Struggling with Tillandsia Caput-Medusae — would appreciate advice

I want to be honest: I'm not getting great results with Tillandsia Caput-Medusae and I'm not entirely sure why. bleaching and burning from direct summer sun has been a recurring problem despite my attempts to address it. I've been focusing on shaking off excess water after soaking to prevent rot at the base based on everything I've read.

extraordinary architectural forms from spiralling to globe-shaped is there in glimpses, which tells me the plant has potential in my conditions. I have it in grouped together in a bowl as a centrepiece which might not be ideal. pup production after flowering creating a new clump showed some improvement. Two stars for now — not the plant's fault, but not a success yet. I'll update if things improve.