These series of images were originally shot for The Clinic on Zanita Studio when I had my first laser skincare treatment back in Sydney, but as my photog and I stumbled through the shoot, I was nostalgically thrown back to my grassroots.
One of the very first reasons I fell madly in love with the influencer industry is because “bloggers” were real people doing real shit – and by real, I mean ordinary. People like you reading this and me.
I have overzealous respect for “ordinary people” making cool things happen because it means so much more… It’s kind of like the journey to any goal. The hustle matters more than the actual attainment of the goal itself… What I’m trying to say is anyone born with the right resources have increased chances for success because – let’s be honest here – the means are in front of them. And as a result, indulging in that success usually isn’t done to full scope. However, anyone who understands the struggle in achieving anything, knows to soak up the victory and thoroughly appreciates the opportunity to infinity and beyond.
This shoot was frustrating because we didn’t have the proper light stands, assistants, or a real “studio” location. To put things into perspective, our beauty dish fell over in the process T_T. Preparing for the set up took far longer than we had planned or imagined, required much tweaking and improvising and testing. In the end, we were able to produce shots I felt really proud of… Yet, my over-achieving photog remarked, “I wish I had this…” “It would have looked better if I had that…” And cutting him off abruptly, I reminded him – and want to remind you all – that’s the beauty of what we do!
We make beautiful things without having anything ideal before us, and that’s the best way to improve – by working with and in imperfect conditions. THAT is the beauty of the influencer industry, and why I love what I do so much. Never stop trying because you don’t have what you think you need. All you need is yourself…
(or one special person to make it all happen.) I worked alone long before I began working with others, and while it’s taught me the importance of being resourceful, working with likeminded ordinaries have made me that much better.
Photography by Nhieu Tang, Edited by me
