Unposed “The Real Reel” Blogcast:

VaShaun & Kimi Pickens
Jul 8
2 min read

Unposed “The Real Reel” Blogcast:

What I’ve Learned… When You Heal in Front of the Lens, You Help Somebody Behind the Screenby Shaun P! of #ThePictopia

There’s something sacred that happens when a lens captures more than just a smile.It catches your soul.Your story.Your scars.

And what I’ve learned—what life has taught me—is that when you allow yourself to heal in front of the lens, you become more than a subject. You become a safe space. A reflection. A breakthrough. A blessing.

📸 Your vulnerability is your victory.

I’ll be the first to tell you: Pictopia didn’t start out as a healing space. It was lights, backdrops, and the perfect selfie angles. A place where you,“Smile. Pose. Snap.” But God had bigger plans.

He began to stir something in me and my partner, Kimi. We started seeing people walk in for pictures… but leave lighter. We started realizing that the space wasn’t just for content—it was for confidence. Not just creativity, but clarity.

That’s when we made the pivot. Whewww!

We redefined “selfie.”Not as a photo—but as a moment of self-expression.A space where real people show up raw, and leave revived.Because let’s be honest… some of the strongest photos aren’t the ones where we’re all put together. They’re the ones where we’re standing—bare, bold, and bruised—but still standing.

I remember a woman who booked a shoot after surviving breast cancer.She took her wig off, looked straight into the camera, and smiled.She said, “I need my granddaughter to see me like this. Not just alive… but alive on purpose.”

Whew. In that moment, I heard God say, "Your pain has purpose. Your lens is ministry. Pictopia is a place for the unseen to feel seen!"

Scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

In other words, God gets real loud in our low places. So when you show up with your truth—shaky voice and all—you allow somebody watching from a screen to whisper, “If they can heal, maybe I can too.”

That’s what Unposed “The Real Reel” is about. Not filters, not facades—but freedom.This ain’t for the highlight reel. This is for the healed reel.

So here’s your invitation:Whether you're a poet with a shaky pen…A singer with a scarred voice…A mom trying to find her rhythm again…Or a king who lost his crown but not his calling…

Bring it to the lens.

Because every time you heal in the light, you snatch somebody else out of the dark.

And that’s what Pictopia has become.Not just a creative venue. Not just a space to rent.But a sanctuary for the unpolished, the unfiltered, the unposed.

Let’s keep it real…Life be lifein’… but God be Godin’ too. And I believe the more we share the real, the more we invite others into the reel.

Keep It Real Reel! Love you. Mean It! Smile. Pose. Snap!