So Much More Than
- Anika Yuzak
- Feb 29, 2024
- 2 min read
A volleyball shoulder injury last summer left me, most of the time, restless reading autobiographies of the stars in my backyard. I've always liked those biographies with a section of select black-and-white photographs that the reader can refer to in the middle. Unfortunately, the Lauren Bacall autobiography I picked up at the thrift store was so worn that it fell apart as I turned the pages. But there's something comforting about reading the story of another creative person when you're feeling down on your luck...
Reading through, the unwavering belief Bacall had for herself and her life is striking, as well as the many transformations and trials on her path. Initially, she handed out pamphlets on street corners to meet producers and played tiny parts in plays that went nowhere. Before Bacall took her stage name, Lauren, her name was Betty. Then, when she finally got her big break, a make-up artist tried plucking her eyebrows off the day before her first screen test. She was so nervous that she threw up.
It got me thinking that most of the time, we only see the shining moments of the people we admire, but when we look behind the curtain, we are privy to all the ups and downs, the lulls and failures on the way to their vision—the process.
There's something comforting about knowing that even our idols get nervous, have setbacks and make mistakes. Yet, they love and are loved; they worry, work, long, and dream. So there I was, laying back in the grass, remembering that part of being human is sometimes to fail and be miserable while also being accomplished and shining. And we are so much more than our failures and successes.
