Values › Creation › Self-expression
Core value · Creation family
Self-expression
Letting who you are show
Also covers Expression
What does self-expression mean as a core value?
Self-expression as a core value means letting who you are show in what you say, make, wear and share, so your thoughts and feelings have somewhere visible to go.
Keeping yourself hidden feels like a small loss every day. You want what you think, feel and care about to show up somewhere: in how you dress, what you say in meetings, the music you play, even the way you write an email. Being seen matters to you, because a version of you that stays packed away doesn’t feel fully alive. Buttoned-up cultures that want everyone to sound the same can wear you down fast.
What does self-expression look like in practice?
- You say what you actually think in the meeting itself, before anyone gets to the debrief.
- You make something, whether writing, music, art or food, as a way of working out what you feel.
- You change your appearance or your space when your mood or your life changes.
- You share opinions and stories with friends or online, even when they aren’t polished.
- You feel flat in any job where your personality has to stay at the door.
When is self-expression overplayed?
Expression needs an audience, and the audience doesn’t always have room. Taken too far, you may fill space others needed, share feelings before checking whether this is the moment, or take feedback on your work as a judgement of you. Some settings genuinely call for restraint, and restraint can be a choice too. In balance, it expresses fully and listens as well. A good check: after you’ve shared, do you ask what the other person thinks, or is the conversation already over?
Often confused with
Self-expression vs Authenticity
Authenticity is being true to yourself, which you can do quietly and privately. Self-expression is outward: putting who you are where others can see or hear it.
Self-expression vs Individuality
Individuality is about being distinct from the crowd. Self-expression only needs to be visible and honest, whether or not it stands out.
Self-expression vs Creativity
Creativity is about making new things. Self-expression may use making, but the point is showing who you are, and talking or dressing can do that just as well.
Questions to sit with
- Where in your life do you feel you have to hide who you are, and what does that cost you?
- When did your self-expression take up space someone else needed?
- What would people who only know you from work be surprised to learn about you?
More values in Creation
Making things that didn’t exist before.
About the author
Matt Rutherford is a Career and Leadership Coach. The Values Finder is the same exercise he uses with his coaching clients. He also writes Stuff that MattRs, a weekly newsletter with practical ideas to help you think clearer and work better.
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