Do I have to turn myself into a brand to succeed?

I wonder about this as more and more people I see try to be an influencer over just being a proficient craftsman. Are these influencers hired to work on big projects? Or is it all just a vanity ego thing that makes them feel good?

Though my favorite YouTube videos are of people just doing amazing work. I don't care of they are fixing watches, or rehabbing RVs, or making a burrito. If you are highly skilled, I want to watch you work.

Maybe these videos and this oversharing is the new portfolio and its table stakes to keep on working on interesting projects? That might be it. Nobody wants your printed one-page resume on fancy paper, they want to see if you attract others to your work.

These AI generated images were made with Ideo. They really are the best in the world when it comes to generating accurate text on an image. It's stunning what they can do.