How To Thrive Despite Experiencing Impostor Syndrome

New Media Designer, Allison Kunz, shares her experience with imposter syndrome and tips to move past the self-doubt with Authority Magazine.

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?

When I was younger, I really enjoyed creating art. I took my first graphic design course in highschool, and it was love at first sight. I immediately knew I wanted to make my passion into a career. This desire created a butterfly effect that landed me in college for design and 4 years later, in a creative ad agency, Helen + Gertrude, where I now work on all sorts of cool projects — including website design, packaging design, and motion graphics.

Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

I landed a spot in a work-away program where I utilized my graphic design skills in exchange for housing on the North Shore of Maui. Not only was this an incredible experience, but it really taught me the value of what I do for a profession. While I was on the island, I realized that experiences are everything. It opened my eyes to the different experiences people have in life and allowed me to further explore the concept that people absorb things differently based on those experiences.This connection to consumers’ thoughts/ideals pushed me to create designs that are purposeful, thinking through what the end-user experience path has been thus far and how my product will further impact them.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

First of all, the company I work for is Certified Women-Owned which, coming from a woman in the design field, is totally badass! Secondly, my company genuinely cares for its staff. Not only are efforts made to promote a healthy work-life balance (half-day Fridays, flexible work hours, etc), but the leaders are constantly checking in with their teams to confirm that no one is drowning in work, and if they are, how they can help alleviate that workload. On a more personal note, I was itching to move out of my hometown, where we are based and head toward Colorado. I chatted with the founders of the company about their thoughts about me working 100% remotely, and they were more than happy to support my decision and encouraged me to make the move I had always dreamed of! The trust they place in their employees, and genuine care for us really makes Helen + Gertrude stand out.

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