Public persona vs private life

For experts, the lines between professional and personal identities can sometimes blur.

But maintaining a balance between being genuine and professionalism is essential for building trust and credibility with your audience.

In today’s digital age, audiences crave real people.

They want to connect with you, not just the polished version. This connection is forged when your public persona mirrors your private self closely.

If there's a stark difference between who you are on stage and who you are in private, it can create a disconnect with your audience.

It's natural to have a more polished and professional demeanor when you're on stage or in a public setting.

However, the core values, beliefs, and personality traits that define you should shine through in both your public and private personas.

This also translates to photographers, too - and I learned this valuable lesson early on.

For every session, I felt like I had to put on an act and suppress aspects of my personality in order to not step on any toes or offend anyone with my rough-around-the-edges approach to communication.

What happened?

I ended up attracting the wrong types of clients, and the work suffered, as a result. Once I began to own my personality and be more natural, the folks who hired me were initially attracted to my world BECAUSE of who I am and how I communicated with them.

With that being said, being genuine doesn't mean airing every detail in your life, unfiltered - I certainly don’t - but it does mean being genuine about who you are and what you stand for.

When your public persona aligns closely with your private self, you create a powerful, genuine brand that resonates with your audience. They see you as not just an expert, but as a relatable, trustworthy individual.

This authenticity can set you apart in a crowded market and build a loyal following that values and trusts your expertise.

So, how close is your public persona to who you are when you're not on stage? The closer the two are, the stronger and more genuine your connection with your audience will be.