritising, no one thing is more important than another, low hum guilt, Dolly Parton, consistent mistakes being how you find your style, the collaborative sext, finding representation and family in housemates, being “Guest clean”.

This week we chat to the very funny comedian Stu Daulman about screenwriting, trolls, Hallmark movies, creating a comedy show, character development, being a good watcher, starting with what YOU think is good, rough gigs, loving making people laugh, finding a voice, starting by doing it, egos, being present, sketch shows, surviving being creative, comparison & asking the wrong questions, empathy, day jobs, funny or just famous?, collaborating, taking away the carrot so you’re not the donkey anymore, dreams not being what you thought they were, giving people a platform, and gigging in a Baby Bjorn.

In episode 29 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Jessamy and Alice start with some listener shout outs, then have a chat about uppercase and lowercase ‘F’ friends, how there is no ‘The Answer’, being a marketer’s dream, debts and withdrawals, winning the friendship & in-law lottery, making it ok to celebrate, the algorithm game, pugs, hot dogs, hot babies, the most famous baby, 2am Google searches, not being able to find the word, Monica Lewinsky, slut shaming, and Christmas.

In episode 27 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Alice and Jessamy chat through navigating disappointment, tantrums, having a support team, love in practice, emotional regulation (and lack thereof), being a big stupid baby, the pros and cons of total emotional safety, clear is kind, asking, cockroaches, toaster hatred, reflection & intention, setting an annual theme, intentional fun, never being finished, tension and release, carrying a backpack of “shoulds”, flying in dreams, using busy-ness as distraction, and Internal Family Systems.

In this week’s episode we chat to the wonderfully poetic and infinitely wise Madeleine Dore (Author) about holding things lightly, choosing your own measures, borrowing other people’s goals, shifting from ambition to drive, creating momentum, asking yourself what you really want and how you know what voice is true, productivity guilt, training wheels for rest, recognising or deciding our internal seasons, looking at your feet, not the mountain, productivity cyclones, the arrival fallacy, permission to allow flow, wanting and play, writing in the gush, collecting failures like stamps, and how you can’t waste time in advance.

In episode 24 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Jessamy and Alice chat about the power of gratitude (turns out it’s not just a buzzword!), big feelings for finishing big projects, marathons, cries that get stuck inside, symbols, divorce (or better - getting “unmarried”), managing fear of loving again, “acceptable” and “unacceptable” types of vulnerability, talking about the icky stuff, approaching conversations with curiosity, societal conditioning, self-editing, connecting or disconnecting with your own thoughts and feelings, cults, thinking you’re the exception to the rule, and silky boxers.

In this week’s episode of The Imposter Syndrome Club, we talk to the incredibly articulate and generous artist Natalie Mather about the difference between an artist statement and a bio, balancing competing interests, being a 9-5 (or 12-4) painter, the importance of having a daily practice, consistent playing = consistent work, how having a day job does not equal failing, defining success, that you need input to make output, the awkward second album, being a detective of your own brain, realising you’re not as complicated as you thought, stage fright, naivety or bravery, the benefits of external constraints and even greater benefits of self-imposed ones, step parenting, adjusting & compromising while still guarding your time, divorce, friendship and community, self-sabotage, fear of failure and of success, and being comfortable with being seen.

In episode 22 of The Imposter Syndrome Club Alice and Jessamy talk about ethos, copy / pasting values, talking to strangers, Robert the magical Uber driver, when to quit the band, Jessamy’s Creed impression, art school, how you move through an exhibition and feeling like you’re not doing it right , ‘performing’ receiving art, if art is really subjective, art wankery, what money is for, how our relationship to money was modelled for us growing up, more on money mindsets and money Archetypes care of beautiful pod friend Janine, removing the moralisation of behaviours and focusing on outcomes, and the right way to buffet.

Money resources care of Sarah Firth: