I hope everyone has been hanging in there! I can’t believe we have been in quarantine for half of the year already. It has been a challenging year for everyone, and with all that has been happening in the world, I hope that we all continue to be kind to ourselves, to stay present, to stay true to ourselves, to keep learning, and to keep growing.
I have slowed down on taking all the classes I mentioned in my last blog post. I learned that I am happiest when I am creating, and I am capable of being creative, and I want to eventually turn that passion into a career. I am at the point in my life where I still have a lot to learn and will continue to challenge myself, and at the same time, I need to remember to be patient with myself and not to compare my journey to anyone else’s. It takes a lot of work every day to stay mindful and interrupt any negative thinking patterns, and to remind myself that I am worthy, that I deserve to keep doing the things I love, and that it’s okay to speak up and ask for help.
Before I move on to the summer recap, here are some reminders/quotes from different things that I have seen, read or heard over the past few months during quarantine. Forgive me if I couldn’t pinpoint a quote to a specific source; if you know who said the quotes, please feel free to let me know!
“In order to do something well we must first be willing to do it badly. - Julia Cameron
Large changes occur in tiny increments - Julia Cameron
If it’s not perfect, you can try again; there’s always time to improve.
You can’t have joy, happiness and connection without vulnerability.
Do what you can, where you are, with what you have. - Theodore Roosevelt
If you can learn to enjoy the process, then even the first drafts become victories.
You are not your thoughts. You are not your feelings. You are not the things that you have experienced.
You can make changes in your life without changing everything at the same time, and still see progress and growth. - Morgan Harper Nichols (@morganharpernichols)
Owning your story is the bravest thing you will ever do. - Brene Brown
Never let rejection lead to self-rejection - Steven Bartlett (@steven)
Don’t do anything halfway, unless you’re willing to be half happy.
Let no opportunity be too small for your time, and let no opportunity be too big for your possibilities - Jon Stewart
Try to learn something about everything and everything about something - Thomas Huxley
Leave who you were. Love who you are. Look forward to who you will become - Unknown
Resisting change, we hold on. Accepting change, we let go - The Headspace app
The distance between your dreams and reality is called action - Unknown
Give yourself more credit for the ways you’ve changed and grown - We the Urban (@wetheurban)
It’s better to show up imperfectly than to not show up at all - Toni Ann (@capturedwrite)”
Without further ado, here is my recap of tastings/collaborations that have happened over the past few months! I am grateful to these businesses for being able to provide products for social media purposes, so that is why I decided to put even more effort into the creativity in my photos at my home studio, especially since we have been unable to dine out. I have also made sure to keep supporting my favorite local spots during this time, even if I don’t always photograph it all!
1) Meet Fresh (Temple City, CA)
Meet Fresh wanted to share with me some refreshing items from their menu. I decided to choose a variety of drinks and bring them home to my “studio”. Pictured are the Purple Rice Drink w/ Milk Tea and Boba, Mango & Passion Fruit Green Tea, and Winter Melon Tea with Mini Taro Balls.
2) Tastea (Alhambra, CA)
Tastea was promoting their summer drinks, one of which is my absolute favorite drink: Watermelon Heaven! I also got the Island Nectar and Tropical Bliss in order to create a summer-themed image! This photo was especially fun since it was my first time cutting a watermelon. I’m glad I also got to utilize a beach blanket, fun straws, cocktail parasols, and sunglasses for this fun photo!
3) Cha Redefine (Pasadena, CA)
Cha Redefine is a new drink spot in Old Pasadena that opened earlier in the year, and they invited me to check out their options. I fell in love with the interior of the shop and the menu; they had items like chappuccino (tea + cappuccino), drinks with an avocado cream foam, and some unique and delicious pastries! Pictured are the Fresh Strawberry Cloudy, Osmanthus Chappuccino, Rose Jade Cha, and Peachy Oolong Bolo Puff.
4) Limericks Tavern (Alhambra, CA)
Limericks Tavern in Alhambra is now under new management, and with consistently awesome food! I have previously visited to promote this location and others, and photographed for their St. Patrick’s Day events, and was happy to see they were doing well and offering patio dining options. We got a few of my favorites, including Calamari, Fish and Chips, Clam Chowder, and Irish Nachos. The staff shared with us an awesome creation of theirs: Dublin Iced Coffee, which is Guinness stout, Jameson whiskey, cold brew coffee, and whipped cream!
Other Summer 2020 collaborations:
Slique Media reached out to me regarding Trung Nguyen, a Vietnamese coffee brand, and sent me a coffee lover’s box with goodies such as ground coffee, instant coffee, a coffee press, condensed milk, and a beautiful personalized coaster. I decided to make some Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe adapted from Broma Bakery) out of the instant coffee to show that you don’t need to only make coffee with coffee products. It was a fun experience! I definitely have been enjoying making Vietnamese iced coffee with their products too!
Beijing Yogurt reached out to me so I can check out their flavors. I tried it once when I visited China many years ago, and I enjoyed it! It’s a drinkable yogurt and they are currently sold in a few locations or online. I am fortunate to live near one of the vendors in the SGV, so I was able to pick up a few flavors: Original, Strawberry, Matcha, Honey, Goji Berry, 0g Sugar and Low Fat. I had fun shooting and styling for certain flavors and enjoyed all these flavors that they didn’t have when I first tried it years ago!
@wheresmyfork introduced me to Seoul Korean BBQ Bowl, who wanted to promote their Basque Cheesecake for pickup and delivery, which I was so excited to try, as I had never had one before. The texture was rich, light, creamy and with just the right amount of sweetness. I could have eaten the whole thing myself!
Acai Base reached out to me to promote their ice cream style, ready-to-scoop acai, where people can enjoy it on its own or add their own toppings, no mixing or blending needed! I got to try Acai and Coconut, but they also had other flavors like Pitaya and Matcha. They were so refreshing and fun to top!
Powerhouse Communications reached out to me with an announcement from Asahi Group that its top selling tea brand, Juroku Cha, was now available in the U.S. and on Amazon. It reminded me of the barley tea I get at Korean restaurants and was so refreshing, and it’s unsweetened and naturally free of caffeine and gluten. I had fun adding some fake ice cubes and creating this picnic setup for the shot!
I received a whole box of Moon Cheese snacks to try (through Ohana), and I was excited to try them because I love cheese. The flavors included Garlickin’ Parmesan (my favorite), Cheddar Believe It, Get Pepper Jacked, Oh My Gouda, and White Chedda Black Peppa. I decided to feature a few of these in a big charcuterie board for the shot, and a few outdoorsy looking shots too.