Victoria Hutchins didn't just wake up one day and decide to become a viral poet. It's actually a lot more complicated—and honestly, way more interesting—than that.
For a long time, she was a high-powered attorney. We're talking big-league corporate law, working for one of the largest firms on the planet and then a massive tech company. She had the degrees from Columbia and Vanderbilt. She had the career path everyone says you’re supposed to want. But there was this creative itch she couldn’t scratch in a courtroom or a board meeting.
Why Make Believe Matters Right Now
Basically, Victoria Hutchins became a sensation by doing the exact opposite of what her legal training taught her. Instead of being rigid, she became fluid. Instead of being "professional" in the traditional sense, she became raw.
Her debut book, Make Believe: Poems for Hoping Again, hit the shelves in March 2025 via Convergent Books (a Penguin Random House imprint). It’s not just a collection of pretty words; it’s a manual for people who feel like they’ve lost their spark. You’ve probably seen her on TikTok or Instagram as @thedailyvictorian. She’s the one doing a flawless yoga flow while reciting spoken-word poetry that feels like she’s reading your private diary.
People often think "make believe" is just for kids. Hutchins argues the opposite. She suggests that as adults, we actually need that sense of wonder to survive the "brutality" of being alive. It’s about reclamation.
The Journey from Law to "The Daily Victorian"
The transition wasn't an overnight success story. It started around 2022. While she was still navigating the world of international law in Houston, she started sharing yoga tutorials. But then, the tutorials started featuring her own "stream of consciousness" monologues.
- She has over 1.5 million followers.
- She quit her corporate job to go full-time creative.
- Her book is structured into five core sections: Wonder, The Body, Hope, Love, and Heaven.
It's sorta wild when you think about it. She went from filing legal briefs to writing about fireflies and the feeling of your heartbeat in your eyelids before a first kiss. One of her most famous viral pieces, "welcome to the world," warns the reader that they’re going to get hurt—and then asks if they’ve noticed the veins in a leaf or the taste of a McDonald's Coke. It’s that mix of the mundane and the profound that hooks people.
What's Actually Inside the Book?
If you pick up a copy of Make Believe, don't expect a standard poetry book. It’s a mix of her viral spoken-word scripts and brand-new writing that she’s never shared on social media.
Hutchins gets into some heavy stuff. She talks about the "religious shame" of an evangelical upbringing—mentioning things like purity rings and VBS (Vacation Bible School)—and how to wrestle with those memories without losing your mind. She also dives deep into body image. Many of her poems address the feeling that your body is an "enemy to your soul."
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One specific poem, "Shapeshifter," compares humans to creatures in the wild that use camouflage to survive. It’s an analogy for how we hide our true selves just to get through a workday or a social gathering. Honestly, it’s a bit calling-out-your-life, but in a way that feels like a hug rather than a lecture.
How to Apply the "Make Believe" Philosophy
If you're feeling stuck, Hutchins doesn't just want you to read her stuff; she wants you to do something about it. She’s big on the idea of "nostalgia as a tool."
Look, life is hard. Between the 9-to-5 grind and the constant noise of the world, it’s easy to forget what actually makes you happy. Victoria’s whole brand is built on the idea that you can "take a walk with optimism" even when everything feels like a mess.
- Identify your "childhood joys." What did you do for fun before you cared about what people thought?
- Move your body. She’s a yoga teacher for a reason. She believes movement helps unlock the words that are stuck in your head.
- Stop hiding. A major theme in her work is the "embarrassment" of how long we’ve been hiding from ourselves.
- Embrace the "ands." You can be a former lawyer and a poet. You can be heartbroken and hopeful.
Victoria Hutchins is living proof that you can pivot. You don't have to stay in the box you built for yourself when you were 22. Her work with brands like Lululemon and Ulta shows that even the "big" world is starting to value this kind of softness over the old-school hustle culture.
If you’re struggling to "stick around" or just feel like your soul is tired, her work is a pretty good place to start. It’s not about pretending everything is perfect. It’s about making believe that things can get better until they actually do.
To really get the most out of this approach, try picking up a copy of the book and reading it while outside. No phone. No distractions. Just you and the "beautiful chaos" she writes about. You might find that the version of yourself you’ve been looking for is just waiting for you to stop being so serious.
Next Steps for Your Journey
- Audit Your Inner Dialogue: Take five minutes tonight to write down one thing you loved doing as a ten-year-old. Figure out how to do a version of that this weekend.
- Practice Mindful Movement: Follow a "Daily Victorian" yoga flow (often found on her TikTok) specifically focusing on the breath rather than the pose's perfection.
- Read "Make Believe" Chronologically: The five sections (Wonder, Body, Hope, Love, Heaven) are designed as a progression. Don't skip around; let the narrative of reclamation build naturally.