You Don’t Actually Want to Be Seen

(You Want to Be Respected)

Most creatives say they want visibility.

They don’t.

They want respect.

There’s a difference.

Being respected means people admire your work.
Being seen means people see you.

Your thoughts.
Your awkward pauses.
Your unfinished ideas.
Your rough edges.

Building in public forces you to trade polish for presence.

And that’s uncomfortable.

When we restarted Amplified and decided to go all in, I realized something quickly. I was no longer hiding behind the camera. I wasn’t directing someone else. I wasn’t shaping someone else’s narrative.

I was the narrative.

That’s when it hit me.

Respect feels safe. Visibility doesn’t.

But if you want to lead conversations, if you want to attract aligned people, if you want to build something bigger than client work, you eventually have to step out from behind your craft.

You have to let people see the operator, not just the output.

That’s terrifying.

And necessary.