How to be more visible
Have you ever found yourself hesitant to share your work or thoughts with others, even if you believe in their importance? You're not alone. Many of us struggle with the fear of self-promotion, feeling that it comes across as arrogant or self-centred.
But what if there was a way to approach sharing our work that was not only more authentic and genuine but also had the power to amplify the voices of marginalised groups?
Recently, several people noticed my increased activity on LinkedIn and shared their thoughts with me. They find my willingness to share my work and ideas inspiring but also admit that the thought of being visible themselves can be scary.
It's easy to look at others and think they have it all figured out, but the reality is that putting ourselves out there can be challenging.
That's why I want to share more about my own experiences with visibility and what I've learned along the way. My goal is to inspire you, too, to share your talents and ideas with the world.
Reframing your perspective on “visibility”
Last year, I chose "visibility" as my word for 2022 and made a commitment to share more about my work and what I care about. This decision was influenced by my participation in the Global Upfront Bond by Lauren Currie, a six-week programme that helps change your perspective on confidence.
Some of the changes were immediate, whilst others took more time to develop as I worked to unlearn old beliefs and patterns that held me back from showing up confidently and unapologetically.
Before the program, I had a negative association with the idea of self-promotion. I thought it was all about bragging and saying, "Hey, look at how great I am and what I do." But Upfront taught me that being visible can also be an act of generosity.
There are people out there who can learn from you and might need your services. Hiding your knowledge and talents in the closet is actually more self-centred than sharing them with the world.
By being visible, you can also amplify the voices of others, particularly those who are more marginalised. You can change the narrative and make sure that diverse perspectives are represented.
Bell Hooks had found a more eloquent way of putting it:
“No black woman writer in this culture can write ‘“too much’”. Indeed, no woman writer can write ‘“too much’”...No woman has ever written enough.”
This is especially important in the age of AI. AI is trained on existing data. The output of AI will reflect the worldview of those who create it. As an AI ethicist told me once in an interview: “Simply put, if you put crap in, you will get crap out.” 💩
Overcoming the hurdles
With this new mindset, I started the year 2022 with many good intentions. I wanted to talk about all the things I learned whilst exploring the topics of climate adaptation and resilience. But I was stopped in my tracks right away. A few weeks into the year, I had a breakup. Instead of showing up on social media, I just wanted to hide under the blanket. I replaced the word “visibility” with balance”. My goal was getting through the day, being productive at work, and finding the space and time to process my emotions.
Once I was ready to try again, I found so many barriers along the way to being visible. English is my third language. I feel I can’t always express myself as I would like. Some people like to write. I don’t. I never have.
It seemed like I had all sorts of perfect excuses. Not enough time. My work is protected by NDA (Non-Discloure-Agreement). Should I be visible in English, German or Italian?
I understood the importance of being visible, but somehow I couldn’t overcome these hurdles. I felt guilty.
Then, I got creative and tried a new solution. I hired a copywriter who would write for me. I was willing to spend money to make my life simpler. We agreed to three articles. I simply would jot down a few bullet points and ask her to transform them into a compelling article.
It sounded easy, but it wasn’t. I struggled to come up with ideas for the articles. I thought they needed to be great. This perfectionism at all costs led me to procrastinate editing, and meant that it took over five months to get the articles done.
Whilst this wasn’t a very successful strategy, it still thought me a lot. It showed me how much easier and quicker it would be if I could just get myself to sit down and write.
For a bit, I tried to establish a writing practice. Every morning I would write whatever came to my mind for 15 minutes without the pressure to publish. But for a person who is outcome and impact-driven, I found it a pointless exercise. Random drafts of articles started to pile up in my Notion.
The result? I didn't share much for most of the central part of 2022. I kept everything in my closet. At the end of September, I took a “sabbatical” from client work to fully focus on understanding my next chapter of freelancing and what I could do in the space of climate adaptation and resilience.
My content performance in 2022. For a long time there was silence, until I figured out what was holding me back.
I knew I needed to be more visible and understand where my self-sabotaging behaviour came from. There was a huge gap between understanding the importance of being visible and taking action to put myself out there.
I spoke with various people and finally, when asked to reflect more intuitively about what was holding me back, I had the revelation. It came from a place I didn’t expect. My hesitation to share my work stemmed from a traumatic experience I had in elementary school, when I was bullied for speaking a different dialect.
My mum was from another mountain valley, so I’ve picked up her accent. This turned me into the “outsider” of the group: an easy target to pick on. One day as we left school, a few classmates lined up on the street to block the passage with the intention to beat me up.
I can vividly remember how menacing it felt to walk towards them. I couldn’t spot a way to escape or avoid the confrontation. It felt scary. Luckily someone passing by saw what was happening and intervened. I made it home safely, but it instilled a fear of speaking.
When you feel that what you say and how you say it can become dangerous, you may end up silencing your voice. Not just for a few days, but for years.
So many of us have probably experienced judgement or shame because of what they said or how they said it. Putting your thoughts and ideas in the void of social media feels menacing, and that’s totally understandable.
Showing up with grace
Gaining this insight helped me to treat myself with more compassion. It made me celebrate the small steps as though they were huge achievements and not beat myself up if I wasn’t showing up as I intended. I understood that discomfort would be part of showing up, but instead of fighting it, I accepted it.
Another key element that helped me put myself and my work out there was that I finally had the time. I could spend an entire day writing the first draft of an article. Because I hadn’t done it in a while, it took me what felt like ages to do the research, organise my thoughts, and put them on paper. Now, I see writing for what it is: a privilege that takes time and mental energy - something that not everybody has.
Last but not least, I decided to use the word “value” as my new compass to help me decide what I share. Before showing up, I always ask myself: is this going to be valuable to others?
If it is, I know that I should talk about it. This helps me stay consistent. It’s not about amassing likes or impressions on social media, it’s about accomplishing a much higher mission: providing value to at least one other person out there. Showing up is slowly getting easier, and receiving kind notes from others about how my work inspires and helps them is giving me an extra boost.
Before I leave you, allow me to give you one final tip If you observe any self-sabotaging behaviours or feel stuck, take some time to explore the why behind it. It might make the world of difference, and set you up for a much-needed, long-overdue resolution.
Tools & tips to become more visible
Lauren Currie has put together some free guides that help everyone who wants to step up but doesn’t know how to be more visible.
You can start engaging if you don’t feel ready yet to post a lot on Linkedin. This is a helpful guide to defining your Linkedin Engagement strategy from the friends at Shft Agency.
Sarah Tulej is a brand photographer for small and purposeful business owners and has created this free guide to show you how to use photography to bring you and your brand story to life.
