Creative Troubleshooting
There’s an imposter among us. And that imposter is me.
Reference to the game aside, I often find myself in a conundrum when I think about my work as a creative. I often see my work as subpar and lackluster. I don’t see the “creativity” or “passion.” Passion. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth. When I think of passion, I think of a matchstick — quick to burnout. I think I want to be more like a log. I have a tendency to push through with bullheaded stubbornness. Which makes me often question whether this path in starting Roundtable Studios and doing creative work is for me — since many creators, video producers and photographers emphasize having passion in the things they do. I often wonder if I can count myself among these people.
As a psychology graduate, I’m well aware of the Imposter Syndrome — a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud" — yet, I can’t help but feel like I’m an imposter in this industry. The creative industry is full of people filled with energy and pizzazz. They draw your attention and make you listen to them. I’m not like “those creatives.” I don’t have charisma or a commanding personality that quietens the rooms I walk into. And while I can put on a mask from time to time, pretend that I’m worthy of attention on social media and talk about my credentials, this feeling of not fitting in is a problem…but it may be a problem that I can fix.
The Heart Of Creative Work
It may sound strange, but I like problems. Problems are issues that have yet to find a solution. And in this soul-searching (if you can call it that) has led me to take a hard look at who I am and what I contribute to my work here in Roundtable Studios and beyond. I’m a troubleshooter, problem solver and tinkerer at heart. I like having a challenge to crack. And creative work is just problems that call for a creative answer to crack. And that’s basically the heart of creative work. It’s not the video, photo, ad or copy you produce. It’s not the billboard or print ad. It’s the problem that you solve.
I’m a troubleshooter. Someone clients come to us when they have a particular set of marketing issues that need an answer. Sometimes the solution is a funny video, other times it’s a full blown creative campaign. And sometimes it’s to realize that there is no problem, and they are just overthinking things. That’s how I see my role moving forward. I’m here to advice, consult, think and strategize a way around and out of problems.
That’s why I love video production to begin with. It’s basically troubleshooting throughout. How can we make this talent believable? How do we light up this set? What’s the mood that we’re going for? How do we make this work with this budget? How do we ensure that conti remains? How do we edit this to sync? How do we address this feedback? And the list goes on from pre-production, production and post production there’s always something that needs troubleshooting.
So if you feel like an imposter in this industry, fret not. It took me a long time to realize where I could be of use. The answer isn’t always straightforward, and you may need a few years of wandering before you find it. The important thing is that you stick to the path and create your value.
The industry is huge and accepting. So don’t give up hope.
Godspeed,
Reuben Liu