What I Learnt From My Old Instagram Posts

I’ve been working on writing the last 3 months — as in copywriting writing, not calligraphy writing.

To edit and look at my writing objectively, a useful question is “what’s the purpose of this line”.

And I’ve noticed one thing.

These are from my older IG posts:

Definitely not my best work.

Granted, this isn’t very well-written but…

I didn’t pencil this first (yes I was lazy) so alignment was done on the fly.

Did you notice they’re all disclaimers?

Because of [something that happened], I [didn’t do as well as I wanted].

Now I have no problems with mistakes. I know flaws are expected. I don’t demand perfection from myself. I don’t scold myself when my practice didn’t turn out well.

So why did I keep saying such disclaimers publicly?

Because I don’t fear mistakes. I just fear judgement.

I’m insecure about others judging my standards and abilities based on my mistakes. So I feel the need to justify that I can do better, and I know I can do better.

And if I dig in deeper? It all comes down to imposter syndrome.

I’d likely have no problems with others judging me if I weren’t doing calligraphy workshops & worksheets. But because I do, I worry about others thinking why should I be doing these. That’s probably also why I rarely use the terms instructor, student or teaching, and instead opting for helping and sharing.

Calligraphy has taught me many lessons, and this increased self-awareness is yet another lesson.

Usually, I try to end each email with an actionable tip or an encouraging message. This time, I’ve rambled a little about how I came to this rather vulnerable and personal realisation.

But maybe this can prompt you to take a closer look at how you’re talking about yourself, your skills and your interests.

I think we can all benefit from being more conscious about (and using less) self-deprecating language. I know I’m trying. 🫶🏻

This was first published in my email newsletter, 💌 Curious Letters, where I share tips and stories about calligraphy.

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