you’re still very lovable

Sometimes the best thing to do for yourself is to grab the one you adore, drive up to the mountains, leaving the city behind,  and spend your day hiking trails then the night eating different breads and cheeses listening to live jazz. Try it.

I always have said, when I’m happy I don’t have much to write about… I’m just in it.

Sunny Side Up

We get all the latest fashion magazines at the studio, and even though I have stopped looking at these completely since I was in college, I still can’t resist a good article about one of my favorite gals i.e. Kate Hudson or, this time in particular, Reese Witherspoon (I like the blondes, I have to admit).  We just got the new ELLE and there is a beautiful black and white photo of Reese on the front looking classic and chic. I was so excited when I opened the magazine, just to read the article/see the rest of the beautiful photos, to find that, they are shot in the EXACT style that I have been brainstorming about for months now! I instantly ripped out the pages and taped them to the wall by my desk…only to further motivate and push myself to following through with this almost year old idea. It’s always so great to see things that further inspire you and to see how other people execute similar ideas. The photo that I saw in ELLE looks really similar to what I was trying to achieve with the photo in my previous post with the sun flare and yellow shades:

My photo:

ELLE’s photo:

So I’m getting there. Mine was just one exposure and it’s clear that ELLE’s is at least two different exposures.

About this time last year I got an Urban Outfitters catelog in the mail that had very blown out, shot-into-the-sun photos and that is where I initially got the idea that I wanted to do a self-portrait series very similar to that of Reese’s photo.

While in Hawaii, I attempted to snap some shots of myself but soon got awkward and shy and gave it up. I plan on picking up the project as soon as the weather warms up on Coney Island.

FOR Heather:

I dug up my old journal from last year and read an entry that I wrote right around this time. I decided to post it here, along with a new entry to describe how I feel/what I’m doing now, a year later.

One year ago-

You can take on a new point of view of the city when you have no where to be and no one to see.

I aimlessly walked across the island today with no destination in mind. I was able to cross streets just to stay in the sun…and whenever there was a stop light for one direction, I would just turn and take the other. 
New York City is for lovers in the summer. All the restaurant doors open up and let the fresh air in and start to defrost from the brutally cold winter. And here in New York, everyone is cold in the winter. But when the cafes put their tables back out on the sidewalks and the girls bring out their sundresses…everything warms right back up. 
I’ve been going out obessively lately. Staying out all hours of the night, talking to strangers, meeting people. Tonight will be my first night in in quite some time. It’s so funny, the ways we find to distract ourselves from real decisions we have to make. It’s also, so easy. That is what tonight is for though…a night for no distractions.

And I find myself wishing I could go and sit on Roosevelt Island void of all distractions, but it doesn’t seem worth it.

I’ve met more people in the past two months than I have in the past year. I met a boy who owns two road bikes…and we rode down to the Brooklyn Bridge the other day for a picnic. I’ve found myself in random basements in SoHo for shows and sitting in cheap dingy bars down by the Brooklyn bridge. I’ve wound up with bloody noses, ripped tights and destroyed ankles. 

And that’s just it. This city is for lovers, for someone to share your random days and nights with and laugh about them with. Otherwise, you will just collect a huge list of random, half ass acquaintances/friends/moments that are more or less interesting than the next you will meet.

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The present-

I’ve allowed the city to become my home now. I gave in to my indecisiveness and settled into an apartment with a full size bed, two sofas, and big bookcase with a blonde haired blue eyed Scandinavian boy. We spend the winter nights in mostly, trying out our new cooking skills we picked up from watching the Food Network on Saturday afternoons and watching an endless amount of Horror movies with just the right amount of Romantic comedies. It’s been too cold to take walks or sit by the water in the city, so instead, the Scandinavian and I decided to spend the worst of the winter weeks in Hawaii. I think we missed them. We’ve returned to the city now, on top, with Spring time right at our finger tips. New York really is for lovers. 

It’s interesting to look back to a year ago and see how different my life was. I remember that time…I remember writing that entry. I remember feeling so alone and tired and sad. But, I remember feeling alive. It could have been all the pain I was feeling that made it all seem so real. I’ve heard that through suffering you find your real self. I can’t believe to admit that, through all that pain and sadness, I felt more, inspired than I do now, having the things that I missed then. It’s been so easy for me to get caught up in what I have…take advantage of my beautiful home, the Scandinavian, my job, my Brooklyn friends…I forget what it felt like to not have those things around. I forget about that emptiness I felt when I would walk aimlessly and alone down the Manhattan streets. 

Just a few days ago, I stumbled upon a friend of mine’s blog that I didn’t even know existed. I read her entries, all of them. I stared for several minutes at each photo she had posted. I sat and saw raw talent and inspiration pour out from her onto the screen…and for the first time in a long long time, I felt genuinely happy. Seeing someone else’s thoughts and creations is something I feel I have over looked a lot lately and I was instantly inspired. So, this is for Heather. Thank you.

What makes you shine?

I’ve spent exactly 23 hours trying to figure out what I want to say in this post…and all I’ve come up with is…

I really have nothing to say at all.

 

I’ve spent just a little over two years now living in the city of lights…but not lights like this…these are the real lights…

One day, I’ll be noticed, and I’ll shine brighter than any Hawaiian moon.

Hawaii and Flashing Lights

After a long escape to gorgeous Hawaii from the brutal cold of NYC, I am back and swamped with more photos than I know what to do with! We spent time working on the organic farm, road tripping across two of the Islands, staying in dirty hostels, sleeping on the beach, meditating and catching the waves. I won’t go into anymore detail than that about the trip, but let’s just say, it was life changing, eye opening, relaxing and amazing. The majority of the trip is documented here for those of you who are reallllllly interested…for all the others, I’ll let a few photos do the story telling:

Right when we landed back on the mainland, before we let our bodies get adjusted to East Coast time….we (MRI) shot at a big party called Flashing Lights! We set up a lightpainting photobooth and let all the party people come and take fun photos. It turned out to be a hit! We are planning on returning every month to the party so stay tuned for posts about the next one! If you’d like to see more from the party, check out the flickr!