the fear INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS don’t talk about

I saw a quote this week that stopped me cold:​ “Embarrassment is the price of entry.”

It came from Steven Bartlett (Diary of a CEO), after being named one of The New York Times’ Top 100 Creators.

And it nailed something I’ve seen over and over again in this field.

Most designers aren’t afraid to show what they’ve made.​ Because the work has been vetted, revised, and sharpened over weeks or months.​ We can defend it. It feels safe.

But the ideas in our heads?​ The pure, raw, beautiful concepts?​ The new groundbreaking original thoughts?

That feels too raw. Too unpolished.​ And too risky to post, especially when someone with a bigger title might see it.

We weren’t trained to share our instincts.​ We were trained to perfect them first.​ And since we can’t spend weeks rewriting every post, we stay quiet.

But there’s a problem.

Visibility is leverage.​ And if you want clients, collaborators, leadership roles, or influence,​ you have to be seen.

Embarrassment isn’t a signal you’re doing it wrong.​ It’s just part of the deal.

And once you realize that?​ It gets easier to hit “post.”

P.S. I wrote this post in under an hour this morning. No overthinking, just sharing what’s been on my mind.

And if you don’t like it, or don’t agree, let me hear it in the comments. That’s part of showing up, too.

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