The Value of Self-Portraits in Work and Life
People connect with people, the value in showing your face, whether it’s for your job or your personal life.
Self-Portraits For Work
Show Your Face: People like dealing with people, not faceless businesses. Showing your face makes your business or brand more relatable and sets you apart from the big guys.
When people know your story, your way of doing things, and what matters to you, they connect with a real person - that’s impactful! It builds trust and makes someone more likely to buy what you’re offering.
Whenever I share a bit about myself along with my face, it often strikes a chord more than just showcasing the work I’ve done for clients. When I think about my recent purchases, I’m more inclined to choose a business where I can see the person behind it. I want my money to support someone who genuinely cares, just like I do when someone books me. For example, I was searching for an online art class for my daughter.
My options were:
A cheap class on a big learning platform with an unknown instructor and not much info about them.
A pricier class on an artist's personal website in Australia. However, I could read about the artist's background and see their face.
I went for the second one, even though it cost more, because I liked the artist's story and felt connected to them by seeing their face. This might not be how you shop, but there’s a lot of info out there supporting the value of putting a face to a name.
Self-portraits for Life
On a personal level, being a part of your own story holds immense value. I’m not saying you need a ton of selfies with silly faces. Just every now and then, maybe once a year, show up in a photo with your friends, dog, family, or doing something you love by yourself.
I've been taking pictures for over 20 years, and I’ve heard all the reasons why women avoid being in photos. For instance, I've been photographing the same family for over 10 years, and the mum never joined the photos because she wanted to lose weight first. Now, 20 years later, their kids are having kids, and they want to know their family story of who they look like and ask, “Where are you in these photos?” It’s not about being perfect or sharing all these photos on social media. It’s about capturing those small moments once in a while.
The moral of the story, take the shot (you don’t have to look at it for another ten years). Life can be shorter than we think, so show up and be included in the story of your life I get so much joy at looking at old photos of my mum and her sisters and parents growing up. Photos connect us to who we are and where we come from.
Be brave, show up in a photo. You matter.