The courage to bet on yourself

Victoria Hutchins on Creativity, Fear, and Finding Your Own Path

If you’ve spent any amount of time on social media, you’re probably familiar with Victoria Hutchins, aka @thedailyvictorian, and her poetry and prose that somehow feels like a gut punch and a heart hug simultaneously.

When I originally reached out to her, it was to schedule an interview for my now-defunct podcast. When the interview landed on my calendar, I was giddy. Victoria was the exact kind of guest I wanted to have. The whole purpose of the podcast was to talk to people who I thought could offer insights into what it means to be human, and how to navigate the complexity of the human experience.

And Victoria is bursting at the seams with insights.

However, in the time between scheduling the interview and the date of the interview, I shelved the podcast. Yet, something inside me was tugging at me—don’t waste this, don’t run and hide.

So, instead of canceling the interview, I proposed a written interview to share here instead.

To be honest, at the time, the move was really from a place of: come on, Erin, don’t be a total quitter—salvage what you can to avoid totally embarrassing yourself via yet another failed venture.

But in a weird twist of kismet fate, it wasn’t until I received her answers that I realized what a profound move it was.

You see, I started this Substack as a placeholder for the podcast while I was developing it—to put some of the same thoughts and ideas I planned to focus on in the podcast out there in the meantime. The tagline for this Substack— ”to explore and celebrate what it means to be human”—was originally created for the podcast.

But along the way, I fell madly in love with this space and realized that this wasn’t a placeholder—it was the main thing.

When I received Victoria’s answers, she not only offered her exquisite take on the human experience, but she talked a lot about courage, faith, and following your own path.

While reading through her answers, I suddenly got clarity—I’m on my own path. I can do things my own way, even if it doesn’t look at all like how I initially thought it would. I can use my skills, talents, and innate gifts to still accomplish my original mission. I don’t know where it’s going to lead, and I don’t have to. It is enough to merely create from a place of authenticity and see where it leads.

If you, like me, second-guess your path and your creativity, then this is for you.

Please enjoy this inspiring interview with Victoria Hutchins and PLEASE go out and grab your copy of her debut book (out today, 3/18/25!) Make Believe: Poems for Hoping Again.

Erin: One thing I love about your content is that it demonstrates that people are complex and that there’s power in leaning into the things that make us unique. I think that’s a big reason why it resonates with so many people—it comes off as very authentic. So my first question is: How did this even start? One day you're a lawyer, and now you're sharing poetry while doing yoga with thousands of people. What was the first spark that set you on this path?

Victoria: I’ve always wanted a creative career, but I didn’t have the nerve to go for it. By high school, I gave up the dream of doing something creative as a career because I didn’t think I was good enough to succeed at it. I pivoted hard in the other direction and became an attorney. I never expected to love it. I just thought the pull toward creativity would fade if I ignored it, but it never did. Five years in, I was still wishing for something else. I started sharing as a way to make space for the things I loved—poetry, yoga, movement—even when I didn’t have much time.

E: Sharing online can feel vulnerable, especially when it comes to creativity and well-being. What gave you the confidence to start putting your work out there, and how has that shaped your path?

V: When it comes to confidence, I act like I feel it even when I don’t. I still feel scared when I share things online. I actually felt less exposed in the beginning than I do now. At first, it was a secret hobby. I felt like I was shouting into a void. Now, I’m connected with basically everyone I know on the Internet. Which is special, but also terrifying.

I think it’s almost inevitable to feel scared putting your work out there. At least for me, I don’t think that will ever go away. Lately, instead of working on feeling more confident, I’ve been focusing on not letting fear keep me from doing things.

E: Can you share a bit about your journey from the corporate world into poetry, yoga, and creative expression? Was there a defining moment that pushed you to make the leap?

V: I was a New Year’s resolutioner. I went to a meditation class on the night of New Year’s Eve 2022 and came out of it with a fire in my belly to pursue a full-time creative career. I’m not sure exactly what it was about that class. It might have just been that I was finally ready to bet on myself. I went home that night and made a plan with my now-husband. We set thresholds for where I would need to be for it to make sense for me to quit my job, and then I went for them with everything I had. I put in notice at my job in July 2023 and left in November 2023.

E: Leaving a stable career takes courage. How did you navigate the uncertainty of stepping into something less conventional?

V: It was definitely hard! I had a lot of my identity and self-worth tied up in being an attorney, and it’s terrifying to leave something stable for an unknown. I shook like a leaf when I resigned from my job. But I’m learning that even though fear of the unknown is loud, and the regret of staying where you are is sneaky, they’re equally risky.

E: And now here you are, releasing a full-blown book of poetry Make Believe: Poems for Hoping Again—what a wild ride that must have been. Looking back, is it shocking to you at all that you’re releasing a book? Was there any personal transformation you had to go through or obstacles you needed to overcome to get to this point?

V: Yes! If you had told me years ago I’d publish a poetry book, I wouldn’t have believed you. I still struggle with taking myself seriously as a poet or writer. One of the hardest things for me has been owning that I have value to offer even when I don’t have answers and when I’m not at the “destination.” For example, MAKE BELIEVE heavily addresses the topic of struggling with body image, which is something I’ll be working on forever. But I think sometimes we stay quiet because we think people want answers when really they just want to feel less alone.

E: In a world that moves so fast, how do you stay grounded enough to create work that feels authentic and reflective?

V: I have pockets of time where I’m grounded and pockets where I’m spinning like a top. It’s helpful for me to remember that life comes in phases. There will be times when we’re zoned in on our art and times when life takes us away from it. I think the next time I’m in a chapter where I’m able to fully be consumed by my creative process, I want to really enjoy that and let it happen. And in the meantime I try to trust that I will always come back to the things I love, even when I stay away for a long time.

E: If someone is feeling disconnected—from themselves, their creativity, or their purpose—what small steps would you suggest to help them find their way back?

V: It doesn’t have to be a leap. It can be baby steps. I think prioritizing a small, consistent pocket of time for something you love is a great place to start. Leaving room for your dream to evolve and surprise you also feels important. There are lots of ways to live a creativity-driven life. Some of the most creative people I know have 9 to 5s and prefer not to monetize their passions. But if you do want to leave the corporate world, I think believing it’s possible for you is the most important first step.

E: What does being human mean to you right now, in this season of life?

V: Right now, being human means letting myself be whole even when that includes contradictions. Being faithless and faithful, hopeless and hopeful, good and bad, all at once. My creative and spiritual habits like writing, prayer, meditation and my physical yoga practice connect me to that. But so does calling my best friend, and so does making small talk in the grocery store. I think there’s no such thing as a mundane experience if we pay attention. I frequently forget to pay attention, so coming back to that is a practice in itself. At the end of the day, as trite as it sounds I think the human experience is all about love. And maybe living well is just squeezing in as much love and connection as we can.

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welcome to the world

Welcome to the world. You’re going to get hurt here. Your friend will tell you she’s staying in and then you’ll see a picture of her at the mall with your other friends. You’ll get strep throat every winter. You’ll get a new shirt that you love. Then, you’ll get teased about it at school and change into your gym clothes for the rest of the day. A stranger will drag their car key across the paint of your mom’s new car that made the whole family proud. A giant pimple will sprout on the tip of your nose the day before prom. You’ll say something hateful to your sister and learn that the worst punishment is the hurt you see on her face. One Tuesday, the person who held your hand on the bus for three months will wordlessly sit with someone else. And if I’m honest, that’s just the beginning.

But—has anyone told you about fireflies? And have you been to the beach? Have you looked at a leaf closely enough to notice its veins—closely enough to understand it’s the same thing as you? Have you had a McDonald’s Coke? And did you know that in the three seconds before you kiss someone for the first time, you can feel your heartbeat in your eyelids? Or that someday, when you finally tell someone about the thing you’re sure makes you irredeemable, and you search their eyes for disgust—you’ll find only love? Welcome to the world. You’re going to get hurt here, and then you’ll beg for seconds:

Can I have just a few more seconds?

Excerpted from Make Believe by Victoria Hutchins. Copyright © 2025 by Victoria Hutchins. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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I hope you enjoyed reading this interview as much as I did crafting it.

If yes, let me know who you’d like to see interviewed on this Substack in the comments!