Another battle we must endure when looking, propositioning, or even bidding for your next paid client project is the worry of the competition, if your portfolio is diverse or polished enough, equipment list, other project conflicts, and the list goes on. However when stepping up to bat to do and commit to this kind of work, how does a Female Filmmaker get over self doubt in the process of it all to keep carrying on?
There are things we all collectively know to be true for most cases but not all. In the video production industry we know it is true that is a male dominated field making most of the highest revenue capable in the field. Also, it is true that Women compared to Men have higher levels of anxiety and anxious habits on a daily basis. So combine the two and you have a lot of nail biting female filmmakers out there and that goes for any female in a male dominated career field including STEM, the military, and beyond. I have definitely felt these feelings and as much as I try to brush them off, sometimes this self doubt and the fear of the unknown can be crippling.
Below I have organized some tips for any other female filmmakers that have felt the same way. Self doubt in your passion among the competition to gain work, fear after fear, it all wrapped up in your self identity, where do you find solace to not give up? Keep reading to find your place and be more at ease.
Meditation
I feel like meditation is the solution to many of life and human struggles and for good reason. The simple teaching of calmness is the closest cure to our society dysfunction and loss of the human attention span. It also helps with a overactive, over thinking mind and hushes it in the meanwhile. Either a guided meditation from an app or just taking deep breaths until your mind has no thoughts will help quiet any self doubt in your skills and ability as a female filmmaker.
Create Short Videos
When you feel like no one will give you an opportunity make your own! Produce your own work, whether it is a branded video for some random object in your house, making a feature film or even putting together a vlog. Just make it share it and stay consistent with it. Doing something you love with very little creative restrictions is not only a mood booster but also a confidence booster. To go out and prove as well as show why you deserve to be considered for any project.
Stay Off Social Media
Besides your own content that you want to share, it is best to try and ease the scrolling as much as possible. I’ve been there scrolling and scrolling telling yourself you have five more seconds of scrolling left yet 5 minutes later you are still scrolling in the abyss of Instagram and you can’t look away. This does no good for productivity, finding inner creativity, and reaps feelings of inadequacy in the nature of comparing yourself to others based upon their curated highlight reel.
Write
As much as I try to work out as often as I want, it really never happens. I like the idea of having a time in the day or the week to dedicate to releasing. Most commonly done through physical activity, a sport or just a fitness class you get to release for all the piled up adult problems we all go through. At the end of buzzing with endorphins that make you feel so good about yourself. For the convenience and just plain laziness of some, writing can also accomplish the same feeling, even if you are not a writer. It is good to let all the subconscious thoughts that flutter through your mind daily be almost wiped away when you actively write them out. From there let your inner kid out and be playful, say what is on your mind, write in cursive, profess your love and through the process you may come up with your best idea yet.
Positive Affirmations
Other things that you can write are positive affirmations about yourself. Giving gratitude towards yourself and what you already have to be so thankful and proud of. The best way to get the full effect of positive affirmations is to say it aloud to yourself in the mirror. Every morning smiling, saying a goal getting mantra as well as positive affirmations to and about yourself. Then sense the self doubt fade away.
I hope this helps any female filmmakers or other female professionals that has felt doubt in their abilities, or sometimes feel as of they aren’t good enough to do the work. You are, and don’t let anyone tell you different. Patience is your friend in all of this, get to know it well, in the meantime look out for the next MAP blog and check out all of our previous posts!