Having something of a history being a shy geeky type I understand not wanting to stand up front and show off, although I'm still working on it. My own balance on this is to use a separate virtual personna when posting pix and stuff. Another way to express it is that the part of me that is exhibitionistic feels both safe and validated when it is the photography that gets attention. I'm not saying that this is the main motivation, but I'm trying to be honest about coping with all parts of me that get involved in this process. If a picture that I've created and that I like is dismissed as "boring" then I'm going to feel let down, so I know that I'm not completely detached from judgement.

Perhaps I will finish my tangent, hope I am not hijacking the thread. So, the way I see it, what we are talking about is that you are making art because it gives you joy. You worry that if you show it to people and they don't like it, that won't give you joy and it will inhibit you from making more art.

I have found there are other things to worry about as well, when going public. Let's say everyone praises some little thing you did that wasn't your favorite. You like the praise, so now you think about doing more like that, to get the praise, not because it intrinsically gives you joy. Same problem if you sell something.

There is a broad category I will call techno-envy. This is where you are happy going along doing your thing, then you go public and you learn that there is a better camera/ faster computer/ fancier widget that you should be using. Your lust for new toys can inhibit your desire to work with what you have.

Also, a short story: I have always been into music, art and technology. Years ago I was combining music and technology in a spontaneous way that gave me pleasure and I eventually went on to get an MFA. All the analysis, comparing my stuff to other people's stuff and trying to make my thing fit into an academic setting and existing cultural setting pretty much killed my desire to do it spontaneously for pleasure. So that is why I am very aware and wary of how I deal with the photography that I am now doing.

So above all, keep doing your thing!