When people imagine creative work, a lot of time they often picture the glamourous parts. The polished final products, the big reveal, and the applause. What they don’t see is the exhausting, messy, and often discouraging process that happens behind the scenes. The real story is more about late nights, rewrites, and rejection, and those rarely make it on to Instagram to see. I’ve even been guilty of only posting the final project and the good. Never the number of types it took me to get there.

First drafts never survive. Ideas that feel brilliant at 2 p.m. can look awful and clumsy by 10 p.m. rewriting isn’t failure, it’s the backbone of creative work. It’s where the rough edges get smoothed, even if it means starting over again and again. No matter how much of an effort you put in, rejection is part of the process. Emails that say “not the right fit” or “we’ve gone in another direction” feel personal. The reality is we can’t avoid that feeling. Every “no” is just the proof that you’re trying and putting yourself out there. Each “no” brings you one step closer to the right “yes”.

Creative life doesn’t necessarily fit neatly into business hours. Sometimes it’s 3 a.m. and you’re still placing strokes on the canvas or still staring at your laptop screen. Those late nights aren’t glamorous. They are fueled by caffeine, stubbornness, sheer drive, and the quiet hope that it will all be worth it one day soon. The truth of it is, the unglamorous side of creativity is what makes the glamorous side possible. The rewrites sharpen your voice. The rejection emails sharpen your skin. Late nights just prove your commitment. Behind the velvet rope, the chaos is real but it’s also the reason the spotlight exists at all.

People love the highlight reel. The polished launch, glossy photos, the moment when the curtain rises, and everything looks effortless. The truth is, most of my creative life happens behind the velvet rope where the glam fades and the grit and grind takes over. I’ve spent many nights staring at a blank screen lately, rewriting the same paragraph over and over until it feels like I’m just going in circles chasing my own tail. Rewrites are incredibly humbling. They remind me the first idea sucked and is rarely ever the best one and persistence is the real craft. It’s not the part people celebrate and clap for but it’s the part that makes the eventual applause possible.

I used to take rejection so hard. If I’m honest I still do. The “thank you for submitting” and the “not the right fit” have been a big part of my creative career. I am trying to change my outlook and see that a rejection isn’t a verdict on my worth. I want to see them as proof that I’m in the arena, sending my work, proposals out into the world instead of keeping it locked in a drawer somewhere. Every rejection is a bruise but now it’s also a badge.

Behind the velvet rope, creativity isn’t about perfection. It’s about showing up for myself when it isn’t convenient. It’s about pushing through when it feels impossible. It’s about finding the beauty in chaos. The rewrites, the late nights, the rejections aren’t detours. They’re the path. The path to something bigger, better, and brighter. So, when the curtain finally rises and the spotlight hits, I still carry all the unseen work with me. The glamour is fleeting but the grit is forever.

XOXO,

Savi Monroe