There's an old instinct in every creator: protect your ideas, hide your work until it's perfect, only show the world your polished final product. I used to follow that instinct religiously.
Then I discovered building in public, and everything changed.
What Building in Public Means
Building in public is exactly what it sounds like: sharing your creative process openly as you work. The successes. The failures. The messy middle where most of the real work happens.
It's blogging about your projects before they're finished. Tweeting about the bug that took you three hours to find. Recording videos of features that might not make it to launch.
The Benefits I've Experienced
Accountability: When you tell the world you're working on something, you're more likely to follow through.
Community: People who resonate with your journey become invested in your success. They offer feedback, encouragement, and sometimes even help.
Opportunities: Some of my best collaborations came from sharing work-in-progress. People see your skills, your thinking, your approach — not just your finished products.
Documentation: When you build in public, you automatically create a record of your journey. Future you will thank present you for the documentation.
The Fear Factor
Yes, it's vulnerable. Yes, it's scary. Sharing unfinished work feels like inviting criticism of something that isn't ready.
But here's what I've learned: most people aren't looking to criticize. They're looking for authenticity. They're tired of polished perfection. They want to see the real journey.
How I Approach It
I share updates on projects through my blog and social media. I document decisions — both the good ones and the mistakes. I'm honest about what's working and what isn't.
The result? A community of people who are genuinely invested in what I'm building. And that's worth more than any perfectly curated image.
