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Break Through Imposter Syndrome

Lesson 13 from: Fine Art Photography: The Complete Guide

Brooke Shaden

Break Through Imposter Syndrome

Lesson 13 from: Fine Art Photography: The Complete Guide

Brooke Shaden

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Lesson Info

13. Break Through Imposter Syndrome

Lessons

Class Trailer
1

Class Introduction

19:06
2

Storytelling & Ideas

27:34
3

Universal Symbols in Stories

03:19
4

Create Interactive Characters

02:16
5

The Story is in The Details

04:13
6

Giving Your Audience Feelings

05:49
7

Guided Daydream Exercise

04:20
8

Elements of Imagery

02:19
9

The Death Scenario

01:47
10

Associations with Objects

03:01
11

Three Writing Exercises

06:39
12

Connection Through Art

30:35
13

Break Through Imposter Syndrome

07:40
14

Layering Inspiration

23:13
15

Creating an Original Narrative

07:42
16

Analyze an Image

04:12
17

Translate Emotion into Images

04:31
18

Finding Parts in Images

06:02
19

Finding Your Target Audience

04:05
20

Where Do You Want Your Images to Live?

12:01
21

Create a Series That Targets Your Audience

32:43
22

Formatting Your Work

06:08
23

Additional Materials to Attract Clients

07:24
24

Which Social Media Platforms Will be Useful?

04:17
25

How to Make Money from Your Target Audience

11:27
26

Circle of Focus

07:55
27

The Pillars of Branding

06:18
28

Planning Your Photoshoot

09:05
29

Choose Every Element for The Series

07:38
30

Write a Descriptive Paragraph

09:37
31

Sketch Your Ideas

17:27
32

Choose Your Gear

02:50
33

How to Utilize Costumes, Props & Locations

26:18
34

What Tells a Story in a Series?

13:06
35

Set Design Overview

01:43
36

Color Theory

19:50
37

Lighting for the Scene

12:05
38

Props, Wardrobe & Time Period for Set Design

06:00
39

Locations

04:31
40

Subject Within the Scene

07:26
41

Set Design Arrangement

05:46
42

Fine Art Compositing

03:46
43

Plan The Composite Before Shooting

10:29
44

Checklist for Composite Shooting

18:52
45

Analyze Composite Mistakes

12:11
46

Shoot: Black Backdrop for White Clothing

10:42
47

Shoot: Black Backdrop for Color Clothing

08:36
48

Shoot: Black Backdrop for Accessories

08:17
49

Shoot: Miniature Scene

09:59
50

Editing Workflow Overview

01:57
51

Add Fabric to Make a Big Dress

08:35
52

Edit Details of Images

08:09
53

Add Smoke & Texture

10:47
54

Blend Multiple Images Into One Composite

24:58
55

Put Subject Into a Miniature Scenario

17:55
56

Location Scouting & Test Photoshoot

22:10
57

Self Portrait Test Shoots

22:30
58

Shoot for Edit

04:21
59

Shoot Extra Stock Images

10:01
60

Practice the Shoot

25:07
61

Introduction to Shooting Photo Series

03:33
62

Shoot: Vine Image

10:40
63

Shoot: Sand Image

09:50
64

Shoot: End Table Image

04:59
65

Shoot: Bed Image

06:18
66

Shoot: Wall Paper Image

05:54
67

Shoot: Chair Image

08:02
68

Shoot: Mirror Image

06:57
69

Shoot: Moss Image

05:48
70

Shoot: Tree Image

07:33
71

Shoot: Fish Tank Image

04:09
72

Shoot: Feather Image

09:00
73

View Photo Series for Cohesion & Advanced Compositing

07:35
74

Edit Multiple Images to Show Cohesion

36:55
75

Edit Images with Advanced Compositing

29:33
76

Decide How to Start the Composite

09:35
77

Organize Final Images

21:37
78

Choosing Images for Your Portfolio

08:19
79

Order the Images in Your Portfolio

16:28
80

Why do Some Images Sell More Than Others?

16:03
81

Analyze Student Portfolio Image Order

11:42
82

Framing, Sizing, Editioning & Pricing

02:19
83

Determine Sizes for Prints

16:44
84

How to Choose Paper

13:56
85

How to Choose Editions

07:18
86

Pricing Strategies

18:59
87

How to Present Your Images

13:26
88

Example Pricing Exercise

09:39
89

Print Examples

08:23
90

Licensing, Commissions & Contracts

04:44
91

How to Keep Licensing Organized

06:07
92

How to Prepare Files for Licensing

07:28
93

Pricing Your Licensed Images

12:33
94

Contract Terms for Licensing

12:07
95

Where to Sell Images

04:55
96

Commission Pricing Structure

08:23
97

Contract for Commissions

12:17
98

Questions for a Commission Shoot

08:45
99

Working with Galleries

08:58
100

Benefits of Galleries

07:39
101

Contracts for Galleries

10:32
102

How to Find Galleries

05:22
103

Choose Images to Show

08:53
104

Hanging the Images

03:38
105

Importance of Proofing Prints

08:04
106

Interview with Soren Christensen Gallery

21:59
107

Press Package Overview

04:35
108

Artist Statement for Your Series

18:20
109

Write Your 'About Me' Page

09:04
110

Importance of Your Headshot

03:55
111

Create a Leave Behind & Elevator Pitch

20:19
112

Writing For Fine Art

04:44
113

Define Your Writing Style

14:49
114

Find Your Genre

06:41
115

What Sets You Apart?

02:25
116

Write to Different Audiences

05:10
117

Write for Blogging

39:57
118

Speak About Your Work

14:21
119

Branding for Video

07:37
120

Clearly Define Video Talking Points

14:27
121

Types of Video Content

31:45
122

Interview Practice

13:22
123

Diversifying Social Media Content

22:32
124

Create an Intentional Social Media Persona

24:48
125

Monetize Your Social Media Presence

18:46
126

Social Media Posting Plan

04:01
127

Choose Networks to Use & Invest

02:57
128

Presentation of Final Images

19:13
129

Printing Your Series

09:16
130

How to Work With a Print Lab

13:39
131

Proofing Your Prints

10:11
132

Bad Vs. Good Prints

03:32
133

Find Confidence to Print

10:50
134

Why Critique?

06:55
135

Critiquing Your Own Portfolio

10:39
136

Critique of Brooke's Series

16:18
137

Critique of Student Series

40:07
138

Yours is a Story Worth Telling

02:09

Lesson Info

Break Through Imposter Syndrome

Now this next thing is one that I guarantee almost every single person will identify with, that either if you have not felt imposter syndrome yet, you might one day, and it's something that I have often struggled with. The reason why I bring it up here is twofold. One, because this class is taking us from idea to concept to creation to selling our work, and if we feel inundated with imposter syndrome, we're never gonna get to that place where we sell our work properly. We're just not. Because we're going to undervalue ourselves, we're not going to know our worth, and Kenna and I were just talking about this earlier, this idea of, at what point are you undervaluing yourself because you think you're not worthy of something. Now imposter syndrome is feeling like an imposter. Feeling like, oh gosh, right now, for example, I could very easily be feeling this, and in fact have, at many points, in creating this class, why am I the one to teach this class? Why am I the one to impart this knowl...

edge? Everyone thinks that I can do this, but really, I can't. And, really, I'm just tricking everybody, with any success I may have had in this field. And so I could be standing here, tremendously nervous to talk to you all, because I feel unworthy of sharing this information. Now the same goes for art. Art is extremely personal, and if somebody tells you that you did a bad job at it, we immediately believe it, because we think they must be right, because they think it's bad, so it's bad. It's really easy to get into that mindset, because we don't always expect to be good at things. Some people do, and I really, really wish that I had more of that, where you're just like, I expect to be really good at this thing all the time. But others, and I would say most of us, don't expect to be good at things, especially right away, and so we develop this idea that if somebody does think that what we do is good, they must be wrong, and I'm just tricking them into seeing what I want them to see. How do we get over that? There is no short answer to this. I mean, I wish that I could say obviously, blah blah blah, you'll be fixed, it's fine. And I still deal with this, and that's why I say there's no short answer, because I really feel like I would have found one by now if there was one. But my advice is to recognize one, you might not be at your best yet. But that's okay. It's okay to not be producing the type of work that you wish you were yet. It's okay for someone to think that you need to get better at what you do, because what you do should be evolving, okay? It's like if you look at this picture of mine, and you're like, not very good, I'd be like, alright, I tried my best, I really like it, one day, maybe it'll get better. You just have to recognize that this right here, right now, is not the end all, be all, and you're not an imposter. You're just not. If someone likes what you do, that's equally as valid as if someone doesn't like what you do. No good words for that one, sorry. Alright, now this was a really interesting conversation that I had yesterday, and I felt the need to bring this up. There are so many people who will just not keep going. Who will not continue to create art. Who will be given a challenge, and they won't complete it. And I'm not, in any way, saying, shame on you for doing that. I am not at all saying that. What I am saying, is that if you commit yourself to this practice, and you keep making work, even when, and especially when, other people stop, that is what will catapult you into a whole other realm of creating, and a whole other realm of business. It's when we take what we do, and we don't listen to that imposter syndrome, and we don't listen to all those people saying your work isn't very good, this could be better, and we simply grow from that, and we keep making art, that suddenly, we'll still be there when everyone else fell off the bandwagon. And I would say that 90% of any success that I've had is just this. I just keep coming back. You can't get rid of me, like a rash, I just keep coming. It's a great example, you guys, okay? Lots of faces like, what, I don't know about that. Okay, well find a better metaphor for me, so that I don't have to be a rash, please. But it's true. I just keep coming back. I just keep making things. And I keep getting negative feedback. One day I'm just going to compile a book of all the mean emails I've ever gotten, and publish that, and be like, this is my homage to keeping going, and that would be great. But it's true. The fact is that if you want this badly enough, and you keep trying, and you meet those goals that you have, a lot of other people won't. But you will have done that. And that is worth everything to me. Your instincts will lead you to a true and honest place. The same thing as curiosity. Our instinct, our curiosity, they go hand in hand. And in the end, we're trying to get to a true and honest place. Truth and and honesty in art is one of the most compelling things that I've ever witnessed. When you see a piece of work that feels like it had to come out of that artist, is there anything better than that? Than witnessing somebody creating what they were meant to create? It's rare that we'll get there in our lives. It's rare that we'll create that thing that just spilled like blood from us and had to be created. But when we do, if we're striving for that, that's the pinnacle of fine art, is that thing that had to come out of us. This is one of my final points about this topic, which is that your narrative will constantly change. And that's why it's called a story, because it's meant to change. So if you're worried about being original, if you're worried about not living up to your potential, you might as well stop, because you will continuously, like a cycle, not live up to your potential, and then meet your potential, and then not live up to your potential, and then meet your potential. And you're meant to do that. We're all meant to do that. I like to say that I would rather live and die a thousand times than just live one boring life. I would rather live and try and fail, and then let that fall away and be reborn into a new artist, doing something new, doing something crazy and unexpected. And in the course of that cycle, I will feel like an imposter, I will feel like my work isn't good enough, and then one day, I won't anymore. And then, that's when I know it's time to start that cycle over again. It's a story, it's cyclical, every single story that's ever been told has a circular pattern, where somebody goes on a journey, this is the classic hero's journey that Joseph Campbell laid out where you go on a journey, and you're meant to go on that journey. And you learn things, and you battle your demons, and then you come back home, and you teach other people what you've learned, and then you go again on that journey, over and over, and that's one of the most inspiring metaphors that I've ever heard. That idea that we're meant to be on this cycle.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Guided Daydream & Writing Exercises Workbook (Lessons 1-11)
Creating an Original Narrative Workbook (Lessons 12-18)
Finding Your Target Audience Workbook (Lessons 19-27)
Planning Your Series Workbook (Lessons 28-34)
Set Design Workbook (Lessons 35-41)
Compositing Workflow Checklist (Lessons 42-49)
Editing Workflow Checklist (Lessons 50-55)
Location Scouting Workbook (Lessons 56-60)
Stock Image Downloads for Practice (Lessons 61-72)
Organizing Your Portfolio Workbook (Lessons 77-81)
Pricing & Editioning Your Work Workbook (Lessons 82-89)
Writing Contracts & Licensing Images Workbook (Lessons 90-98)
Gallery Best Practices (Lessons 99-106)
Pitch Package Workbook (Lessons 107-111)
Writing Your Brand Workbook (Lessons 112-117)
Marketing Workbook (Lessons 118-122)
Social Media Workbook (Lessons 123-127)
Printing Methods Checklist (Lessons 128-133)
Self Critique Workbook (Lessons 134-137)
Bonus Materials Guide
Syllabus
Image Edit Videos

Ratings and Reviews

April S.
 

I tuned in for most of Brooke's lessons in this course and watched some of them more than once as they were rebroadcast. First I want to say that Brooke is a very good instructor. Her easy-going, friendly, down-to-earth, somewhat quirky manner cannot be mistaken for unprofessional. She is very prepared, she speaks well (not a bunch of hemming and hawing), she is thoughtful, she is thorough, she is very relatable and at ease, and she is definitely professional in her presentation. I really thought when I first tuned in that it would mostly be background noise while I was at work, sound to keep me company. Not because I didn't like Brooke but I really didn't think I was into fine art photography nor did I think I cared about the business side of things much. Not now anyhow. I was really wrong. Brooke sparked a deep interest in me to delve into fine art photography, to consider creating images for myself, from my imagination. In fact, I realized that this was something I'd been thinking about for a couple of years though I hadn't put a name to it (the idea of creating pre-conceived images based on my own creative goals). I gleaned many little treasures from her about image sizes, working with printers, different types of paper, selling, interacting with galleries, and so much more. I may not need all of what she taught right now because I'm definitely headed in another direction at the moment, but she planted ideas and information in my head that I know will be useful at some point. Things I may not have thought of on my own, but that seed is in my head now so when the time comes, I'll know. I'd really like to buy her course but at the moment, with the holidays right around the corner, it's not in my personal budget. I'm grateful to have caught the live and rebroadcast lessons though, and her course is on my list to own. I think it's a great reference to be consulted over and over again, not watched once and forgotten. Kudos Brooke for really putting together an excellent course.

Ron Landis
 

I'm retired now, but spent decades in the people and training business. Brooke is extraordinary! Even though this course is extremely well organized and she's left nothing unattended, she moves through it with friendly conversational manners and without a sense of it being stilted. It's as though we are all her friends, not students, as she shares her heart and passion with us. What a joy it is to listen to her. And what a clear, unambiguous command of her subject. Wow! She explains it with such ease using explanations and techniques that won't overwhelm artists just starting their portfolio or the Photoshop-squeamish among us; but despite its simplicity her resulting art is breathtaking and beyond original. I wish more of my professors at school were as engaging. This was by far my best buy at Creative Live yet.

Angel Ricci
 

When the title says comprehensive, it means comprehensive! I loved every part of this course. It's inspirational, motivating, and insightful towards creating art work. Even if you are not necessarily considering a fine art specialty, the concepts discussed in this course are applicable to many areas! I find this super useful as a videographer and photographer and look to apply all of these exercises and concepts for my personal and business work moving forward. It is lengthy, but you will not regret a single minute. Brooke Shaden is an amazing artist and educator. I recommend keeping up with her work, presentations, and any future courses that may come in the future.

Student Work

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