There’s a tension between visibility and depth. Building in public creates accountability and connection. Building in private creates space for genuine experimentation.
The interesting part isn’t choosing one over the other—it’s recognizing when each serves you. Public work compounds through feedback and network effects. Private work compounds through focus and iteration without performance pressure.
Most people default to one mode and call it their identity. But the builders who create lasting work know how to move between both.
Which mode does your current project actually need?