Contradictions in self expression

Self expression, putting oneself out there has always seemed alluring to me. But almost every time I want to do, create or post something I end up overthinking it and not doing it. And it has been like this for as long as I can remember. Fear of judgement, criticism or simply being 'observed' always cause some sort of nervousness.

But then why are you writing these short blog posts?

Well you see, online you can create a persona. And since that persona is not me. They're not scared of being judged. I mean you can try... But this site has 0 social features... So because I can have this alternate version of myself, I don't feel limited by my existing fears and assumptions. But this got me thinking.

Is this persona not exactly the same concept as Vtuber avatars or costumes?

I mean think about it. Both of those examples create a layer of anonymity, while allowing the person behind them to express themself more freely. The very same can be said about people in the furry community. They create their own characters, and then embody them in order to express themselves more freely. Than in itself is extremely powerful from a creative standpoint.

Whilst talking about this with my lovely partner (Who is active on Twitch) they brought up another interesting point. While they are not anonymous on twitch, they do have a certain character that they play. And while this character is closer to their real life self, there are stark differences. Combining this with the "interface" of a stream (e.g. the chat), you also get a sort of "portal" to the outside world, just like you would get from your anonymous social account, or your fursuit.

So while creating a social barrier might seem counterintuitive. It can actually help a ton with self expression.

Going forward, I'll be trying to lean more into my online personas. And seeing if I can feel more at ease when sharing stuff.