Through the Lens: Photographer and Subject Reflections on Gendered Narratives, the Impostor Phenomenon and Community Amidst COVID-19
Hanna Saltis and Chloe Clements
The SAR-COV 2 coronavirus (henceforth COVID-19) pandemic brought the globe to a standstill, giving ample time for reflection on many aspects of the human experience, including identity.
During this time, the authors of this paper collaborated on a photographic artistic project to explore their experiences of gender and bodies.
The process and the product created by impostor (the artist) and impostor (the subject) had a profound impact on the authors, generating opportunities for both to reflect on their journeys as a professional artist and a non-binary person, respectively.
While this project did not intentionally set out to explore the impostor phenomenon, nor the impacts of COVID-19 on gender, hindsight and collaboration have given the authors the opportunity to reflect on how these factors permeated and influenced their experiences throughout the creative process. This article is a culmination of their reflections.
Utilising pastiche, the authors reflect on this process and product, drawing together academic, creative, and reflective writing styles, and images to reveal and explore the systemic, contextual, and personal factors that contribute to gendered experiences of the impostor phenomenon.
In doing so, the authors highlight that community and collaboration are essential remedies to the pandemic and impostor phenomenon.
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