The word 'persona' means:

"the aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by others"
[definition delivered by Google]

I've been thinking a bit about this idea as of late, as I have started to once again present myself to the world on a dating site. I had some reservations, fears, insecurities, omitting certain details about me, being worried it’d scared some people off, but it occured to me, that there simply are things about me, that are a part of me, and I could never just stop doing/being, even for the love of my life, and thus I decided to be open about them:
-I’m a furry
-I’m into some weird stuff
-I collect pornographic art, and (might) draw some myself

That is a part of me, maybe it’ll scare some people off, but those likely were not the right people for me anyway, and my honesty might attract the right kind of people. The persona that I presented could have been a generic nice-guy, but I’ve made the decision to be upfront about my other side.

Then I had to think about how a similar concept functions in the furry fandom itself. We have our fursonas, present ourselves to the world with them, and I see how there are different ways of doing it.

-Some people want to be represented by a some fancy looking character, maybe with some neat colors, designs
-Other people might want to tell a story, and the character is the protagonist of the story
-Maybe someone will use a caricature of themselves, or just use a silly/quirky animal
-Maybe they simply want something related to their fetishes, and have their representation have their ideal dream body
-Or just…. Have the character really highlight their role in bed, as in being predatory, or submissive
-or maybe you’re one of those weirdos who want their fursona to look, cute or… normal!

Now one could say that it's all roleplay, pretending to be a fictional character, just fun and games, maybe a power fantasy, having fun with one’s desires, something playful to get the attention of some people, make friends, maybe have a thrilling RP with someone. It's not you presenting yourself to the world. It's not about trying to say that you are some sexual deviant who actually does some illegal stuff, cause it's just fantasy and make believe.

I do see the logic there, but as I did include the furry stuff in my dating site profile… I did realize how these fetishes, desires and fantasies are still a part of us.

I'm into some weird things. Some might get creeped out by them, but those things could also attract some other people too. If I want these things to still be a part of my life, then those creeped out by them, are probably not right for me to begin with, while those attracted to them might be better matches.

Still, while I’m willing to mention stuff on the dating site, the actual thing with having certain spicy porn in my gallery… worries me. Just mentioning “I’m into some weird kinky stuff” is one thing, but to show that stuff? It could have bigger consequences.

If I would draw my character being a complete victim of various transformations and stuff, I’d be presenting myself as a complete submissive push-over, however if I were to draw him as this strong kind of abusive guy, people would see me as this dominant sort of guy. In reality I’m neither, really. I can function as both, but because I worry about giving a certain impression of myself, I’m not really even considering drawing my character doing certain things, out of fear of how it’d change his perception, and by that extent, the perception of myself.

Seems pretty ridiculous, I know, but I have heard about how certain artists struggle with this exact thing!

No real point here, just felt like thinking about this stuff. Truly, our fursonas or our kinks do not define us on their own, however in a way they’re still a part of us, one which says something about what we desire, and I question if the fact that I have such troubles with these issues is that …. I’m not that strongly leaning towards a specific side, or maybe…. It’s because I don’t know for sure what I want.