CREATIVE PSYCHOLOGY | Becoming Confident
The old adage “Fake it ’til you make it” has a lot of value. If you don’t believe in your work, no one else will.
If being confident doesn’t come naturally to you or makes you feel like an imposter, then create an alter ego super-hero character who is the confident artist version of yourself, and use your super-hero self to interact with the world. (My character even has a costume, or armor of sorts; when I wear it, I feel protected.) Super-hero me is still me, but an aspirational me with unlimited reserves of confidence in my work.
People’s perception of one another comes from nonverbal communication and body language—the way you stand, where your hands are placed, how your body moves, what facial expressions you use, and your overall outward appearance. Being conscious of these things can help you appear confident even when you lack confidence. For some, using a positive mantra, spoken affirmations, or setting intentions can help overcome the anxiety that arises from low self-confidence.
During a TEDGlobal talk, social psychologist Amy Cuddy offered a free, low-tech life hack: Assume a power posture for just two minutes—and change your life.
In lab tests, Cuddy found that people who adopted high-power poses for two minutes would alter their hormones in surprisingly beneficial ways. The two hormones linked to feeling powerful are high levels of testosterone and low levels of cortisol. Altered levels of these hormones were achieved after only two minutes of adopting any of the following power poses:
The Wonder Woman or Superman. Wide stance, chest out, hands on hips.
The Starfish or Victory. Wide stance, arms above head in a V.
The CEO. Sitting, feet up on desk, leaning back, hands behind your head with your elbows out.
Two minutes before you go into the next stressful performance situation, configure your brain to best cope with that situation with a power pose. Go somewhere private. Get your testosterone up. Get your cortisol down.