Embracing Vulnerability: Showing Up Authentically in a World of Perceptions

It’s funny how others’ perceptions of us can be so different from who we feel we really are. Yesterday, my partner was helping a neighbour. We live in France, and she was showing him her techniques for pointing limestone on stone houses. When he told her I’d love to watch or maybe even try it myself, she looked at him in surprise. Her impression of me was that I’m a “lady” who perhaps wouldn’t get her hands dirty. But what she didn’t know was that I’d pointed the stone wall in our lounge myself, and I was curious about how I could improve my technique as she was seasoned at this task.

The truth is, while my partner does a lot of the big renovation projects, I’m not afraid to jump in. We fitted our kitchen together, and though my primary job in that process was handling the spirit level, (joke!) it was something we did as a team. Just the other day, a different neighbour was surprised to hear that I’m the one who takes care of the tech in our house. My partner offered to help them set up their Tv and Firestick with some apps, so they were surprised when I arrived with him and set it up.

These moments made me think about the impression I’m giving the world, especially through my online art tuition. Sharing my skills and putting myself out there isn’t something that comes naturally to me. It leaves me feeling vulnerable and wondering what people think of me. I know I can come across as confident when I’m teaching, and I genuinely love helping others find joy in creating art, but there’s always that part of me still wondering what others think. When I make a real connection with a student and see that spark of confidence and creativity in them, it reminds me of why I’m doing this. It’s those, powerful moments that drive me forward.

But as much as I love teaching, I’m not really the “big business” type. I’m a mum, a teacher, a person who cares deeply about sharing what I know. I stress about the little things, like what to write in my next post or how people might respond to my work. And the vulnerability that comes with putting myself out there—the risk of being misunderstood, of not being “liked”—it’s not always easy to manage. This is something I’ve struggled with for most of my life. I’ve been told, as you get older you get less bothered, but that’s not really proving to be that true!

Yet, I’m learning that I have to be okay with feeling this way. It’s okay to not have everything perfectly figured out, to be seen in ways that sometimes miss who I really am. I'm not going to get everything perfect all the time, but I'm always trying my best and I'll always try my best for my students. The need in me to offer my skills, to share art with others, just about outweighs my need to be liked or perfectly understood. Vulnerability, as uncomfortable as it can be, is also where we find connection. See me as a person, how you would a friend, and not just another face on the internet trying to get your attention.

If we can let others see us as we are—our strengths, our quirks, and the parts that surprise them—then maybe we’re giving them permission to be more authentic, too. So, I’ll keep showing up as I am, ready to teach and to share, even if I don’t always fit the perception others might have for me. In the end, perhaps it’s not about changing how people perceive us but simply being willing to show them a little more of who we truly are.