The Masks We Wear

The Masks We Wear Prevent Us from Being Super

Authenticity in the workplace gets discussed like a soft skill. It isn't. Dimming your light to match a room costs you the exact superpower you were hired for. Today is Halloween, and the masks that matter most aren't the ones people can see.

Today people step into alter egos. Some go bold, some go funny, some go scary. But it has me thinking about the invisible masks we wear every single day.

Gekko from PJ Masks

I love this photo of my son, Talib. No one could convince him he wasn't Gekko from PJ Masks. He was out there fighting crime only he could see — and he believed every second of it. He was brave. He was strong. He was super.

Superman's Real Disguise

Superman, arguably the greatest hero in comic history, is only super in his natural state. His disguise isn't the cape — it's Clark Kent. He wears a mask to blend in. To seem ordinary. To be less.

How many of us do the same?

Invisible Masks in Corporate Spaces

Black and Brown folks in corporate spaces. Women in male-dominated industries. Queer folks in homophobic offices. How many of us shrink, mute, or dim our light just to make other people comfortable?

What superpowers are we discarding at the door, every single morning, just to be allowed inside?

Being Super Is a Daily Act of Self-Preservation

Being super doesn't mean saving the world. It means showing up fully as yourself. Using your gifts, your story, your experiences to make your corner of the world better.

Honoring those gifts is an act of self-preservation and gratitude. Masks off.

Work with Black Shutter Productions

Black Shutter Productions was built on the premise that creative work lands harder when the people making it aren't hiding. If you're building a brand that values that, let's work.