Showing someone your sketchbook is like handing them your diary. Pick the right person, then do it.

Unfinished work carries more of you in it than finished work does, which is why showing it feels like exposure rather than sharing. The pages hold the attempts, the copied poses, the thing you were trying to figure out. That is also why a careless response stings for days. The answer is not to keep it closed forever, it is to be choosy about who gets the first look.

Think of one person who has been generous about something you made before. Show them two pages rather than the whole book, and say what kind of response you want. A few honest eyes you trust beat ten polite ones.