Summer

Springtime

First time at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden catching the cherry blossoms, Jenn’s Saltburn theme birthday party, a visit to Columbia, Missouri to see Local Natives for the literal 10th time after seeing them for the 1st time here during college in 2013, and spending time with my best friend Zara and her husband Tyler in Kansas City.

RecCreate Collective x Bungalow East

About a year ago, I met Liz Chick, founder of RecCreate Collective at her studio in Clinton Hill at her first collage club. I was inspired by the intentionality of the gathering, the focus on creativity, and how community naturally formed as strangers met while working on their collages. Fast forward to today, we hosted and collaborated on a special evening called Jam which was flowing with tunes by Eliza Elliott, dessert, wine and conversation.

For now, I’ll be taking a hiatus with Bungalow East. However, I’m always eager to connect with other creatives looking to create community-centered events, so please reach out for future collaborations. Be back soon-ish for hopefully more events down the line.

End of year

I’ve been shooting less and less film these days, but film always reminds me of special memories and highlights. This 35mm roll started in late September and I just finished it in December. Here are a few highlights of the end of 2023:

In September, I took a couple of shots at the women’s Create Dinner. The theme was nostalgia reflecting on the days, colors, people, recipes and objects that stir up memories of our childhood. Each guest at the dinner contributed a talent including the florals, tablescape, the meal and wine, photography, and more. I contributed conversation questions for the table to reminisce on the playfulness of being a kid again. This was such a special event and I am so grateful I was able to be a small part of it. The first shot is of my new friend, Ene, a talented chef who made a delicious chocolate cake.
Bungalow East’s last event in September featured artists, Mer and Farrah Hannah on a rainy night in Rosa’s backyard in Williamsburg.
A couple of photos on my birthday sitting in Prospect Park reading and napping. A shot of my beloved birthday cake made by Monty. It was a favorite olive oil cake recipe that we decorated with farmer’s market flowers.
Neighborhood walks with friends in Brooklyn, Thanksgiving trip to Maine and New Hampshire with my aunt and cousins, Hope Tala’s performance at the Google store in Chelsea, and some last snaps in Austin on South Congress and Try Hard Coffee.

Del Water Gap at The Flower Shop

On a Wednesday summer night, the Lower East Side’s corner of Broome and Eldridge was bustling atypically where a long line started wrapping around the block. It was the sight of about 300 fans waiting for about a hundred coveted spots in the vibrant bar called The Flower Shop. Del Water Gap announced they were playing a free show with RSVP early in the week via Instagram. Within only a few days, 7,000 New York-based fans sent in their RSVP’s in hopes to see the band play in a the funky, 70s inspired dive bar. I was lucky to be one of the hundred or so fans to get in, while capturing the ambiance of the evening including fans waiting in the queue on 35mm film. I talked to one pair of fans who were among the first in line as they were eating dumplings from the restaurant across street. They mentioned they had been in line for the 8pm show since 3pm that afternoon.

Holden Jaffe of Del Water Gap lived in Brooklyn for several years and currently resides in LA. This show was an epic homecoming to celebrate the release of his sophomore album, ‘I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet' out September 29th. Jaffe mentioned he formerly played learned to play music in dive bars on the Lower East Side in the band’s beginnings. I entered the bar around 7pm to prepare to get a good spot for the show, but at the same time Jaffe was surprising the crowd of fans outside with his guitar. With a crowd clustering around and blocking traffic on Eldridge Street, he played a few acoustic songs while thanking the crowd for waiting in line. It was a perfect sentiment showcasing his true care for his fans.

It’s been a ride seeing the band flourish since I was hooked on the 2018 EP “1(646)943 2672).” In 2018, I remember being shipped a hand-stamped and numbered vinyl of “Don’t Get Dark” from Holden’s personal Brooklyn address that included a note and stickers. At SXSW in 2019, I was able to cover their Terrible Records showcase seeing them live at dive bar, Maggie Mae’s, on Sixth Street. In 2022, I saw the band’s evolution of sound and production from their 2021 self-titled album, “Del Water Gap,” live at a sold-out Antone’s show in downtown Austin. Now, the band is preparing to play globally in the EU and UK, selling out shows including Brooklyn Steel, and shutting down the streets of lower Manhattan.

Summer in LA

At home by Chelsie Sunde

I connected with an artist and photographer, Chelsie Sunde, on Instagram earlier this year. I saw she had an ongoing film project where she photographs people in their home spaces throughout Brooklyn. I was excited to participate to document my and my dog, Bowie’s' move to Brooklyn in our first year here. Chelsie so beautifully captured our apartment on 35mm black & white film in April, and I’m forever grateful to have these photos.

BE x Brooklyn - 7/27/23

Bungalow East hosted the second event at Rosa New York. This time, we had stick and poke tattoos by Mitnpoke & a curated vendor market including: Booki Vintage, Christine Howard Ceramics, Hannah Via Art, and Reworked the Label. Our artist line-up included Quiet Light and Evangeline Young who performed in the backyard of Rosa. My friend, Jess Focht, captured the event perfectly with her polaroid camera and my label maker.

Polaroids by Jess Focht

Bungalow East / Brooklyn, NY - First Event 6/16/23

When I moved to Brooklyn a year ago, I dreamt of hosting music-centered events like I did with my friend & Bungalow East co-founder, Loleita Vatikani, in Austin, TX. As a co-founder of Bungalow East, our mission continues to be a medium for on-the-rise artists to grow performing unique, curated events. We aim to be a platform to support new artists, giving them an audience to listen and engage with their music. The house shows and events have always been about cultivating community and connection, advocacy for artists, and music discovery.

Our first Brooklyn event sold out hosting almost 80 guests at the Rosa New York event space in Williamsburg. Our two Brooklyn-based artists were songwriter & producer, Harrison Lipton and indie-pop artist, Middle Part. We featured women-owned, small businesses including Wild Aster Vintage, Casa Privada Vintage and Made by Mack Ceramics as part of a pop-up shop indoors. We also had drink sponsorship from brands including Ghia, Parch Cocktails, Sierra Nevada, and Deep Eddy for guests to enjoy. I organized all details from conception to execution including event curation, branding and marketing, social media, artist communication, event space and sound logistics, and managing partnerships with small business vendors and drink sponsors.

This project has blossomed into something special, and I continue to learn so much about being a female founder of a music project. With a last minute reschedule due to the air quality in New York, I was faced with many obstacles including booking new artists, finding new small business vendors, and ultimately trying to pivot and lean into producing the event. Amidst the chaos of rescheduling and planning the event, I learned a few important lessons that I’ll continue to carry with me including: it is always okay to ask for help, always act with kindness and empathy, be prepared to stand up for yourself and your mission when you need to, take ownership when you make a mistake, growth and learning comes from putting your ideas out there and community and collaboration are always necessary. I’m grateful for the many people who helped me in so many ways make this come to life, especially my Austin and Brooklyn community. I can’t wait to see the future of Bungalow East continue to create community, support rising artists, and continue to forge an individual path in the music industry.

If you would like to get involved as a collaborator, investor, volunteer, sponsor, etc, please reach out to me: bungaloweastatx@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting this project!

35mm photos by Jess Focht

Memphis and Brooklyn in B&W

Year 7 of SXSW

A few weeks ago, I visited my home away from home in Austin for my seventh SXSW. Being back, I was reminded me of the city’s liveliness and its love for all art forms from film and music. From seeing Indigo De Souza from a church pew, dancing to Thee Sacred Souls at Willie Nelson’s ranch, and seeing Chicago’s psych rock band Divino Niño at a backyard house show in the Cherrywood neighborhood. SXSW gives artists a platform to be heard from unconventional settings with captivated audiences. Take a listen to this playlist to hear some of my favorite artists that I discovered.

Samm Henshaw at the Lush Showcase on Rainey Street

Georgia Harmer after our interview at a coffee shop called Merit

Festival goers making a stop at a food stand outside the Paste Magazine Showcase.

Divino Nino, Chicago psych rock band, played at Hall Johnson. This was one of the most impressive house shows I’ve been to in Austin.

Indigo De Souza at Central Presbyterian Church for the Audio Femme Showcase.

A forgotten roll of film

I recently got a shiny, new point and shoot Olympus camera a few months ago from Etsy, and I forgot about this roll of film I took on my trusty point and shoot Pentax that I’ve had for a couple of years. My little Pentax has been my companion on my first trip to Mexico City, on my 30th birthday trip to Palm Springs, getting lost and found at LaGuardia, to Maine on trips to visit my aunt and uncle, and countless other places. Taking photos on this camera has given me a way of seeing what life was like months ago after the photos develop. Whenever I take those strengths finder tests, I always get “collector” or “archivist” as one of my strengths. Apparently these tests tell me that I’m constantly collecting information for its infinite variety and complexity. I like to think photography is like collecting and capturing a moment in time, and film has been an outlet for me to do that.

Looking back at this roll, I was thinking about the turbulent time at work I was enduring, awaiting my first winter which has turned out to be very mild (*fingers crossed it stays that way), and visiting different parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan by myself and with old and new friends. This first photo is taken from the 15th floor from office in Chelsea on a cloudy day. My company recently went through drastic layoffs a couple of weeks ago. Since then, I’m feeling a cocktail of emotions: survivor’s guilt, remorse for my teammates and colleagues, and a sense of relief and confusion that I’m still employed.

In December, I went to see the Rockettes with family friends at the magical Radio City Music Hall. We ventured to see the tree at Rockefeller Center and took a stroll inside St. Patrick’s on 5th Avenue. Other photos are taken walking in the East Village and Soho, meeting my friends, Mallory and John, at the Lexington Candy Shop in their neighborhood on the Upper East Side for breakfast, a day off on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Guggenheim seeing the Alex Katz exhibit with two of my first new friends in the city, Ali and Jess, a surprise show by Christian Lee Hutson at a bar in Bushwick, and the best movie theatre in Brooklyn called The Nitehawk, where I mistakenly thought “Legally Blonde & Bringing Out The Dead” was the fourth rendition of Legally Blonde instead of two different movies.

Upstate

Monty and I both took our first trip to Upstate New York staying in Saugerties and visiting Beacon, Kingston and Fishkill Farm along the way.

First few months

It’s been almost a year now, since I started to dive more into film photography. I learned to shoot with my dad’s Canon TX 35mm in high school which taught me the ropes of learning photography settings and the intricacies of taking photos. Last year, I wanted something more automatic that I could focus solely on the coloring, symmetry and subject of the photo instead of the ISO, shutter speed, etc. and was more compact to bring while traveling. I found a point and shoot camera on a vintage Instagram account and it has been my companion for the past year on my travels and day-to-day.

These photos were taken on two rolls of film from beginning of July to late August in New York. Capturing the city while exploring, coming across inspiring art, taking photos of some of my best friends visiting and some new friends that I’ve made. Being up here, I also have the privilege being close to my aunt, uncle and cousins in Maine. Some photos were taken while on a roadtrip to Bangor, Maine. On the trip, we stopped in Camden, Maine which soon became one of my favorite towns for its charm.

Doing her best

I’ve wanted to move to New York since I was 15. Being from a Mexican-American family, we celebrate 15th birthdays or quinceañeras marking the passage from girlhood to womanhood. Typically, girls wear fluffy dresses and tiaras at a huge party which I thought was dumb and terrifying as an introvert who wanted to be a wallflower at parties. I tried to convince my parents to use the money they would spend on a quinceañera to take me to New York City instead. The trip never happened, and I haven’t let my parents hear the end of it. I still tease them that they owe me a trip to New York. Since then, I’ve always dreamt of being a writer in New York.

I tried to make this dream a reality several times in my twenties applying for countless internships in college then jobs post-grad, interviewing for jobs, taking a few solo trips to see if I could live here realistically. Now at the age of 30, I made it happen for myself and have been here now for almost three months. Time is flying in the best way, and it feels surreal that I am living out this dream I’ve had for half of my life.

My friend, Jess and I recently went on a photo walk in Park Slope and she took these film photos of me, which I think capture the essence of how I’m feeling lately being here— free, lucky, and brave.

Photos by Jess Focht