GOING TO NYC AND SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED
The past week, I was able to take a train early Wednesday morning into the city for a shoot. The shoot took place at Blonde +Co Studio in New York City and it was one of the most aesthetically pleasing places I’ve ever been to. The decor was beautiful and the place as a whole looked like it was taken straight out of the Architectural Digest. There was a conference/office room, multiple lounging areas, a kitchen, and 2 rooms designated for photoshoots.
If you’ve ever seen the movie Clueless (which you should have by now but if you haven’t go watch it right now), there’s a scene where Cher goes to her closet and it picks out an outfit for her. Growing up, I was beyond jealous of this closet feature and wanted it soo bad, and if you have no idea what I’m referring to, click this link. Now that we’re all on the same page, it turns out something like Cher’s insane closet app actually exists, and it was created by a company called Style DNA. Style DNA has created a personal styling tool designed to empower you to feel good and look your best while making informed shopping choices. You can find more information about them here.
The reason I went to NYC was to be on set for a photo/video shoot for Style DNA and help them bring visuals to their story. The hardest part of the job was outlining the set/video list to ensure that we got every necessary shot/angle for each of the three models. The beginning was definitely the hardest part in terms of visualizing everything and trying to make sure we were meeting the client’s needs, but after the first hour everything went very smoothly. I had so much fun and was not excited to leave the shoot a little early for a statistics exam back on campus.
Throughout this trip, there was one moment that really stood out to me and that I hope I’ll keep with me for the rest of my life. I had gone home the night before my trip so that I’d be closer to the train station. The next morning I decided that I wanted to bring one of my quartz crystals that I’ve had for years sitting in my room, with me to New York. I put the crystal into my trenchcoat pocket and went on with my day. When I arrived at the city, I made a last-minute decision to walk 20 or so minutes to the studio rather than take an Uber as I had originally planned. The weather was nice and I was feeling really good so I decided to go with the vibes. As I’m halfway through my walk, I start fiddling with the crystal in my pocket, and then I hold it tight, thinking how cool it would be to receive some sort of sign from the Universe. (Disclaimer: Prior to this I’d never walked around with crystals or done anything like this but my roommates have dope crystals and got me into them). I send a Snapchat to my roommate Kait who had shown me her crystal collection like two days before that, put the quartz back into my pocket, and suddenly there it was. “Dream until it’s your reality".” Damn. Okay so that’s awesome you find one of those saying somewhere in Manhattan where they’re probably everywhere. Wrong. This thing fell right in front of me maybe 30 seconds after I put my crystal back in my pocket. The crazy part is that 10 hours prior, I had reposted that exact quote in the same font on my Instagram story. My jaw dropped and I had to stop to take about 10 pictures of this so I could compare them side by side. I think it’s also important to note that quartz is supposed to amplify your energy which I definitely think it did. Above all, the message itself is really beautiful and I thought it was ironic I saw it on a day where I felt like so much that I had dreamt about doing before was coming true that day. I remember getting to the studio and telling Nova about this experience and she shared how she’s experienced special moments like that before and that everything happens for a reason. Ain’t that the truth.
Obviously, I couldn’t leave the city without trying matcha from somewhere new so I made a pit-stop at Cha Cha Matcha on 5th ave. I ordered the matcha iced chai and frankly, it tasted like a very sweet iced chai with a sprinkle of matcha on top. This dash of matcha was not incorporated into the drink at all and the proportion was very off. Definitely felt a bit disappointed by the matcha insufficiency and next time I would order hot matcha instead so I can fairly rate the matcha itself. One thing I must note is that they have very cute pink napkins that say “I love you so matcha” and I may or may not have a napkin hanging on my refrigerator.
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