isabel notes

Josh Groban Laughed at Me

Okay, fine. I made him laugh.

On my quest to conduct interesting and unique interviews, I’ve added a couple “experimental” questions. I’m trying out a couple different questions outside of the typical “how would you describe your musical evolution,” or “what’s your tour going to look like?”

I asked Josh to describe himself, which I know is a weird question to ask somebody who has been famous as long as I’ve been alive.

He laughed.

“Just in general? Well, I’m a pisces…”

The rest of his answer is in the interview article on the Observer.

My First Time as an Official Concert Photographer

I had never been so nervous to go to a concert.

Last week, when I covered the Troye Sivan show, I was very confused about this whole concert photography thing. How does it even work?

My first attempt at this was during the Haim concert. The Southside Ballroom staff was super nice and gave me a photo pass, though I had no idea how to use one.

At the Box Office, once I gave them my name and publication I was there for, they gave me this nice canvas-like sticker with the Haim girls printed on it. It said “Photo” on it. They said it was my photo pass and pointed to a security guard that would show me where to go.

The only thing? I didn’t have a freakin. Camera.

The venue coordinators were very confused with me. “Did you bring your camera?”

I held up my phone like the dork that I am. “I thought I would take photos on my iPhone?”

Again, I had no idea how this worked. Clearly.

Long story short, they told me I’d probably get better iPhone photos if I just tried to get as close to the stage as possible. I ended up not using my photo pass (as it now decorates my waiter bottle), and just asked my friend for the photos she took with her phone.

When I covered Troye, I thought I could just hop on the photojournalism train for fun. The Observer had hired a photographer to shoot for my article (shoutout to my boy Mike), but I thought I could just join anyways for experience. Wrong. I found myself looking like a dufus at the media table, surrounded by 8 professional photographers who knew that they were doing, ready to go with multiple giant cameras around their necks.

So, at NEEDTOBREATHE, I got my shot at redemption.

I got handed a photo pass at the box office of Toyota Music Factory.

After explaining to the people at the metal detectors why I was bringing in a big black bag with camera equipment, I was in.

I waited at the media table tucked at the corner of the venue, getting my camera settings ready and the zoom lens on.

At 9pm, the event coordinator came to grab me and the other photographer at the table to bring us to the pit.

Toyota Music Factory hold 4,000 people in the pavilion. Not only was this a sold-out show, but they opened the back of the pavilion to a lawn that holds another 4,000.

The other photographer and I were led into the pit, about a 5-foot gap between the railing that held back the mosh pit and the stage. It was just us and the bodyguards allowed in this section.

I adjusted my camera settings, and soon enough the band came onstage.

The other photographer put in earplugs.

Why didn’t I think of earplugs?

I couldn’t hear anything for the next couple hours, but it was worth it.

8,000 people and I got the best view.

This was one of the most nerve-racking jobs I’ve ever had. I only got to shoot for the first 3 songs, that’s it. It was sheer luck that I went away with clear photos.

I was so scared everything I shot was blurry. Granted, 80% of what I shot was horrible and either too light or dark, but I was so excited with what I came away with.

I got back home close to midnight, and couldn’t sleep until I edited all my photos.

Here they are!

Toyota Music Factory Dallas 2018

Dallas, Toyota Music Factory

Toyota Music Factory Dallas 2018

Dallas, Toyota Music Factory

toyota Music Factory Dallas 2018

Toyota Music Factory Dallas 2018

Dallas, Toyota Music Factory

Toyota Music Factory Dallas 2018

Doing Press on LGBTQ Icons

I was asked to interview Kim Petras a couple weeks ago. Kim is a transgender woman who was one of the youngest people to undergo the “gender confirmation process.” I was also asked to review a concert last Friday in which she opened for Troye Sivan, a Youtube star turned gay icon.

But here’s the sitch. I am a Christian and a devoted to studying and living out the Bible in the best way I can. So how does a Christian journalist handle something like this?

The same way I will handle the Christian concert I’m reviewing this Friday.

Without my biases.

I would say “without my opinion,” but heck, I’m writing concert reviews.

When I review NEEDTOBREATHE this Friday, I’m going to focus on their performance as artists. I’m going to focus on the music. They don’t get special treatment just because we both go to church on Sundays. Yes, I will say that I support them on my blog because this is my personal platform and I’m all for their message, but as a journalist submitting articles to a professional publication, I have to be a journalist and do what journalists are supposed to do.

Now, that doesn’t mean I’m going to compromise on my convictions. One little example of that is that I still bleep out profanity in the interviews I conduct. That doesn’t stop my editor from adding in a cuss word or two when she writes my headlines, but I have no control over that. That’s the editor’s job. (I could expand on that, but that’ll be for another time.)

When I’m reviewing shows, I’m reviewing the performance, not the artists’ relationships with God.

As a journalist, I’ve learned that I have to be able to observe what’s happening from different perspectives and view the world from the perspectives of the people I’m writing about. If I limit myself to my point of view, I will never be able to write objectively or separate my emotions from the facts I’m writing on paper.

For Kim Petra’s interview, I sat in my room after class and got a call from her agency. A nice British man named Peter connected me to the singer, who turned out to be one of the nicest and most welcoming people I’ve ever interviewed.

Kim was lovely. She was clearly passionate about her music and excited to be on tour for the first time. She didn’t even bring up anything about gender or sexuality.

But I did.

I wanted to see things through her eyes.

Whatever my convictions are on gender and sexuality, if I were Kim Petras, what would I feel? How would I think?

She went through surgery when she was 16. She was under heavy media coverage as a young teen, and few young people had gone before her in this crazy life change. Now it’s about 10 years later and she’s chasing a dream of being a pop star.

Kim briefly mentioned doing pride shows with Troye Sivan. Here was my window.

“So, even just the fact that you two are very big pride icons, what- do you feel like you- kind of- want to have that as part of your identity?” I was tripping on my words. There are so many things I could say right now that could be wrong, and I wasn’t sure how to phrase my question. “How much do you want it to define you? Are you- I guess I’m just curious because you guys are both such big icons… are you both like, ‘yeah this is who we are!’ Or is it more like, ‘oh it’s the music first’?”

I’m here to interview Kim Petras the musician, not Kim Petras the transgender icon. So I wondered if that’s how she viewed it as well. I’m more interested in her music since that’s what she’s promoting, but I wondered if she had trouble convincing people to think that same way. To see the music before the sexuality.

“What are your thoughts on that?” I asked.

“Um, I think that sexuality and gender identity say absolutely nothing about a person,” she replied. “I think if somebody’s smart or if somebody’s kind… those are the things that matter to me.”

(For the actual article on our interview, click here!)

We ended our interview with me telling her I was going to come to her first show to cover it.

“I can’t wait to see you there! Thank you so much, have a great day! Cool! Bye!” said Kim before we hung up.

When I went to the Troye Sivan show, it was clear that Petras and Sivan had attracted many people in the LGBTQ community. It was interesting to even watch the crowd and what kind of people came to the show. The people were honestly just as interesting to watch as the show was. When his song “Heaven” came on, the crowd went wild as the back of the stage lit up in a big rainbow. As a Christian, the symbolism and lyrics of the song combined raised some interesting thoughts. But that’s a whole other conversation.

(For the article on the show, click here!)

So I don’t know. I’m still learning about these things and trying to figure out how to objectively report in a world so full of many things I do not understand. Even after I wrote the article on Kim, someone commented on it correcting my use of words when talking about her transition. I don’t know what I’m doing!

But what I love about journalism is how it pushes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to see the world from so many different sets of eyes. I believe this is what Jesus did when he was on earth. He didn’t stay safe, merely mingling with those who thought and acted like him, but he spent time with so many different people- saints, sinners, outcasts, officials. He treated everyone like a person and met them where they were at. I can only hope to have the same kind of wisdom and love that he did as he navigated this world.

Interning at a Fashion Magazine Told Through The Devil Wears Prada Gifs

So besides my two majors and a minor at SMU, I decided to be crazy and have two jobs and two internships as well.

My newest addition to my schedule? An editorial internship with Modern Luxury Dallas Magazine.

Fancy, right? I honestly don’t know how I got the internship. I’m very excited, but I had no idea what to expect.

I didn’t know what to wear. I didn’t know what to bring. I basically had no idea what this internship was going to look like.

Turns out, it’s amazing. They’re already having me write things for their magazines and I get a lot of independence.

How I sum it up? I’m living the Devil Wears Prada, minus evil Meryl Streep.

Yes, coffee and cheese plate runs are included, but I’m mostly doing actual writing.

So what else do I do but watch the Devil Wears Prada when I get home?

The first movie-life parallel: The magazine industry is like another world.

No, Modern Luxury isn’t Vogue, but it’s the closest thing Texas has.

I walked into a tall fancy office building with a security guard and front desk and revolving doors and everything. The office is in a really nice part of town. I got up the elevator and came across glass doors.

Behind the glass doors was a little welcome area with a big sign that read MODERN LUXURY and current and past issues displayed in the most intimidating way. There was a big fur rug, some orchids, the works.

Also? The conference room was right in front of you as you walked in, so everyone could see me, the confused new intern not knowing what to do with herself.

Luckily, the assistant editor found me and rescued me from my uncomfortable limbo. I was shown the fancy office with those low cubicles that lets you do that thing where everyone can talk about stuff over them, MTV- style.

I was given a very thorough run-down of the magazine- what we write about, our target audience, what all our issues look like, and all the other magazines we write besides Modern Luxury Dallas.

Then I was given an assignment and left to my own devices.

I spent the day basically contacting designers for information. I felt like a dufus.

^^^THIS WAS ME.

I don’t know the difference between a retailer and a designer. I didn’t know if Neiman Marcus is a person or a place at this point. I just like writing stuff. I go to thrift stores for clothes.

I felt very out of place. And underdressed. And I didn’t have Starbucks with me, I had a knock-off hydroflask I got from Walmart, filled with tap water.

But you know what? I don’t care. Yes, I got some heels because apparently everyone at the office wears heels. Peer pressure is painful sometimes. But I’m just happy to be here, and if heels is what it takes, so be it.

But though I feel a little in over my head, I’m passionate about my work and so up for the challenge. After all, isn’t this the dream? To write, to work hard at creating, and love doing it?

I am so excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to see what I’ll learn through it. Hopefully I don’t have to go through the major identity crisis Andy went through in the movie.

But all in all, I’m absolutely stoked to be writing for a real-life magazine. It’s a dream come true and I’m so ready.

Backstage with my Broadway Aunt

My aunt is in the Lion King.

Okay, not technically my aunt. She’s my mom’s cousin. But with Filipino families, how could you even tell?

I got to see Yael Pineda-Hall do her thing one Tuesday night with my family, and she showed us backstage afterwards. We met many of the lead actors, as well as a dancer that had recently been in a movie you might have heard of called Black Panther.

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^^ these are the only photos we were allowed to take during the tour. My favorite is the first picture, of the moment my grandma met Mufasa. It was the cutest thing ever.

The next week, my aunt got me to come back to the show to shadow the Stage Manager. I spent the whole show behind-the-scenes (sometimes even stepping onstage behind props), dodging flying props and being pecked teasingly by a friendly Zazu, and hanging out with cast members backstage.

Key funny moments were:

Talking to Mufasa backstage after he died, heating food in the microwave
Listening to the cast casually singing Hannah Montana in the back
Teasing a gazelle because he was almost late for a part
Almost having to stall the show because a woman’s wheelchair was in the way of the performers
Little Simba doing the wip and nae-nae next to me offstage
Being told exactly when to duck so I wouldn’t be hit by little Nala on a huge ostrich puppet

I wrote an article about my experience for the Observer, but sadly it didn’t get published. So here it is!

Disney’s The Lion King came to the Dallas Summer Musicals at Fair Park this year. From June 13 to July 7, an incredible cast brought the 6-time Tony-Award-winning musical to life Downtown,and I got the in.

Being a “shadow” to the Stage Manager included some strict rules. Wear all black, don’t touch anything, and don’t take any photos.

Right inside the stage door of a theater sits a friendly security guard to ask people why they’ve come. Once they meet a shadow, they direct him or her to the Stage Manager’s office where the shadow receives a headset. Every backstage has a bunch of different offices. The Stage Manager’s room was equipped with a couple computers, papers, and a screen that gave a live feed of the stage. There was also a little contraption in which one of the Stage Managers spoke into to give the audience their final warnings to be seated.

The Lion King- (spoiler alert!) opens with a jaw-dropping number in which the cast comes from the aisles of the theater running, dancing and singing up to the stage in full animal costume and carrying beautifully crafted puppets. They had two stage managers and shadows stand right outside the theater doors to oversee this.

A couple minutes before the opening number, the ushers of Musical Hall section off the entrance to the theater, and the crew brings out the puppets from behind a curtain. Two people get into a big paper elephant, a group of singers get adorned with paper birds, and the actor playing Zazu gets in position with his bird (which turned out to be valued at about $25,000).

Before everyone begins, the stage managers do a quick check from the back of the theater to make sure all aisles are clear. No wheelchairs in the way, no feet or purses sticking out. Then the show begins with Rafiki’s beautiful voice and that iconic first note in the “Circle of Life.”

Being backstage during a production of the Lion King is like being a fly on the wall at a really cool party. It is incredible to see the machine that is a Broadway production. Not only is every second of the musical onstage choreographed, but every movement backstage was planned to a T. Props were being brought out and then taken back and stored above the wings like clockwork. The crew knew exactly at what moment to open a curtain, to roll grass onstage, to set out blow-up cacti, and more. It seemed like everyone backstage knew every beat and every word of the musical.

The cast themselves were nothing short of wonderful. Their energy continued onstage and off, singing during intermission and dancing between every scene. There were 13 cast members “out” the day, which meant they had to substitute people for 13 roles. But to the musical’s credit, every cast member was so proficient in their craft that even with all the switches they had to do, no one missed a beat. Everyone was a professional through and through.

One had to be careful being backstage. Sometimes the shadow was asked to stand very close to the edge of the wings and one misstep could have you tumbling onstage. Sometimes one of the curtains would be let down and the Stage Managers and shadows would run onstage to help light up a shadow puppet or help little Nala and little Simba climb an ostrich puppet. Sometimes one would have to duck because Nala was sliding over with her ostrich puppet and its feathers were flying everywhere. But of course, even that was choreographed.

The singers and dancers have to go through many costume changes throughout the show. There is a place called a “bunker” right behind the stage that was basically a long line of closets. It was sectioned into different stations with all the different costumes a singer or dancer needs during the show. In a span of a few seconds, a cast member had to change from anything from a lioness to a hyena to a plant to a gazelle. There were also makeup stations backstage, a little workshop for puppet repairs, a physical therapist office, and separate changing stations for Scar and Pumba due to the amount of work assembling their costumes was.

Everywhere the Lion King goes on tour, the company creates jobs. They hire locals to be on-hand carpenters, and dressers. At this stop, dressers and carpenters were hired from Dallas and taught the ropes of the show.

One of the stage managers said she really loved being in Dallas because of the theater. Musical Hall at Fair Park was a “luxury” because of how much space the cast and crew were given backstage. The area behind the stage had so much width and depth that the company did not have to do anything on a different floor. The stage manager explained the struggle of going up and down stairs to dress the actor of Pumba, and how difficult it can be to move him around when he has to carry such a large puppet. Some theaters have been so small that the stage they bring around can’t fit, or there would be no room for the actors to move from place to place. But in Dallas, they had plenty of space to move around. So one could say, the cast and crew received nothing short of Texas hospitality.

Being backstage of the Lion King is just as much of a wonder as seeing the show is. The craftsmanship of every detail provides such a wonderful spectacle to enhance the classic story of Disney’s the Lion King.

Interviews with Kevin from Pentatonix and Kristian from Sugarland

So, quick life update for context:

I’m working an internship at a summer camp is Philadelphia. Basically I’m helping to lead a leadership training program.

But while living at a camp and working full time, for some reason I thought, sure. I can keep working Observer articles. So that’s what I’ve been doing.

I recently submitted an article on my experience being backstage during a Lion King production (which will either get published soon or I will put it up on here), and then I landed two interviews.

One Tuesday morning at camp, I took a break from my internship duties to go back to my cabin and have a phone call with both Kristian from Sugarland (the duo that just did that song “Babe” with Taylor Swift), and Kevin from Pentatonix (aka my favorite member).

Kristian was very professional and pleasant to talk to. He gave me the scoop on his partnership with Taylor Swift and everything.

Link here for the Sugarland article!!

Kevin was calling from Cali so he had just woken up it seemed, so it was a very chill conversation. He was super nice, even trying to work with a couple technical hiccups I had. I gushed about how much I loved their show last year, and he was so excited about coming back to Dallas for Whataburger.

Link for the Pentatonix article!!

Cirque Coffee Roasters

Tulsa, Oklahoma

I Got Paid to Obsess Over My Favorite Band? HAIM ARTICLE

Have you ever heard of Haim?

If you follow my art Instagram, @artsyrosebud, you most likely have.

*shameless plug* *click below to check it out, cough cough*

I made 3 posters for a contest they had, but no, I didn’t win…

Anyway.

When my editor asked for pitches for stories, I told her I was going to see my favorite band, Haim (click here to read my last post with a couple of videos of theirs I recommend). She then asked me if I needed a ticket.

I already had a ticket, but I told her I’d take another one if I could. So the Southside Ballroom (the uber-cool venue Haim was performing at in Dallas) gave me TWO tickets BESIDES the one I had already bought for myself (yes, to go watch them alone. I bought it before going to concerts was something I got paid for.) They also gave me a photo pass!

I knew about one of my extra tickets early, so I was able to surprise my friend with it.

Also, while lining up two hours before the show, I found out I got two free tickets and was able to call my sister to come join. It was so spontaneous and super fun.

I am not kidding when I saw I FREAKED OUT THE WHOLE FREAKIN TIME. It was by far the best concert I had ever been to. These girls are so incredibly talented. I don’t think I breathed the whole time.

Anyway.

I basically just freaked out about how much I loved the concert, and that’s what resulted in this article.

>>>>HAIM ARTICLE<<<<<<

(Photos by my friend Hannah Hansen!)

My only thing? My editor wrote the headline, which I didn’t like very much. I felt like using “Sex” in the title was click-bait-y and distracted from the whole point I was going for.

But hey, they paid me to go to a concert!

Getting Paid to Go to a 5 SOS Concert (an update on my latest writing adventures)

My Dallas Observer editor gave me two free tickets to go see 5 Seconds of Summer at the House of Blues Thursday. Isn’t that crazy? And I’m getting paid for this, too!

After a lot of going back and forth with publicists and managers, my editor was able to score tickets and let me know about 4 hours before the show that I could go. So I texted my sister. She was excited.

So within a couple hours we were lining up at the House of the Blues to see one of her favorite bands. (This conveniently doubled up as an early birthday present for her.)

Some things I learned: When your editor tells you your tickets are at “will call,” that just means you’re supposed to ask the ticket booth for your tickets.

Words I actually got to say multiple times that night: “Hi, I’m with the Dallas Observer…” and “Hi, I’m here covering the concert for the Dallas Observer…” does that sound official or what? Granted, I feel like I look like this random 16 year old pretending to be a reporter, so I felt like I had to say things like that to seem more valid. I got a wrist band for “press” and everything!

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The concert was a pretty cool thing to do for “work” on a Thursday night.

I was probably the only one taking notes at a concert, so that was interesting.

My editor wanted me to get the review to her by 10am the next morning, so I stayed up until 1am to finish it so I could just sleep in until my class the next day. Got her done!

LINKS TO THE STORIES:

Click here for the 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER STORY

(Unfortunately… maybe it’s because I was tired or I’ve never written a concert review before, it looks like my editor made more changes than normal. So if it doesn’t sound like me at some points, that’s why!)

I also have two other new articles out, one about a local neon artist and one about a contestant on Lifetime’s new reality dating show! I watched one of the episodes and it’s actually really interesting, go check it out!

My Phone Call with Tyra Banks

Yes, THE Tyra Banks.

Know her?

Victoria’s Secret Angel, creator and host of America’s Next Top Model, America’s Got Talent, Eve from Life Size.

My editor from the Dallas Observer had me do what they call a “phoner.” Apparently, that’s journalism talk for a phone interview.

So, I got in contact with her people, and a time was set (4:30 pm C/T she said) for my talk with Tyra Banks.

Beforehand, my mom took me to Bird Bakery, where coincidentally, we saw a recognizable face.

Armie Hammer.

Yes, THE Armie Hammer.

His wife owns Bird Bakery, but we’ve never actually seen him there. I didn’t say anything to him, since I could tell he just wanted to enjoy coffee and pastries with a couple I’d assume were his parents. (Or grandparents? Not sure, I was too busy trying not to stare at Armie, who looks EXACTLY like he does in the movies.)

He was sitting right across from me.

After chit chatting within earshot of Armie for about an hour, I had my mom drive me back to my dorm.

Bye, Armie. I need to go talk to Tyra. Like WHAT EVEN was this day??

We were about five minutes away when it happened.

The phone rang. 15 minutes early than I expected.

Tyra’s assistant asked me if I was ready.

I SO was not. Not ready. Not. Ready.

I explained to her the miscommunication in timing and asked for a couple minutes.

“Yeah, it’s just… I have her here and she’s been going nonstop all day since 4 in the morning…” the assistant explained. “Can I call you back in 3 minutes?”

I agreed, hung up, and my mom and I freaked out.

Luckily, she was able to park. I got out my laptop, started the recording and got out my questions. My mom held up her phone as a backup recording.

I heard the ring.

The assistant asked if I was ready. I wasn’t, but I said yes anyway. I’d never freakin been on the phone with a celebrity before, I had no idea what I was doing.

“Okay hold on, let me go grab her.”

Silence. My mom turned her head away just in case Tyra could hear her breathing.

“Isabel?”

Tyra Banks knew my name.

“Hi Tyra, how are you?” I said, relieved I said her name right. (You see, all day for some psychotic reason, I had been calling her Tanya. Tanya. WHAT.

“I’m good, how are you?”

“I’m doing good! I’m Isabel from the Dallas Observer.” (Well obviously she knew that already. I was soooo awkward!!!)

We started to chit chat about the Today Show she had to get up at 4 that morning to go to, and we were off. I went into full interview mode.

Hearing the recording played back, I was SO awkward. Lots of nervous laughter, lots of accidentally interrupting her. It was… a learning experience.

Halfway through, Tanya said this:

“Oh what do you want, boo boo?”

I assumed she was talking to her kid. We weren’t at that level yet, you know?

“This is my son,” Tyra explained. “I gave my nanny Easter off so… we just had a babysitter today. Okay boo boo, what do you want? You just want mommy to get off the phone?”

Cutest voice ever: “Yeah…”

“Okay well you go talk to Nana and mommy’s going to be finished soon, okay?”

“No…”

“Mommy’s going to be finished soon!” She explained that he had come to the Today Show with them. “He had fun! He was running around…”

Our interview lasted about 10 minutes. Tyra was a super nice person, super easy to talk to and very easy to interview! She even spilled some information about Life Size 2 that I didn’t think had been released anywhere yet!

Tyra’s “people” invited me to the event she is hosting in Dallas next week, as well as gave me a copy of her new book, Perfect is Boring!

Click here for the full article!

Covering a Rooftop Yoga Party with My Bestie

Thanks to that blogger friend I mentioned, Mai Lyn, I got in to a Sunset Silent Yoga event for free! The event was hosted by the Fitness Ambassadors, a group of like-minded fitness bloggers around Dallas. I also got to bring my BFF, who just so happens to be a yoga instructor!

We felt very cool. The workout was just hard enough to be challenging, but super peaceful and amazing! They gave us light-up headphones to block out the noise of the city and the DJ timed all the songs perfectly with every movement we made.

Oh, and there was free food. And giveaways, like EOS lip balms, towels, and water bottles. Pretty sick stuff!!!

Here’s the article!

My Friend May Lyn: Professional Blogger

I got the chance to interview @deepfriedfit for a school project, but it ended up as an article for the Dallas Observer.

Mai Lyn Ngo, with over 12.3K followers on Instagram, blogs for a living. Here is my article about her!

The Woman Behind Deep Fried Fit

Also, click here for her food and fitness blog!

Fiction Coffee – Dallas, TX

Previously known as Method Coffee, Fiction Coffee is located at 1623 N Hall St, Dallas, TX 75204, a street corner in Deep Ellum. It’s small but chill location, not easily missed due to the big mural on its side.

D Magazine wrote an article on the shop’s transition from Method to Fiction, saying:

According to the press release, the rebrand also means that, “in a world of white and minimalistic coffee shops, Fiction Coffee embraces darker aesthetics and uses uncommon plants and jewel tones to create a fictional but homey feel,” and that it gets first dibs on Tacodeli’s morning taco delivery.

I tried its almond milk coconut chai, and it’s a keeper!

*PUBLIC APOLOGY* The man above did not give consent for me to take pictures of his feet. He had no idea I was taking pictures of his feet. But if you’re going to be barefoot and put your feet on a nice ottoman in a cool coffee shop, please know that I will take pictures of your feet.

Learning Journalism: Getting Paid for my Blog Post

There was going to be a story about an antique bookstore posted here the other week, but instead it ended up on the Dallas Observer website.

I’m a Fashion Media student at SMU, and while it sounds like something else, it really is a Journalism major. this is why I sometimes just tell people I’m a Journalism major. I take fashion and media classes, but it’s all centered around journalism and writing, which is why I like it.

Anyway, my favorite class this semester is News Reporting. Not only do I love the hands-on, project-based pace of the class and think my professor is the literal coolest person ever (she’s straight-up Rory Gilmore in my head), but it’s been the coolest thing to actually act like a journalist.

I got to attend an event as a journalist for the first time- the SMU Career Fair. This involved lots of sweaty awkward interviews I didn’t know how to do and then camping out at the dining hall next door to eat nachos and type out the article.

Click here to check out my first published article ever! It’s on the school paper, SMU Daily Campus.

My next event story was basically to stalk my cool fashion-designing aunt.

It was cool to actually interview my aunt and hear about her company from her words instead of just seeing her work. I know I talk about her company a lot so I won’t re-explain the awesomeness that is Filip+Inna, but you can read my article for more information if you need it!

Click here to read my article about my aunt’s trunk show! Also on SMU Daily Campus!

And then. The big leagues.

This is where that article went.

I mentioned to my News Writing professor about an article I was writing for my blog. I had discovered my favorite local antique bookshop closing in Downtown Mckinney and was writing a story about it. My professor convinced me to send it to her so she could pitch it to the Dallas Observer. Long story short, I’m published!

The DO editor is still accepting some of my stories so this isn’t over!

I can officially say I am now a freelance writer for the Dallas Observer website! It’s honestly so cool and I love it!

Things I’ve learned so far:

Side hustles are not in vain. The only reason why I now get paid for stories is because I had some already ready. My professor saw my initiative, writing for my blog, and that’s how I was able to jump to getting published so easily. Sometimes I doubt whether this is a waste of my time or not, but I love it when I’m proved wrong.
Connections are everything. Make friends with the professors you want to be!
Freelance writing for news publishers isn’t as scary as I thought. I started literally submitting things I was turning in for homework anyway since my professor was friends with the editor and encouraged me to do so.
Come up with a good headline so they don’t have to. I forgot to write up a good headline for the Mckinney bookstore one, so they wrote me one. Problem is, I prefer to use words like “dang.” Oh well.

Click here for my Dallas Observer post!

Behind-the-Scenes at a Runway Show

Okay, this is waaaaay overdue! But here it is! My experience going behind-the-scenes at a runway show in Dallas.

Watch and see what it’s like prepping and running a fashion show!

Fashioned for Freedom is an annual event that benefits My Refuge House in the Philippines.