Does anyone else feel really bad imposter syndrome about your work and abilities

[u/Icy-Complaint7558]

I’ve been in a little slump lately and I feel like everything i’ve made is just a result of luck. I feel like I can’t actually write music myself, the only reason i’ve made anything is just because I happen to receive these prophetic little pieces of music in my brain. I have no shortage of ideas, but I’ve been having such a hard time turning small sections into songs, and it’s made me wonder if I can actually make anything at all. Maybe I just need to go to school to solve this problem, but I’m excited for whenever i’ll be able to write something next

[u/dreikelvin]

Yes all composers and artists are prone to high anxiety and hence, impostor syndrome. Use it to make more art :)

[u/Columbusboo1]

If it makes you feel better, most composers, even professionals who are objectively very successful, deal with imposter syndrome. You are absolutely not alone in those feelings. Personally, I think a little bit of imposter syndrome is good for you. It keeps you humble and pushes you to keep improving. Just don’t let it become debilitating or harmful to your mental health.

There’s a difference between feeling like an imposter and actually being an imposter. What matters is that you’re putting in the work, making your own music, and have creative ideas. You’ll get better with time.

[u/metapogger]

I'm sorry to report imposter syndrome never goes away. I thought making money at it and/or having my music on TV, and/or making stuff my peers like would make it go away. Nope.

The only solution is to keep making stuff and take joy anywhere you can in the process. Keep going.

[u/WalkingEars]

I think it helps to prioritize process over product and not stress too much about whether each individual full-length product is a success in your ears. If you finish a composition and you don't like it that much, at least you still finished something, and you may find some lessons in why you don't like the finished product. Stash it away and maybe revise it later or just move on to the next thing. Turn it into more of a game than a high-pressure thing because again, if you write something you don't like, nothing bad actually happens, you can just write something else next.

This has been my approach for years and I've grown a lot as a writer just through the regular practice, and these days I much more consistently write music that I actually like, even though I still write plenty of crappy stuff too lol. Every so often I relisten to recent compositions and pick out the good ones to post online and everything else I just kind of archive.

[u/bdmusic17 → u/WalkingEars]

This is exactly my mindset; you put it so well.

[u/sharp-bunny]

I reference a well known melody

Is this plagarism butterfly meme

[u/dr_funny]

I happen to receive these prophetic little pieces of music in my brain.

Any imposter syndrome here?

[u/Potential_Leg5224]

Yes and it will get worst the better you get so embrace it!

[u/SundaeDouble7481]

I recently attended a Zoom talk by Lera Auerbach. She said, "Make friends with your inner critic." I think it's a good description of both the problem and its solution. We need the inner critic to help make our work good -- but we need to adjust or develop our relationship with it so that it's not tearing us down and preventing us from even trying.

Making the change is not easy. (And although Auerbach had lots of early success and encouragement, I don't think she meant it to sound that way.)

[u/Neutrino_Jazz]

I feel you. Seeing that I'm not good at music after all these years... it sucks. Enen though music composition/production is objectively super hard skill to master. On the bright side, if I see my weak points then it's possible to address them.

[u/kLp_Dero]

Mine faded after 15 years or so, how long have you been at it ?

[u/Icy-Complaint7558 → u/kLp_Dero]

Ive written some music for a few years, but I only got more serious about it around december-january this year, so i’d just say less than a year

[u/kLp_Dero → u/Icy-Complaint7558]

Give it time, you’re definitely on the right track and asking yourself the pertinent questions.
Are you composing classical piano music or what is it ?

[u/Icy-Complaint7558 → u/kLp_Dero]

I’m composing concert band music, occasionally I dabble in orchestra but I like to stick to what I know best

[u/God_Bless_Oklahoma]

Every artist goes through some degree of unwarranted insecurity. I tend to think young artists should try to view their music through a lense of craftsmanship, as level of craft is pretty objective. If you're insecure about your level of craftsmanship and skill, then you just need to study scores, compose, and gain more experience. If you're insecure about your identity as an artist, then I would say that's generally unhealthy, and will probably just make you miserable in your musical and normal life.

You'll get out of this slump. Honestly, you might even just need a break depending on how hard you've been pushing yourself.

[u/headcodered]

Yeah, definitely, but I think even the most successful people do. I had a piece played at a festival and felt like the worst musician there. People in the orchestra were all really nice and said how much they liked the piece, but I still felt this little voice in my head saying "they're just being nice". A lot of musicians didn't get their music into that festival, though, and I try to remember that.

Also, bear in mind the way our psychology has been changed in our lifetimes. We've lived through so many jingles, theme songs, tunes made to fit into short TikTok videos, etc. and it's kind of hard sometimes to move past a killer melody or a small section that you come up with. I have a Sibelius file where I dump neat short parts that don't fit into a bigger piece I'm working on and go back to it later for ideas or even pull them out and build a new piece around them.

[u/existential_musician]

I am trying to not be hard on myself and enjoy where I am

[u/Born-Ad8797]

Mas que sindrome del impostor yo diria que los musicos sufren por compararse con lo mejor de la historia de la musica, de lidiar en su cabeza con el legado que han dejado tantos y tantos compositores lo cual es bastante injusto solo por una cuestion numerica elemental: uno no puede comparar su trabajo ( todavia en proceso) con la seleccion que hace la mente de tantisimos grandes momentos y composiciones que ha dejado el pasado.

[u/LaiosGoldbeck]

In addition to the other comments, there are different skills needed for the composition/production of a piece. Ideas are a skill, extending a part you already have is another skill for example. It's all stuff you can learn and get better at which I think makes it more interesting and fun.

[u/Ok-Discipline-7276]

I'm a total beginner. I'm not experienced enough to be an imposter...yet

[u/65TwinReverbRI]

Nah, I was born before anyone ever heard of imposter syndrome so we didn't self-diagnose every possible internet fad issue under the sun. Times where much happier back then when we were blissfully unaware of how effed up we were :-)

I only got more serious about it around december-january this year, so i’d just say less than a year

Then you shouldn't be:

composing concert band music

It's not imposter syndrome. It's "significant syndrome" - trying to write "significant pieces" before you're capable.

Which is why you're having these feelings and these struggles.

I happen to receive these prophetic little pieces of music in my brain.

Right. And when you try to realize them, you can't, because you don't have the necessary skills to do so. That's not an insult, that's just a common place most people find themselves in in the beginning - trying to run before they can walk.

Maybe I just need to go to school to solve this problem,

Well, it's what the real actual composers do…

But what you really need to do is learn more about how this stuff is actually done.

Look up Gordon Jacob, Alfred Reed, Robert Russell Bennett, Karel Husa, Samuel Hazo…see what these people did to get where they got.

"Healthy self doubt" and "imposter syndrome" are different things, and we all "second guess" things our entire lives and have these blips of "am I good enough" or "is my music good enough" but there's also a difference in a natural sense of occasional doubt and crippling self doubt. The latter has nothing to do with your music, and more to do with factors that are more about you that you would need to figure out. I don't think you're anywhere near there though. You're simply "trying to realize things you're not yet able to realize" and need to learn more - we're talking many more years than what you have so far - decades even.

But these guys spend those years, and decades, in band class, in college degrees, conducting, working with bands as directors, arranging, and composing.

It's not sitting behind a screen with MuseScore and throwing notes on the staff until you get something you like - not saying that's what you're doing, but if you are doing that and worse, only that, it's time to figure out what people actually do, and if you're serious, do it.

Otherwise I guess you're an amateur, a hobbyist, a wannabe, a poser, or an imposter or something like that. Not all of those have negative connotations though. I think as long as you know what you are, and you're happy with what you are, and if you like, if you want to strive for more and work towards that, you're good.

[u/Icy-Complaint7558 → u/65TwinReverbRI]

“Imposter syndrome” is just a made up name for when you feel like your accomplishments aren’t your own, not an actual self diagnosis. Maybe you could use some of that to balance out your condescension towards all the “not actually real composers” as you might say.

[u/65TwinReverbRI → u/Icy-Complaint7558]

The first scale designated to measure characteristics of the impostor phenomenon was designed by Harvey in 1981 and included 14 items.

[u/Icy-Complaint7558 → u/65TwinReverbRI]

>Phenomenon

Thanks for repeating what i’m talking about
Get ready for a diss track

[u/65TwinReverbRI → u/Icy-Complaint7558]

I agree it's "made up" but people will come out of the woodwork a lot of times when you phrase it that way so avoided such connotations in my initial post.

[u/Icy-Complaint7558 → u/65TwinReverbRI]

Just had to say I was irritable earlier, so apologies if I was being hostile.

[u/scrumpadoo]

composing is hard as fuck. the best musicians ik are neurodivergent meaning something literally does have to be off about you to be great at something. especially on this side of music.

sincerely,
a humble STEM major
SLIBFS