Imposter Syndrome?

I was really struck by The Photographic Eye's newsletter this past weekend. He discussed imposter syndrome, spotlighting Sally Mann’s quote “The Fundamental Thing About My Personality Is That I Think I'm An Imposter". And his own observation: “I figured that if I was unsure of myself, that must mean my work was crap”. 

This all hit very close to home for me. Occasionally, I’ll press the shutter and think “that’s it!” When I look at it on a computer screen, I’m almost as happy. Then I post it to a photo site, and it gets (only) a polite response, and I start to doubt. And as time progresses, my doubt grows.

In the article, Alex added “I also started having the 'guts' to show work that wasn't 'perfect'”. In that spirit, I figured I’d post this photo.

Taken in late November ('24) on a walk along the riverfront in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, Where I grew up. When I went out, this is the shot I was thinking of; a chance to contrast the last yellows of autumn against the yellow of one of the “3 Sisters” bridges. I was initially happy with it, even ordered a 9x12” print. That print has sat on our dining room table for about 6 weeks, and each time I look at it, I find some new reason to be disappointed. But I’m coming around to Alex’s last point: “If you're only making photos to please yourself, then it's impossible to be deceitful.” After thinking about the article, I’m going to go ahead and mount/frame the photo and put it on my wall. And even if it isn’t perfect, it makes me happy. Even if it doesn’t get a million likes on a photo site, it still resonates with me. And I need to remember that’s enough.

Does anybody else struggle with imposter syndrome? How do you get the little voices out of your head?