Life is Lived Behind the Scenes

If you’ve been following me for a while, you already know I share a lot of myself online. Pretty coffee shots, travel snapshots, cozy home corners, outfits I love… the curated pieces of my everyday. And if you looked at the photo from this shoot — the one where I’m sitting calmly on a stool, smiling under perfect lighting — you’d probably think it was effortless.

But here’s the truth: this moment was anything but effortless.

Just before this shot, I was fumbling my words for the fifth time, my hands were awkwardly fidgeting, and my brain was doing that frustrating thing where it blanks the second you hit “record.” I laughed nervously, reset, and tried again… and again… and again.

It’s a reminder I keep coming back to as a person who lives in the public eye: what you see on your screen is only part of the story. The other part — the bloopers, the retakes, the little pep talks I give myself between takes — is just as real, and honestly, it’s where the heart of my life happens.

Behind every photo I post, there’s a process. Sometimes that process is smooth and magical, but more often, it’s messy. A cup of coffee spilled right before I snapped the picture. An outfit change because the first one just didn’t work. A video clip scrapped because halfway through I realized I had lipstick on my teeth. Or the “one million” takes it took to get the one picture that actually worked.

For a long time, I thought I had to hide those moments — that being “put together” was part of the job. But I’ve learned something: the behind-the-scenes moments are not the outtakes of my story.

They are my story.

They’re the moments that make me laugh later. The moments that make me more patient with myself. The moments that remind me that life isn’t about looking flawless — it’s about living fully.

I think we forget that when we scroll through our feeds, comparing our daily reality to someone else’s highlight reel. We see the finished photo, the polished product, and we assume there’s no chaos behind it. But trust me, even the most “effortless” shot usually comes with a whole reel of awkward moments, small mistakes, and tiny victories.

That’s why I love this photo so much — not because I look poised in the monitor, but because I know what it took to get there. I know the stumbles it hides, the patience it required, and the laughter it sparked when I finally nailed the line.

So here’s my little reminder, from me to you: don’t be afraid of your behind-the-scenes. They’re proof you’re trying, you’re learning, you’re living. And if you ever feel like you’re fumbling through, remember: you’re not failing, you’re just in the middle of the take.

And sometimes, those takes turn out to be the most beautiful part of the whole story. ||