You can’t stop people from painting their version of you. Some will sketch from memory, others from imagination, and a few will draw from rumor. Everyone, it seems, has a canvas with your name on it. They’ll paint you in colors that match their mood, not your truth — and when they’re done, they’ll hold it up proudly as if it’s the real you.
It’s human nature. People interpret, assume, and project. Sometimes they see your confidence and call it arrogance. Your silence becomes rudeness. Your kindness, weakness. Your boundaries, attitude. They paint what fits their frame, not yours.
But here’s the thing: you don’t have to hang their painting in your gallery. You don’t have to look at it, defend it, or fix it. You don’t even have to acknowledge it. Not every opinion deserves wall space in your mind.
Your gallery — the inner space where you store your peace, your self-worth, your story — should be curated carefully. Let it hold only the art that reflects truth, growth, and grace. Keep the walls clean of cheap interpretations. Protect that space fiercely.
Because when you stop worrying about how others see you, you start living how you see yourself. You begin to notice the quiet beauty of your own strokes — the resilience, the kindness, the lessons learned in shades of light and shadow.
So let them paint. Let them post. Let them whisper. That’s their art, not yours. You’re under no obligation to buy the portrait they made of you. Smile, move on, and keep working on your masterpiece.
After all, the only gallery that truly matters is the one where you decide what deserves to stay.
Kenrick Vaz 