The Fear of Being Seen

In this post, I would like to discuss fear. I believe the fear of being seen keeps us stuck and immobilised. This is definitelt, a bit of an elephant in the room. So, for me, the fear of being seen is the reason why I have taken so long to pursue my artist journey, even now.

Now, for some people, and there’s nothing wrong with this, your art is a hobby. It’s a way of relaxing. It’s a way of processing. It’s a way of making sense of the world, and you don’t need to share it beyond you. But for some of us, an inner call to more is linked to being seen.

In answering the call, by default, you become someone who is seen because your pursuit becomes public. So it isn’t enough to keep it hidden. It isn’t enough to hide your light under a basket. Now, suddenly, there is a sense, or a responsibility, to let it out and to let it (your art, that is!) shine, and that responsibility takes courage. It takes a lot of courage to show your full, authentic expression. Because especially now, whether it’s on social media or whatever, people are quick to criticise and be mean.

There aren’t many places where we can feel like we are being encouraged or where we feel like we are being celebrated. Instead, there are lots of people who are willing to tear you down. Many people are eager and more than happy to see you fail and to see you fall publicly.

By keeping your art, your views, or your voice to yourself, there is no fear of potentially failing publicly because you can fail. And for some people, failure is really hard. It’s really hard to take. However, there’s something about failing publicly, failing in a way for everyone to see, that creates a fear that some people would just rather not face.

And I was one of those people.

For a long time, I was content with making my collages for myself, and even now, sharing the fact that I have a website with a blog, a YouTube channel, and an art shop is a lot for me.

For a long time, I was content with not saying anything, and this has become a force of habit. Nonetheless, I’m still a work in progress. Seriously, there are a lot of people who don’t know that I’m here, expressing myself and sharing my thoughts and all the things that I’m encountering on my artist journey in a corner of the internet.

But honestly and sincerely, I’m working on it.

Even so, showing up here is my way of overcoming them. This is the other side of my comfort zone, and I’m still scared. I’m so frightened of failing publicly. I’m afraid of being rejected. I’m scared of being made fun of. I’m terrified of being humiliated. In all of it, I have to remind myself that it’s completely understandable every day because I would not be human if I did not have these fears. It’s entirely rational, is what I’m saying.

However, even though it is valid, there is still a call for me to show up. Because the thing is, I don’t even mind if I don’t reach thousands and thousands of people. For me, it’s just about reaching one person. If I can get just one, and I know people say it, it sounds cliche, but it’s true. If I just reach one person, if one person reaches out to me and says, ‘Thank you for sharing. Thank you for showing up,’ then all of this fear, the angst and the anxiety is worth it.

Because I wish someone had told me, I want more people to say to me, ‘Theodora, go for this, do it,’ ‘This is a really worthwhile thing.’

So, I’m here to encourage you. And I’m here to ask that you join me.

I know you are afraid, but what if? What lies on the other side? Of your comfort zone? What if there are opportunities to connect with other people so that you can create more work?

What could come of you? What could come of you by stepping over into the unknown, into this thing that scares you?

Many videos and blogs about this very subject express this in a more eloquent way! I came across a lady on YouTube @ayandastood who talked about this. She used a phrase in her video that really grabbed my attention, and it just stayed with me. She said,

What if having the courage to overcome your fear of being seen is actually an invitation to transformation?

And I put that same question to you:

What if, on the other side of your comfort zone, showing up by pressing record and sharing your work with people outside your friendship circle is an invitation to transformation? What if it’s an invitation for growth? How do you know how you will grow? How do you know of all how you will be transformed? How do you know how you will blossom? Unless you show up afraid unless I show up. Afraid. How will I know any of this unless I try?

Until I show up and am seen, I will never know what is on the other side of my comfort zone.

So, until we gather again, move towards your dream—one step at a time, no matter how small.