Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The Adventures of JaXy Oh!: I choose to believe in myself.
The Adventures of JaXy Oh!: I choose to believe in myself.: Recently, a change in life circumstances has prompted me to re-evaluate my career path. After getting married to my favorite person in the w...
The Adventures of JaXy Oh!: Old City Philadelphia and Jaxy Oh!
The Adventures of JaXy Oh!: Old City Philadelphia and Jaxy Oh!: Yesterday was an interesting day. I traveled into Philly for an appointment in the morning and then a photo shoot in the afternoon. Between ...
Old City Philadelphia and Jaxy Oh!
Yesterday was an interesting day. I traveled into Philly for an appointment in the morning and then a photo shoot in the afternoon. Between the two of these commitments, I carved out some time to grab lunch. What I wasn't expecting was the complete lack of free parking at restaurants...I know, I'm not much of a city girl but I'm learning! After much driving around and hunger-related agitation, I had nearly resigned myself to not eating at all. I figured, heck, I'm modeling clothes today and models don't eat much! Yikes, no wonder many of them seem to be feel of angst and pouts.
Luckily, I happened upon a magical plaza that housed a Vietnamese restaurant (among other things) AND a large parking lot that was almost completely full. I nabbed one of the few remaining parking spots and got my chow on. Thank goodness for the little photos in the menu that gave me a better idea of what I would be digesting. It turned out to be not only yummy but also reasonably priced and not too heavy.
The adventure was only yet beginning, though, as I would soon learn. After doing some hair and makeup adjustments in the car, I pulled out of the parking spot towards the photographer's apartment near Center City. I knew where I was going since I had driven past it on my quest for food and parking previously. I also knew that parking was not in large supply in his neighborhood and yet I was hopeful. However, I finally had to admit defeat and let him hop in the car to help me find a spot.
As it turns out, we ended up finding a spot on one of the streets he planned to shoot on and so it worked out really well. That meant that I got to do a quick clothes change in my car for the second look and location. Where we ended up taking photos was in Old City Philadelphia among narrow cobblestone streets, brick facades, unique doorways, and fall foliage. My favorite part of the whole experience was when I began twirling around in my purple circle skirt with glee. Those shots came out pretty nicely and they felt a lot less posed than when I first began shooting with Albert Genato and his girlfriend Sara in the first location.
Perhaps the best part of this experience was that it was a learning experience for all of us. Albert had never done a fashion shoot before, Sara was still learning how to assist and I was learning how to pose and to feature the aspects of the clothes that needed to be shown in the photographs. This meant that we were all able to have a sense of humor about the experience and to feed off one another. I was impressed by some of Sara's suggestions and how she remembered to have me try different accessories and such. I was also impressed by the quality of Albert's eye for photo composition, his direction and suggestions of neighborhoods.
Another cool development for Jaxy Oh! is that we now have a logo thanks to Mike Hewitt. Here it is for your viewing pleasure and be sure to hit him up if you need any photography or photo booths in the Las Vegas area or graphic design work: www.glitterlens.com. Just be sure to tell him Jaxy sent you!
Stay tuned for more updates as the journey continues and feel free to comment below! Muah!
Luckily, I happened upon a magical plaza that housed a Vietnamese restaurant (among other things) AND a large parking lot that was almost completely full. I nabbed one of the few remaining parking spots and got my chow on. Thank goodness for the little photos in the menu that gave me a better idea of what I would be digesting. It turned out to be not only yummy but also reasonably priced and not too heavy.
The adventure was only yet beginning, though, as I would soon learn. After doing some hair and makeup adjustments in the car, I pulled out of the parking spot towards the photographer's apartment near Center City. I knew where I was going since I had driven past it on my quest for food and parking previously. I also knew that parking was not in large supply in his neighborhood and yet I was hopeful. However, I finally had to admit defeat and let him hop in the car to help me find a spot.
As it turns out, we ended up finding a spot on one of the streets he planned to shoot on and so it worked out really well. That meant that I got to do a quick clothes change in my car for the second look and location. Where we ended up taking photos was in Old City Philadelphia among narrow cobblestone streets, brick facades, unique doorways, and fall foliage. My favorite part of the whole experience was when I began twirling around in my purple circle skirt with glee. Those shots came out pretty nicely and they felt a lot less posed than when I first began shooting with Albert Genato and his girlfriend Sara in the first location.
Perhaps the best part of this experience was that it was a learning experience for all of us. Albert had never done a fashion shoot before, Sara was still learning how to assist and I was learning how to pose and to feature the aspects of the clothes that needed to be shown in the photographs. This meant that we were all able to have a sense of humor about the experience and to feed off one another. I was impressed by some of Sara's suggestions and how she remembered to have me try different accessories and such. I was also impressed by the quality of Albert's eye for photo composition, his direction and suggestions of neighborhoods.
Another cool development for Jaxy Oh! is that we now have a logo thanks to Mike Hewitt. Here it is for your viewing pleasure and be sure to hit him up if you need any photography or photo booths in the Las Vegas area or graphic design work: www.glitterlens.com. Just be sure to tell him Jaxy sent you!
Stay tuned for more updates as the journey continues and feel free to comment below! Muah!
Monday, October 24, 2011
I choose to believe in myself.
Recently, a change in life circumstances has prompted me to re-evaluate my career path. After getting married to my favorite person in the world (Jon) and moving back to the east coast to be closer to family, I find myself without a job and living with my in-laws.
At first, I was positive and upbeat, thinking that any day now, I'd find employment as a High School Counselor. The only trouble was that weeks and weeks passed without any suitable offers of employment. I got depressed and dragged myself lazily throughout the stretch of days, cursing my situation and my foolishness for taking such a big risk. You see, Jon and I left the relative comfort of Las Vegas, Nevada in hopes that we could lay down roots closer to family, buy a house and start having children in the near future. Things haven't panned out that way just yet but luckily, I was able to pull myself out of the funk I'd been in by visiting the library and reading self-help books, doing visualizations, practicing yoga, working out and repeating positive affirmations. I now choose to look on the bright side and see that we have a safe, comfortable home in which to live (even if only temporarily), enough food to eat (in fact, Jon's dad is a great cook), we're within walking distance to the library, doctor's office, dog park and a beautiful walking trail through the woods. I've also found a really great Unitarian Universalist church that allows me to continue in my spiritual development and keep seeking answer's to my many great life questions.
Another positive note for me is that since I'm not working currently, I have more time to devote to my passions. I'm excited to record more vocals for a music project I'm working on with my friend and producer, Omar, and perhaps most importantly, to begin making and selling clothes. This has been a dream of mine since I was a girl. I've always been very creative and imaginative and being a designer is a perfect fit for me because of the freedom it provides me in how I craft my work day. While I am still actively pursuing Counseling jobs, I can also express my creative side in my home studio in the basement, I can make day trips into Philly for fabric and supplies and I can do research on pattern development and apparel construction at the library or at home through books and the internet. It's a fascinating new world for me and I've been enjoying every last minute of the past few weeks.
My label is called JaXy Oh! because I've been known as Jaxy for several years - my best friend Jimi changed my nickname from Jacquee to Jax to Jaxy and I then used the name onstage as vocalist for Jaxy & the Three 57's (Harrisburg edition) and Jaxy & the 357's (Vegas edition) - and because I was named after Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis ("Jackie O."). Jackie O. always had such a great personal style and as such, she remains a fashion icon to this day. It is my hope to help my customers to tune into their personal style and charisma as well. I'm designing with the gigging musician in mind and while I'm starting off with female clothing, I plan to expand into menswear in the near future and my overall aim is to create customized looks for musicians (and their fans, too!). Having a personalized look on stage helps to sharpen the desired effects or moods of the music and to portray a certain kind of lifestyle that relates to the audience favorably. Also, it helps with avoiding wardrobe malfunctions!
At times, I still feel some fear creeping up; some small but pervasive voices in my head telling me that I might mess things up or that maybe no one will buy the clothes I create. When this happens, I think back to great designers like Coco Chanel who were able to succeed through innovation and determination even in the midst of the Depression. I also come back to the positive affirmations I have established for myself and develop new ones as needed. I've gotten into tarot cards a little bit just as a fun hobby and one of the cards I kept getting said that an undermining influence to my success was "pie in the sky dreaming" and that instead I should focus my energies on more practical tasks. To me, this means to dive in instead of twirling my toe in the water.
I hope that you'll join me on this journey of self-discovery and that you'll also commit to doing what brings you bliss and to cultivating your (God/Universe-given) talents so that you can share them with the world. Believe in yourself and others and commit to expanding your spiritual awareness. Let's do this together and see what amazing things we can accomplish in this short lifetime!
At first, I was positive and upbeat, thinking that any day now, I'd find employment as a High School Counselor. The only trouble was that weeks and weeks passed without any suitable offers of employment. I got depressed and dragged myself lazily throughout the stretch of days, cursing my situation and my foolishness for taking such a big risk. You see, Jon and I left the relative comfort of Las Vegas, Nevada in hopes that we could lay down roots closer to family, buy a house and start having children in the near future. Things haven't panned out that way just yet but luckily, I was able to pull myself out of the funk I'd been in by visiting the library and reading self-help books, doing visualizations, practicing yoga, working out and repeating positive affirmations. I now choose to look on the bright side and see that we have a safe, comfortable home in which to live (even if only temporarily), enough food to eat (in fact, Jon's dad is a great cook), we're within walking distance to the library, doctor's office, dog park and a beautiful walking trail through the woods. I've also found a really great Unitarian Universalist church that allows me to continue in my spiritual development and keep seeking answer's to my many great life questions.
Another positive note for me is that since I'm not working currently, I have more time to devote to my passions. I'm excited to record more vocals for a music project I'm working on with my friend and producer, Omar, and perhaps most importantly, to begin making and selling clothes. This has been a dream of mine since I was a girl. I've always been very creative and imaginative and being a designer is a perfect fit for me because of the freedom it provides me in how I craft my work day. While I am still actively pursuing Counseling jobs, I can also express my creative side in my home studio in the basement, I can make day trips into Philly for fabric and supplies and I can do research on pattern development and apparel construction at the library or at home through books and the internet. It's a fascinating new world for me and I've been enjoying every last minute of the past few weeks.
My label is called JaXy Oh! because I've been known as Jaxy for several years - my best friend Jimi changed my nickname from Jacquee to Jax to Jaxy and I then used the name onstage as vocalist for Jaxy & the Three 57's (Harrisburg edition) and Jaxy & the 357's (Vegas edition) - and because I was named after Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis ("Jackie O."). Jackie O. always had such a great personal style and as such, she remains a fashion icon to this day. It is my hope to help my customers to tune into their personal style and charisma as well. I'm designing with the gigging musician in mind and while I'm starting off with female clothing, I plan to expand into menswear in the near future and my overall aim is to create customized looks for musicians (and their fans, too!). Having a personalized look on stage helps to sharpen the desired effects or moods of the music and to portray a certain kind of lifestyle that relates to the audience favorably. Also, it helps with avoiding wardrobe malfunctions!
At times, I still feel some fear creeping up; some small but pervasive voices in my head telling me that I might mess things up or that maybe no one will buy the clothes I create. When this happens, I think back to great designers like Coco Chanel who were able to succeed through innovation and determination even in the midst of the Depression. I also come back to the positive affirmations I have established for myself and develop new ones as needed. I've gotten into tarot cards a little bit just as a fun hobby and one of the cards I kept getting said that an undermining influence to my success was "pie in the sky dreaming" and that instead I should focus my energies on more practical tasks. To me, this means to dive in instead of twirling my toe in the water.
I hope that you'll join me on this journey of self-discovery and that you'll also commit to doing what brings you bliss and to cultivating your (God/Universe-given) talents so that you can share them with the world. Believe in yourself and others and commit to expanding your spiritual awareness. Let's do this together and see what amazing things we can accomplish in this short lifetime!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)