Failure in Public

Posting on the internet can be intimidating. The moment I hit publish, my work is out in the open—accessible, searchable, and remembered. That awareness alone can quietly limit creativity. It can stop you from experimenting, from sharing work in progress, or even from learning something new that you’re curious about. Social media amplifies this effect. When I scroll through Instagram looking for motivation, I often return discouraged, intimidated by the polish and scale of more popular creators. The result is predictable: I retreat to my comfort zone and repeat ideas I already know will work.

That repetition stagnates your craft. It can also deny you the chance to discover the best version of yourself as a creator. It’s entirely possible that the thing you haven’t tried yet—the awkward experiment, the half-formed idea—is what sets you apart. That could be your niche. But by not trying, you never give yourself—or anyone else—the chance to find out. Experimentation breaks that invisible glass ceiling. You don’t lose anything by trying something new. Even when it fails by your own standards, it teaches you what worked, what didn’t, and how to approach the problem differently the next time. Failure, in that sense, is directional.

More importantly, experimenting in public takes courage. It signals security in your craft and confidence in yourself. A work in progress might inspire someone just starting out. An unfinished idea could spark interest from a more experienced creator. You might even find others in the same phase and discover opportunities to collaborate. So give your experiments room to exist, even when you label them as failures. Failing in public may feel uncomfortable—but those moments often plant the seeds for succeeding in public.