Is the public version of you the real you?

We all think we’re being real—whether in public or in private—but the deeper challenge is questioning whether we truly know our real selves at all. In any case, even when we know ourselves we might face various pressures that push us to fit in or not cause trouble – so even the most well-intentioned person might struggle to always be 100% real in public. Sometimes the simplest questions are actually the most complex. Thankfully, we have some wonderful members of the community who offered to share their thoughts on this challenging question.

Stormy Tripp

Yes—absolutely! The public version of me is the real me. Everything I do, especially through The Painting Joint, is rooted in who I genuinely am. I don’t struggle with imposter syndrome because I built this brand myself—from the ground up—and the community we’ve grown is based on my values, energy, and personality. It takes a certain kind of person to do what we do. Read more>>

Taehoon Park

What, then, is the “true self”? Do we actually live with a clear awareness of who we are? Our brains continuously generate countless thoughts throughout the day. At times, negative thoughts create conflict between our “outer self” and “inner self,” causing feelings of dissonance and pain. At other times, overly positive thoughts push us into actions we later regret. Read more>>

Bair Manzarkhan

Trying to be real, but we have to adjust to the circumstances. Not perfect but real enough. Read more>>

Kathleen Aharonian

100%. Honestly, for a long time, I subconsciously hid myself in so many ways. Due to years of childhood trauma I’d gone through. The conditioning we grow up with, and so many disempowering beliefs. When I started to wake up and heal from this. It became my purpose to be as authentic as possible and put this out in the world. Read more>>

Phil Hawkins

As a person of integrity and authenticity, I like to think so. I have found that genuinely being myself has been more rewarding and logical than trying to keep up false personas or being a people pleaser. Read more>>

Enrico Targetti

Absolutely not. We all have countless public versions of ourselves. I’ll tell you what, I believe we also have countless ‘real’ version of ourselves. To believe in ONE true self is to be blissfully unaware of the complexity of the human mind Read more>>