Where should the balance lie between the personal and professional online?

We live in a digital age where social media encourages everyone to "put ourselves out there" on a personal level. Typically, we'll see our friends, family, and colleagues making the details of their lives—from the mundane to the intimate—public in a way that would have been shocking just a few decades ago.

Clearly, though, if you use social media for work, there's a balance to be struck. On the one hand, you don't want clients to see photos of you passed out drunk, rude words scrawled on your forehead by your "hilarious" mates. But you equally don't want them to think you're a personality-free dullard who thinks of work and nothing else.

So, where do you draw the line, exactly? Follow these tips, and they should help you find the right balance for your own career.

1. Establish first principles

To start with, it's worth taking a step back and considering the kind of online presence you want to cultivate.

There are several ways to approach this. Some creatives choose to formally separate their professional and personal accounts, maintaining a polished, portfolio-driven profile for work while keeping personal updates to a smaller, private audience. Others prefer a single, cohesive presence, blending their creative identity with glimpses of personal life.

Regardless of which approach you choose, establishing clear boundaries is essential. Most importantly, decide in advance which aspects of your life are off-limits. Whether it's personal relationships, family, or even your exact location, setting these rules upfront makes future content decisions much easier.

Your online presence should reflect you—but only the parts you're comfortable sharing with the world. Thinking about this in advance and setting clear rules for yourself can stop you from going too far in the heat of the moment.

2. Curate, don't fabricate

Want to be authentic online? Great! But that doesn't necessarily mean laying every detail of your life bare. Instead, focus on curating content that tells your story in a way that aligns with your professional identity.

A behind-the-scenes glimpse of your workspace, the evolution of a project, or reflections on your creative journey all add personality to your brand without oversharing. Sharing topics that genuinely interest you can also be a great way to make your presence feel organic rather than performative.

If you're a designer passionate about sustainability, for example, discussing eco-friendly practices not only adds depth to your online persona but also builds a connection with like-minded people.

While it's good to stand for something, though, there's a balance to be struck here, too. Be mindful of engaging in discussions that could alienate potential clients unless they're directly relevant to your work.

It's not just that, as basketball legend Michael Jordan famously said, "Republicans buy sneakers, too". Personally, even if I agree with you politically, there's a limit to the amount of political opinion I want to wade through on your feed… and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in that. (Want to make a difference? Stop shouting into an empty void, join a political party, and start actually making a difference.)

3. Set office hours

Just as important as what you do on social media is how much time you spend on it. Maintaining healthy boundaries with social media is crucial for your mental health and your productivity alike.

Scrolling endlessly through feeds can quickly blur the lines between work and personal time, so setting designated "office hours" for posting and engaging can help create structure. Above all, remember that you're not obliged to be available 24/7. No one is.

Turning off notifications outside of work hours or even taking planned breaks from social media is a common way to prevent burnout. And quite simply, it works. (Let's face it, when have you ever heard a peer say: "I regret spending so little time on social media?")

4. Think about what data you share

Another issue with posting on social media involves safeguarding your personal information and security. Every platform offers privacy controls, so use them to ensure your phone number, address, and other sensitive details remain private. Failing to do so means you can't complain if someone hacks your bank account. Two-factor authentication is another simple way to protect your accounts from security breaches.

Location-sharing is another potential pitfall. If you post from your home or personal studio, consider disabling geotags. Likewise, when travelling, you might consider waiting until after your trip to share updates to prevent unintentional exposure to your real-time location.

There's no right or wrong answer here. I've personally decided to be open about my travels online, mainly because I have other protections in place. What's important is to think about what you're sharing with the world and whether it could come back to bite you.

5. You don't have to respond to every message

Engaging with your audience is important but should be on your terms. Responding to comments and messages thoughtfully helps build connections, but you're not obligated to answer personal questions or entertain inappropriate discussions. If a conversation veers into uncomfortable territory, a polite redirection or a private follow-up can help set boundaries.

Practising digital empathy goes a long way. Just as you'd appreciate constructive, respectful feedback, aim to offer the same when engaging with fellow creatives. Sharing and uplifting others' work not only strengthens your professional community but also fosters a more positive online space.

Of course, negative feedback will happen because social media has literally been designed to create conflict (the best way for the platforms to get engagement). So, knowing when to engage and when to step back is invaluable. Muting, blocking or restricting specific users is the most effective way to protect your mental health. So, use those tools liberally and save yourself a lot of stress.

6. Align content with your career goals

A structured approach to social media can help maintain balance while ensuring your content aligns with your creative aspirations. Organising your posts into categories—such as portfolio updates, work-in-progress glimpses and personal inspirations—helps create a well-rounded yet professional presence.

Regularly auditing your online profiles is also helpful. As your career evolves, so should your content. Reviewing your posts every few months ensures they still reflect your current direction and personal comfort level. If a past post no longer aligns with your present self, don't hesitate to archive or delete it.

Remember, not every creative project needs to be shared. Keeping some personal artistic endeavours offline means you'll still have a private space for experimentation, free from external pressures or expectations. Trusted peer groups can also serve as a safe space to share work-in-progress pieces without public scrutiny.

Conclusion

So what have we learned? Ultimately, balancing personal authenticity with professional credibility is more art than science. The trick is setting clear boundaries, thoughtfully curating what you share, and protecting your well-being in the process.

If you don't think about these things, you can easily end up in a spiral of time-sucking doomscrolling, damaging personal interactions and alienating potential partners and clients. When managed well, though, your digital presence can serve as a powerful extension of your creative persona: one that fosters trust, fuels collaboration, and still leaves room for the private moments that belong to you alone.