Let’s be real, ‘showing up’ online can feel like a full-body cringe sometimes.
Everyone’s telling you to get visible, show your face, go live, post Reels daily. Meanwhile, you’re just trying to remember if you brushed your hair today and wondering if your entire personality really needs to fit into a 5-second video.
Here’s what no one tells you: You don’t have to start with a camera in your face to build a personal brand. You just have to start showing up as you.
Start small: be seen through your stuff
Before you ever step in front of the lens, you can start showing up by sharing what you world feels like.
The objects, colours, textures, and tiny details in your life, they already tell your story. The mug that’s been with you since uni. The stack of dog-eared books. The notebooks full of plans and doodles. The way you colour-code everything or never match anything at all.
These aren’t random. They’re breadcrumbs of your personality.
When I create still life images for personal brands through HIYA VIBES, this is where we start: the world around you. We translate your essence into colour, shape, and symbolism so that your visuals feel like you, even before anyone sees your face. Because personal branding isn’t about performing yourself. It’s about revealing yourself, in layers.
Your vibe speaks before you do
If the thought of showing up on video makes you want to crawl into a vintage suitcase and live there, that’s fine. Start by letting your vibe speak for you.
Colours communicate faster than captions. Props carry personality. Still life imagery, when done right, can tell your story without a single word or face in sight. This is the magic of building your visual identity through still life images: it gives your brand a body before you’re ready to give it a face.
And once you start seeing your personality reflected back at you in images, it becomes easier to believe in that version of yourself. To trust her. To show up for her.
That’s where visibility starts, but with self-recognition.
Build your confidence in layers
Visibility is a muscle. You build it, you stretch it, you rest it, you try again.
Maybe your first step is updating your colour palette. Then, adding custom still life imagery that feels personal. Eventually, you might even feel ready to step up fully into the spotlight, letting a portrait session capture the vibrant, confident energy you’ve been growing into all along.
Each layer adds strength. Each step builds recognition, both for your audience and for yourself. When you show up visually in a way that feels aligned, you stop fighting your own brand. You stop second-guessing your posts, your tone, your colours, your message, because everything clicks into place.
You’re not hiding. You’re unfolding.
If you’re not ready for portraits yet, that’s not a failure. It’s just a stage in your story. Remember, showing up isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being present.
If you’re ready to start showing up as your true self, start with the free YOUR VIBE STARTER KIT, it’s the first step in the foundation for building visuals that feel unmistakably you.
Marianne
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