COFFEEBREATHZINES!poetry, interviews, short stories &photography

coffee breath zines & gulahlah press is run by julie o. publishing photo books, collab art zines, autobiographical comics & poetry. [email protected] L.A. & BKLYN @alienpuff

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ISABELLE HARADA visual artist http://www.isabelleharada.info/

I met Izzy in Portland, OR while she was attending PNCA. I slept on her small couch in her dorm and watched nights upon nights of King of the Hill. I’ve known her to create abstract collages reminiscent of desert road trips and illustrations of funny comics that I can relate to. She’s currently getting her MA at CalArts in Art and Technology, curates an art gallery in East L.A. and I’m always excited to see what she’s working on.

whats your newest project? The answer to this question is different depending on what facet of my life you are looking at. 1.) As an artist, I've been working on a series of paintings called WRONG HOLE :( : works that lie on the intersection of intensity and humor; punctuated moments of awkwardly light-hearted horror. 2.) As an Artist, I've been working on the schematics for an installation that has yet to be titled (but will not be "Untitled"). It is a video installation utilizing a lot of two way mirrors and the viewers shadow to create an environment of fully immersive disorientation– a work you can literally get lost in. 3.) As a curator, I am working with a gallery called Infinity Room that has a bunch of new and exciting shows lined up. -We've just offered a residency to FuckWalker and his series of works called Livingroom. These multi-disciplinary endeavors are difficult to describe, but essentially create an alternative experience combining music, art, and a party; while also provoking conversation about community and immediacy in the internet age. Interested parties can find out more about it in this interview with foundations mag: http://www.foundationsmag.us/-We've got Mtendere Mandow (Teebs) lined up for a show in October sometime 4.) As a passive capitalist, I'm working at a couple galleries: one at Bergamont Station, and one in DTLA. I am in the process of familiarizing myself with the techniques used to sell artwork that costs more than my yearly income.

why are you doing what you're doing? Well, I do most of the things I do for no other reason than having a compulsion to. I believe thats what makes it so satisfying, like itching a scratch. When I make, I am synthesizing that which is around me into a sort of cohesive and visual conclusion. I do the things that I do to gain an understanding of my surroundings and to locate my point of view on the world. When I work, I'm learning.

favorite meal? I have three types of favorite meals: home-cooked, fancy as fuck, and free. They all have their merits, and sometimes they overlap. My favorite food is applesauce because its incredibly versatile. It also requires no prep time, so it fits into my schedule nicely.

purpose of your job? The purpose of any job is to sell things. I sell tangible "art objects," but I also sell the ideas embedded in these objects, and the narrative of the artist that created them. I sell the idea of these things being encompassed and expressed in the consumer's life, home, and collection.

what've you done the past 5 years? The last five years I have been on a quest with a constantly changing objective. I say quest and not journey because I approach these impermanent objectives as if my life depended on their success. (and essentially it does) Initially, it started with going to art school to get a degree in fine art photography, which quickly turned into animated arts, and finally blossomed into video installation and code writing. Following that, I fell in love and moved to Los Angeles (scrapping some other plans for a BS in theoretical physics or moving to Tokyo). Upon arrival to LA, I started making paintings, curating, and working in several galleries sprinkled throughout the city: from DTLA, to Bergamont Station. biggest accomplishment in the last 6 months? In the last six months I was accepted into the Art and Technology MFA program at CalArts, which I guess isn't an accomplishment seeing as I haven't completed it (while I did without a doubt accomplish securing the finances for it, which is a hurdle in and of itself).

what's next and, why?? There's been a couple things stewing in my head.1.)  An animated mini series; because goddamn I should make use of the degree I have already and I'd like to commit to a more long term project.2.) Lots of grant writing; because I can't afford the materials to make my installations.

a song you're listening to right now. NOPE, not choosing just one. Sorry:Hailu Mergia, Mulatu Astake, Knxledge, Mndsgn, William Onyeabor, Suzanne Kraft, Kate Bush, The Velvettes (and Tammi Terrell in general), Ahnnu, Gravy Train!!!!, Bikini Kill, Brian Eno, J Dilla favorite outfit?? All black, all the time for the most part. Right now, I'm diggin' what I'm wearing: my Goodwill Ann Taylor Loft skirt, Cthulhu tee, and high top black vans. 

last show you went to? Last show I went to that was not work related was Dam Funk at the Hammer Museum. have you made any money from your art? Yes, but not in any notable collections.

do you ever feel lonely, and why? Often and for several different reasons. Moving to LA, I didn't have many friends, as most of the people I knew here previously are currently pursuing their dreams elsewhere. Consequently, a lot of time is been spent with my boyfriend and his friends who, while nice, creative, and intelligent, are not my own, and see me as someone's girlfriend rather than an independent human. Additionally, I spend 90% of my time working. While gallery life is social, – from studio visits, to openings – the interactions that I have are most akin "schmoozing" than anything else. Don't get me wrong: there is definitely a time and place for this, you literally cannot be a self-sustaining artist if you don't (unless you can afford a dealer). Luckily however, I love the people I work with one thing you've learned from traveling? One thing I've learned FOR traveling: know how to say excuse me, i'm sorry, and thank you. One thing I've learned FROM traveling: People can always surprise you with their generosity. what are your biggest inspirations?/what are other artists doing that you find inspires you? Miranda July and Ben Jones for their mastery of the multiple disciplines encompassed in their practices; Olafur Eliasson for his technique, aesthetic, and subject matter; Marina Ambramovic for her powerful honesty, and tenacity; and Sophie Calle for her quirky approach to the subjects she circles in her work. Suzy Poling's series, Subdivided Landscapes (2012-2013), are inspirational for their ability to synthesize two locations at the same time by using parallels of texture in material.

do you feel like you are a success and, why? I feel like I am for the most part successful in my endeavors, but I doubt I'll feel successful until I'm dead. The trajectory that is my career – yes, success is defined by my ability to sustain myself through my preferred activity – is constantly changing, and even as I reach a goal, its often already been re-routed to something else. I'm just terribly indecisive and I like it this way.

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photo shoot in bushwick with olive 🌹

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this is so cliche but full moons make me feel cray the end of the year is soon and I have the most insane shit planned I will let no one stop me I will get my way It's been too long of too many people telling me what I can or can not do And I am so beyond over it Like Wow poem by julie o.

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can you tell this is my second slice? who are you and your cool friends heading to Brooklyn on the J train outta Manhattan probably going to some cool bushwick bar you must be one of those art school students with your septum ring shaggy hair beanie perfect for winter read your huge book on the subway like, dude, how can you even be concentrated on reading that right now? actin like your academic and mysterious poem by julie o

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BYRON ADAMS writer, poet, visual artist @filmwavesandleaves I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Byron since I was a teen. Dancing, laughing & always smiling with Brianna Meli at all the shows I went to. I loved to dance with them every chance I got. We met at the Anarchist Cafe (a punk house in Whittier), The Smell and RRFM’s.

As I was gathering interviews for this project, it was a must to know what Byron had to say.

whats your newest project? I’m currently in this crazy stage of my life where I’m creatively fueled. Not that I am not creatively fueled at other times but I feel that I have many ideas that I can actually do or that I am tired of waiting on for the “perfect moment”. I’m done with that mentality, I have these ideas now and I want to produce them now. A few of my ideas are within art and a few are visual. I’m working on a series of paintings where I paint my ex lovers, my favorite parts of our interaction. Most of my “lovers” have been one night stands so it’s based of the most, positively, memorable moments ie. shoulders, lips, that moment right before someone takes their underwear off. I’m really excited about that piece. Another piece is an interview series, asking 20 somethings, or millennials, about where we find ourselves and what expectations we had of growing up to be false, the core is “are you happy now”. Which I feel has a lot of weight. A few other things simply are to just draw more. I’ve also been working on a web series about suburban queers living in the heteronormative world. So many things, I can go on and on but I’ll digress.

why are you doing what you're doing? I feel that artists have this drive, some people learn or are conditioned to suppress it, like “you can’t be an artist, go be a doctor” and they do it. Which is rad, because we definitely need doctors and lawyers but for me I can’t suppress it. No matter how hard I try, which honestly I haven’t, it haunts me. I’ll have nightmares. It’s expression and it’s storytelling, I have this crazy desire to tell stories, sometimes I fear they might be boring and nobody will care but I care/need and that’s all that really matters at the end.

favorite meal? (Vegan) Lasagna! I love layers.

purpose of your job? I have a few jobs, overall to make money, so I can eat, have a place to live, pay bills and pay for the things I want to accomplish the art I want to do. Thankfully I enjoy my jobs, which is something I know many others can’t say.

what is a "career"? Honestly I have no idea. I feel like I hear people say, “you can’t make a career out of being an artist” which makes me think it has something to do with, living wage? Maybe that’s what career means, having that 9 to 5 that gives you enough to make a living, make a family and all that stuff.

what've you done the past 5 years? That last 5 years! I feel like I have done so much and also nothing if that makes sense. Unfortunately, I compare myself to others my age, especially in the acting world and I feel too damn old to accomplish anything but I know that’s not true. The last 5 years have definitely been life changing, I was in post-punk band for 5 years called Palm Reader, we disbanded earlier this year. I’ve been living on my own, which is a challenge in itself. I’ve been in college waiting to finish. Grown a lot, in ways that I did not think I would, becoming very independent, at ease with the struggles and challenges of life, very open to what the world is, learning where my energy could be put to make a difference of some sort.

biggest accomplishment in the last 6 months? Probably one of the most painful accomplishments I have gained happened within the last 6 months. Letting go. Letting go of people who I don’t need, people who held me back, places that have held me back. It’s definitely been hard, but a battle that has given me so much strength. I am still in the aftermath of it all, being that I don't have a place to live, stressed out of my mind but my head is strong and my heart is healing. I haven’t fully seen the positive yet, but I know that it will be okay.

what's next and, why?? Devoting myself to my desires, my art, my craft because I have put it on hold and distracted myself into other things (which I loved also). But it’s been scratching at me trying to yell out “BYRON JUST DO IT ALREADY”. Plus, I am ready. I’m ready to show my work. I’m ready for the support and I’m ready for the rejection. I’m finally comfortable with me enough to push myself harder.

favorite outfit?? I’m really into black, there’s a sense of solidarity in black. Something I picked up from Crass and the Anarcho movement. Black long dropped button up, black trousers, black monk straps, black sweater and colored socks, specifically three layers light blue, navy and yellow.

last show you went to? Unfortunately, I don’t go to as many shows as I did before, but I definitely love to support my friends. The last show that I went to was to see Canyons at a skate shop called Programme.

have you made any money from your art? I just got a job doing an illustration for a poetry book! I’m crazy excited about it. It’s the first time anyone has ever offered to pay me. I don’t know how much I can say about the project but it’s definitely a learning experience and I’m beyond thankful.

do you ever feel lonely, and why? One of the things that I have learned more and more is that I am a loner. It’s something that I struggled with growing up, I’m extremely persynable and nice and make acquaintances very easily but I keep people at a distance. I’ve also struggled with meeting potential partners and that is a different kind of loneliness, a painful one at times. As a for self-defense I tell myself, “I will be alone for the rest of my life”- not as a negative thing but as a fact. If I am wrong, which I hope I am, then it will be nice and if I am right well at least I would have accepted long before I realized the reality of it. 

one thing you've learned from traveling? Doing what you want to do when you travel is important. I traveled alone for the first time this year. I went to Chicago, and I had such a wonderful time. In the past I have traveled with family and friends which is fun but I feel like there is always this sense of fear, that persyn isn’t going to want to do this thing that I want to do so I just won’t do it. Traveling alone was great because I didn’t worry about that. I walked the city day and night without the worry of others. I know it sounds kind of weird but it’s something I found value in. Now, if I ever travel with others I will definitely put my two cents in of what I want to do and if no one wants to do it, Ill do it alone.

what are your biggest inspirations?/what are other artists doing that you find inspires you? There is this weird thing that I have noticed recently, especially through social media, i.e. instagram. Where a bunch of artists follow each other, specifically queer boys. I noticed this after viewing some people I followed had followed others who followed others who followed me. It was a crazy line of strange but it made sense. Anyway, currently that is a big source of inspiration for me. Viewing other queer artists doing some amazing art, music & film. I literally see their work and it makes me very excited to push my work out there. Artists like Luis Valencia, Vincent Coleman, Christopher Pomar, Hello Mr., among so many others.

advice to anyone that's stuck. Listen to your heart. Listen to what the creative self in you is telling you, even if it something you may not think you are ready to share or even if it’s something you don’t want to do at the moment. It’s beating within you for a reason. Sometimes it’s an expression that will not go further than your hand to paper and trash but it’s something you need to release.

do you feel like you are a success and, why? Not even close. I feel like a complete failure most of the time! I feel like I have missed so many opportunities in my life, they may have not taken me anywhere but definitely the lack of trying has haunted me. The biggest reason why is that I feel haunted by my art. I feel that the artist in me is made that I have taken so long to feel confident and desired to do what I am trying to pursue today. To be completely honest, success is relative but I feel like we each have our own version of success and what it means. I definitely haven’t achieved my own persynal level of success but I still have time and what is important is that I want to try.

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Who will dry your eyes when it falls apart?

beach house

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MEAGAN BOYD Painter http://cargocollective.com/meaganboyd

Meagan is a Los Angeles based artist creating truly inspiring paintings. I’ve been a fan of Meagan’s work since I found her selling hand made crafts in Venice Beach 6 years ago. I asked her a few questions about how it is to live as an artist.

whats your newest project? I've been working on putting together an art show entitled dark paradise. It involves a lot of the utopian ideas I normally work with, but this time around we going off the deep end with dark exploration. It's a show that I'm Co-curating with my friend Kristin Trammell in association with Applied Mythology Project.

why are you doing what you're doing? Because I have A compulsion to share everything. I desire to communicate things that are even still a mystery to myself. Creating the art helps me understand myself better and to connect with the world more. Lots of people make me nervous, my artwork is my messenger.

favorite meal? Thai coconut soup with pineapple fried rice.

purpose of your job? My purpose as an artist is to express and create. However, I also have a job working at a bar, I guess my purpose there is to provide great service to guests... And to make money to pay my rent... Haha

what is a "career" Career is doing what you feel driven to do and making a living off of it. It's when your professionalism is acknowledged by the capitalist society we live in.

what've you done the past 5 years? Painted. Cried. Laughed. Moved away from la and back to la. Tried art school. Painted.  

biggest accomplishment in the last 6 months? California Fantasy art show at new image arts last June.

a song you're listening to right now. Kangaroo by this mortal coil

favorite outfit? 
Red lace dress.

last show you went to? Milk and honey at slow culture in highland park

do you ever feel lonely, and why? Yes. Because I'm a rebel.

one thing you've learned from traveling? If you get wasted in New Orleans, don't go home with that gothic industrial guy who fixes computers for a living. Not a good vibe.

what are other artists doing that you find inspires you? Artists in la right now are really inspired by mythology, a topic I've been interested in for years. Particularly, artists have been making their own mythologies in their work. It's beautiful and draws from every story and archetype throughout history and runs deeper into our roots as humans.  I feel a new movement brewing. Let's hope it's not a fad...

advice to anyone that's stuck. Keep doing it. Let urself make shitty art for years. Every piece, you learn something new... Evolving isn't always easy. Growing pains are real.

do you feel like you are a success and, why? Well, I'm a success in progress. If I gave up, then it wouldn't be possible. I'm working on it. Just hoping to attain some stability through my work.  

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RACHEL CURRY, book binder & illustrator. www.curryillustration.tumblr.com

I had a long car drive with the amazing book binder, Rachel Curry. As we ventured through the freeways of Los Angeles, I asked her some questions about what it’s like to live and work as an artist.

why are you doing what you're doing?

i make books because i realized when i started making books that the drawings i do in those books are better because i have care for the object and i draw with intent. i really struggle with myself with drawing because i don't think i'm ever good enough and i'm really hard on myself so i'd start a drawing and immediately stop it like after one mark, literally one mark, and i'd rip it out of my book and throw it away and be like "this is shit! i'm no good!" but then when i started making my own sketchbooks i realized like, well, i'm not going to tear this thing apart because i made it and i care about it, so, i started sticking with my drawings and going through the whole thing and making complete works and i realized, you know, it's sort of like an act of self-love and i've improved as an artist because of book binding. i love making books. it's just super fun and tactile. it's just creating things feels good and teaching that skill to other people is fun.

what is your favorite meal?

my favorite meal?

-yeah,

breakfast!

what is the purpose of your job?

my job? do i have a job? i don't really have a job. i don't know *laughs* i think i suck at this interview.

-no, you don't! this is great! so, you don't have a job.

no, okay that's not true. when someone asks you, like, what do you do for work, it's your automatic assumption to think like, something that you go to 9-5 and you make money, and you go home. right now i'm not in a position of like going to a job and making money and then going home. my work is like, you know, i dunno, art! i guess i don't consider art work, but it is work! what do we consider work? is work something that you're supposed to dislike? you know, what's that saying of if you do what you love you'll never work a day in your life, kind of a thing, but that's sort of not true because you have to work at it. it doesn't just come easy and it's not easy, it is work, making drawings. it's such hard work, it's like the hardest thing i do and i hate it but i love it. its brutal, it's like a battle with myself every time i draw a drawing.

what is a "career"?

this is something that i struggle with, everyday of my life because i dropped out of school and i don't have any linear direction exactly right now. i struggle with the idea of what a career is and what my career is going to be and if i'm on the right path to having a career and a responsible adult life because i don't have a degree and i'm concerned about that. my brother has a career. my brother went to school and straight out of school, he got a job and he goes to that job and he makes money and he's gonna do that for the rest of his life. and me, i'm kind of all over the place, but a career, i'm not answering the question *laughs* - a career. a career is like, you know, it's what you..it's what you fall into, no, you don't fall into. i would like to think i'm going to fall into my career. i'd like to think that if i just follow my passion and i don't worry about it too much and i'm not trying to attain anything - well not not trying to attain anything, oh i don't know..*laughs* oohhhh julie, ok - what is a career!? *ahem* okay, no - i can do this. let me think let me think, let me say something.

-i mean, a career is confusing, i don't fucking know what a career is.

i think, okay, the general idea in society, what a career is is you know something that, a job that you have, no, it's not that, a job is different than a career. i don't know what a career is!! it's a thing you go to for the rest of your life and you do that thing for a long time and you become good at it and you did that for a long time -- it's a job that you do for a long period of time,

-alright! i can see that!

but for me, like, i don't know what my career is gonna be i have no idea and i worry about it all the time and i try not to worry about it and i think like, ok, just follow your passion, do what you love and you'll fall into your career. but at the same time i don't want to focus too much like alright, now's the time i need to like search and find what my career is gonna be you know and then i'll finally find "that thing" and a lightbulb will go off in my head and it's here i made it! this is the thing i've been looking for, you know? because you're always exactly where you're supposed to be and i'm not worried about chasing something or attaining something and i'm fine with the fact that i don't have a linear path and that i'm not exactly developing a career right now. i'm developing myself right now and that's more important and a career will follow.

-got it! *laughs*

what have you done the last five years?

the past five years...i moved to new york to go to art school, dropped out of art school, worked as a cook, interned at letterpress places and book arts places, i went to italy and spain to work on farms, i came back to california, i went to city college, i took classes that had nothing to do with art just for fun like i took US history of women. that was amazing, that was really cool. for no reason, i was just like, that sounds cool, i'll do that. i lived in the forest with lazarous and came back here, went to brazil, came back here. i've wandered, you know. if you want bullet points it's you know, new york, art school, cooking, wandering.

what is your biggest accomplishment in the last 6 months?

6 months hmm, you know i felt really good about my thing at book show when i did my book binding class. that felt really good. i don't know if that's a big accomplishment it was like a small casual thing but it's the first time i've had an independent work shop with a group of adult students. before i was doing an after school non-profit thing with little kids. so that felt good, it was good to do that and have people come and to have jen say, “let's do this again”. i just felt so good after that. it was a really small simple thing but it was just the kind of thing that made me feel like, this is possible. i can do this. i can teach people what i've learned on my own and have fun and do what i love and make a little money doing it. it made me feel like it was possible and i felt good about that. even though it was a small thing it was a start and it was easy. well it wasn't easy but it came to me easy.

what's the last show you went to?

i went to the getty recently and i saw an exhibit about illuminated manuscripts. it was awesome, i think it's amazing. i like book binding and those are the most amazing books ever. they were from the dark ages and these guys hand painted every single letter in gold leaf and apparently the pages are made out of goat skin. they took goat skin, aged it and stretched it as thin as they could for every single page. paper was uncommon during that time in europe. i think other places they had paper but, so that was amazing and the craftsmanship of those things and the fact that they're so old and huge. that kind of craftsmanship is beyond me but it's interesting to see.

what is one thing you've learned from traveling?

ahh yes, my favorite topic! i've learned that people are good. people are good. if you just stay at home and you live your life and you watch the news and you see all this shit about like twelve year-old kids murdering each other and stuff and people being robbed. you're like god, people are just bad. somehow when you're traveling abroad by yourself it's just like this magical thing that people just open themselves up to you and they help you and they'll take you into their home and they'll feed you and they’ll guide you and they'll welcome you. it happens all of the time when you're traveling by yourself. it just strengthens your faith in humanity and reminds you people are good and they want to help you and it makes you wanna return that favor, that feeling - and help people that you see. that's the best thing, that's my favorite part of traveling.

what is your biggest inspiration?

i’m inspired by surroundings and by everyday life and seeing the beauty in that. seeing the beauty in every day life and what you’re constantly surrounded by but maybe don't think about. usually i’m drawing on the go and i’m just drawing whatever is in front of me. i'm also inspired by my family. i have a really creative family my dad is a fine artist. he paints landscapes and my great uncle and my grandfather both were in animation and advertising and stuff and my uncle worked for disney. someone who really inspires me is my cousin. we're kindred spirits, him and i. he travels, he's kind of nomadic. he just draws on site, he goes to cafes and he draws people who don’t even know hes drawing them. they don’t even sit still and then like in a few minutes hes whipped out this amazing thing. hes got many years ahead of me and hes like a master, really. he is. when i get together with him, its always a treat to talk about art and about sketching and to draw together. also my dad, he’s a really good inspiration for me as far as art and having a life as an artist.

what is advice to anyone that's stuck?

if you're stuck, then do whatever you need to do to get unstuck. if you feel unhappy in your job, quit that job! you can get another one. if you feel unhappy in the place you’re living, move somewhere! if you feel unhappy inside of yourself, change the way that you feel because i really believe that as individuals we're completely in control of ourselves and nothing else.

(interviewed july 2015)

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kitchen

dancing in kitchens to oldies tunes. salsa in the fridge; my abuelita's spanish rice simmering on the stove. where we would cook together, wash dishes, tingle and love kiss, and have the most amazing weekend mornings argue, scream and become each-others worst enemies

poem by julie o.

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FERNANDO GARCIA artist, writer and photographer www.fernandoisai.com

I visited Fernando in his apartment in Korea Town, Los Angeles to ask him some questions about his life as an artist living now. 

current project: a triptych. word and images. working title : a –> b

what is your newest project?

Well my newest project is one I did last night; it’s the first time I’ve performed live. A friend of mine asked me to perform to a little play he made the music for, a lot of it is improvised and he asked me to dance during the performance and so I came up with a five-act play. I didn’t do much; I had a costume change, did some painting on stage, and then took off the costume and put on another costume and, yeah. I did that last night. That’s why my place is a mess right now jaja.

why are you doing what you’re doing?

For many reasons, one; because I’m good at it, and that applies both to my art and my job as a waiter. So the job because I need the money and the art because I enjoy it and I’m good at it; and I think that it’s worthwhile, not just for me. I feel like I’m good making it and I feel like the things I want to make are good ideas. Why not?

what is your favorite meal?

I guess right now, hms bounty, its not so much food as a place; its just down the street; I always get the burger; except for last time, I’ve been there maybe a dozen times.

what is the purpose of your job?

So obviously I don’t make money from my art; not right now.

-so the purpose of your job is to–

to make money.

-yeah, to fund what you do

Yeah, to fund my non-paying job right now (art).

what is a career?

An investment. So, a career can be defined as going to school. The equivalent of what used to be taking an apprenticeship; something you pick early on and you grow with it and you learn with it and you’re involved and by the time you’re 30, you’re a professional in your field which means you know everything there is to know about that thing. In that sense being a waiter is a career too, because you can learn to grow with it and know everything there is to know about being a waiter.

-Why do I feel like people refer to a career as making money? If you don’t make money then its not a career, you know what I mean?

Yeah. Mine is a less tangible definition of the word career, it doesn’t depend on what job it is it depends on how you do it. On how I see things; a lot of it is in my use of the word happiness, for example I would use it the same way but I wouldn’t necessarily define it the same way because making art is not always the happiest thing. You know, I’m not always in here chirping away, its like a longer term kind of a happy; it’s a weird satisfaction. When I say art makes me happy; it doesn’t literally make me happy. laughs you’re doing what you have to do to get what you want.

what’ve you done in the past five years?

That’s a very broad question, jaja. Well I have learned to make very good pie. jaja, it has taken me five years.

-well there you go!

yeah - that’s how you answer that question laughs

biggest accomplishment in the last 6 months.

Ah shit, pie’s out of the question, jaja! Well I quit my job for 3 months, and transitioned from research to writing my novel. It’s been another 3 months, and now I have two jobs. So that’s pretty good for 6 months, jaja.

what’s next and why?

A lot of work, because I didn’t work for 3 months; and to just keep working on my novel. I haven’t actually written for it for 2 months, just because I have this new job.

song you’re listening to right now.

I’ve been listening to Girls a lot, but today I listened to rabbit rabbit radio.

favorite outfit?

It’d probably take me too long to figure that out but I can tell you what dress I’ve been wearing the most; it’s really fresh it’s really loose and it has pockets! The first thing I look for in a dress is pockets, the first thing I look for in any outer wear is pockets. Whether it be shirt hat, whatever.

what was the last show you went to?

I went to see the Chris Burden thing at LACMA. Not the lights, and not metropolis, it was the last thing he did before he died. It was set to release and he died the week before. It was an ode to some Argentinian designer who designed the zephyr and basically he just made it smaller. A zephyr is a blimp, it goes around a radius of maybe 30 to 40 feet for like 15 minutes or almost 15 minutes. The best part is when everybody leaves, towards the end, and the zephyr runs out of gas but it’s still spinning for like a minute.

-wow, I don’t know anything about blimps!

neither do I, jaja

have you ever made money from your art?

Yes. I have sold two prints and I used to shoot for guest of a guest, it’s an L.A. blog and they go to parties and take pictures and they don’t pay you for that but, if somebody asks them to send a photographer to cover their event then they’ll pay you. I did lots of gigs and I only did one paying gig for them but I got to go to a lot of great shows for free. I went to a Lucha Vavoom match and got kicked in the face, it was awesome!! I got some great pictures; it’s Mexican Wrestling, my camera got kicked and it hit me! at one point I was taking pictures down by the chairs and I saw that they were coming close to the edge and I was like “this is it!!” but I didn’t realize everybody else had moved and I was like oh shit! they didn’t fall on me but they fell on the chair next to me. It was a lot of fun and I got to go for free. It was so much fun, and I shot it all on film too.

do you ever feel lonely and why?

Yes. Occasionally I’ll ask my friends to help me with my work and it’s simple stuff like for my last project I really just had to scribble some drawing that somewhat represented a dinosaur; like they were very terrible drawings and I wanted them to help with this… I shouldn’t expect them to understand before I explain things…it’s not an issue - it’s just that every once in a while I’m like, hmm, I wonder if there’s anyone thinking the same or doing the same. I can explain it to people and they understand and they’re happy to help but.. is there someone who’s doing it too?

one thing you’ve learned from traveling?

You can really get a lot done with just a smile. When you’re traveling you’re a guest, it’s nice to respect other people’s space. So yeah I guess that’ll be it, just respect other people’s space.

biggest inspiration?

Someone who got me moving because I had to, earlier on when I was writing. What began as a photo project and then turned into a series of essays, I was just getting started with the research and I was reading what was being written at the time that the programs I was interested in were being made and that whole culture and theory of the time. I hadn’t decided I was going to write a novel about it yet, it was just a series of essays on the history of photography and about its evolution and it’s acceptance into art and what that means for art. 2-4 times when I was reading, there was a name, either in an asterisk or the bibliography of the work, Jacques Laurent, and I kept seeing that name, and I was like ok, I thought; I should read that. It was a little bit older than the other stuff I was reading and they were all mentioning this one essay which I found listed in a book which I couldn’t find anywhere except for a UCLA library. It was a weird library, you had to go to the desk, tell them what you want, they go get it and bring it over for you because you need to be a student. That was interesting. So, I got that book but all the essays were only in french. So then I had to translate that essay from French to English. I had to do a lot to read this author and I really enjoyed it and that got the ball rolling for doing more research. That’s where all my research really started.

advice to anyone who’s stuck.

First of all I hope you’re always writing shit down (a word to authors). I do free hand and make art without knowing what I’m going to make but when I’m trying to work on a larger body of work… sometimes you can start like that, randomly, but once I have two or three pieces I need to keep the consistency even if that consistency has changed throughout the course. It’s very helpful for photographers too, if you know what you’re going to look for before you go out and take pictures, you find it much easier. Take notes; what am I looking for, why am I looking for it, how do I want to show it, who uses it. Even the tiniest little lists, it’s how shit gets done. If you’re stuck, I say go back to the beginning and make a new list of, you know, whatever it is you want to make a list of. Sometimes I make a list of things that are blue and it helps. jaja. You should always have a pen and paper.

-oh trust me, that’s what I am too, just a whole pocket full of lists. jaja.

(interviewed july 2015)

[coffeebreathzines]

[coffeebreathzines]