Through The Cracks (2026) | Short Film

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:01]Have you ever felt like you don't belong somewhere you work so hard to get? Like at any moment someone could realize you're a fraud? Yes, these feelings, otherwise known as imposter syndrome, are quite often the unfortunate reality of working in the creative industries.

[00:00:13]Sometimes it's obvious, but other people might suffer silently. Could be you, your friend, or even the person you sit next to every day.

[00:00:23]>> How did you guys go with your assignment?

[00:00:24]>> Pretty good, actually.

[00:00:26]>> Did you get your feedback?

[00:00:26]>> Yeah, yeah, I got it in I got it in early.

[00:00:29]>> Really nice.

[00:00:30]>> Same.

[00:00:31]>> I was really liking the feedback as well.

[00:00:33]>> It was a lot easier than I thought it was going to >> I was really into it.

[00:00:36]>> Yeah, I feel like >> Yeah, I got it in I got it in early.

[00:00:39]>> Yeah, really nice.

[00:00:41]>> Yeah.

[00:00:44]>> Yeah, it was good. I got it done in one sitting.

[00:00:46]>> Yeah, I feel like they made it seem a lot >> So.

[00:00:54]>> [music] >> To find out more about what this syndrome entails, we're here at QUT with one of our very own, Rhiannon Shanks, at Z9 Block.

[00:01:14]Thank you so much for being here, Rhiannon.

[00:01:16]>> Thank you for having me. Happy to help.

[00:01:18]>> Awesome. Let's get right into the questions. What do you think tends to trigger these feelings within creative arts students? How much of it is due to the environment, things such as critique culture, [music] expectations, or comparison?

[00:01:30]>> Comparison really can eat away at you.

[00:01:33]Um, when it looks like, at least [music] in, you know, the student's mind, that everyone else is doing really well, and no one else seems to be struggling the way that I'm struggling.

[00:01:42]When or everyone else seems to be getting [music] great feedback on their work, they seem to be nailing it every single time.

[00:01:48]When that's actually not the case. Um, and if you learn to kind of move past that [music] comparison and actually talk to your peers, you'll find that a lot of them are feeling very similar feelings.

[00:01:59]>> How might these feelings be impacting the way students are socializing with their other peers and teaching staff within uni?

[00:02:05]>> Yeah, um I think a really big one is that um students start to withdraw um both just from being able to participate in class and have a conversation about their work or what they're thinking.

[00:02:17]But also they withdraw from the people they're sitting next to them. Hey Max.

[00:02:22]>> Hey Rowan.

[00:02:23]>> How are you?

[00:02:23]>> I know that sometimes >> at uni, it can be really scary to talk to a tutor or a lecturer, but they pull away even from their colleague who is sitting right next to them. Oh my gosh, I forgot to tell you I got accepted.

[00:02:43]Often we also see it where they [music] start to withdraw just even from coming to class.

[00:02:50]And we stop seeing them [music] there.

[00:02:53]And so we usually assume that maybe they are trying to do all the coursework by themselves because they don't want to be perceived as not knowing the correct thing or not doing the right thing when it when that's not the point of coming to uni and working on your creative practice.

[00:03:36]>> And what do you think are some of the most effective strategies for overcoming imposter syndrome that you would recommend to students studying the creative arts?

[00:03:44]>> I think probably the most effective one [music] is to remember that you're all on the journey together.

[00:03:49]Um but the other one would be reframing imposter syndrome as it's a core part of learning. To try something and to fail and to not get it right [music] is part of the journey and your ability to kind of continue to repeat that [music] cycle through your time at uni is going to make you a better creative.

[00:04:10]You're going to be more resilient.

[00:04:12]>> Great answers, Ronnie. Thank you so much. I'm sure this information will definitely help some students out there.

[00:04:16]You can be sure it definitely helped me.

[00:04:19]Thank you so much.

[00:04:19]>> Thank you.

[00:04:20]>> Well, thanks to Ronnie, we now know imposter syndrome is much more common than you'd think. Everyone experiences it, especially university students.

[00:04:41]It's how we handle these emotions that changes our positions.

[00:04:45]Step up and take control.