thank you for everything.
enjoy your papas and sundays everyone.
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Posts filed under videos!!!
getting to where i'm going
in my english class, we were given the task to create something inspired by walt whitman's "song of self", which described the individual's search for her own identity. our project was supposed to most authentically represent ourselves in a physical, verbal, or visual medium.
naturally, i chose photography.
here was my introduction to my project:
"it was hard for me to figure out what aspect of my identity i wanted to talk about when the medium in which i wanted to present my project is my identity. the next most logical thing i could about is how art has become a part of who i am. the answer is new york city."
enjoy
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xmas in 4k
this was our N/R (family) christmas.
merry christmas and have a happy holidays!
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because it was great
i made a video a week ago about my grandparents' neighborhood.
i went to jazz camp for a week.
i met really cool people.
i discovered new music.
i took a break.
i spent time with my family.
i'm good. i'm home. let's go.
i miss them.
happy monday
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h0me
i made a little thing because i haven't made one in a little.
happy wednesday
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dear mom,
thank you for everything.
enjoy your mothers and sundays everyone.
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i'm so happy
i'm home. the past few days of spring break have been the most relaxed. there was a moment when i actually thought that it was summertime.
i'm happy. i'm so happy, and being so is one of the most askdfklj feelings. it's hard to explain, but i'm sure you've felt this way before. when i'm happy, i get creative. i've made so many little things (including a 'california' video!!!) in the past week alone.
i even made a little playlist about it. cool.
enjoy your spring everyone. i'll hear from you soon. promise.
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#blizzard2016
1. 30+ inches of snow in the city
2. i went out at 9pm on friday to explore
3. i took pictures + made a video
4. i froze both my cameras + almost cried
5. a guy danced for my video
6. we didn't have a snow day today, and i'm incredibly upset
7. i've been away from home for 7 days and on 2 trips in the past week
8. it's now the final stretch until spring break
happy monday
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2015 + a video
photograph by austin schmid
i hope you all have had a wonderful holiday. i celebrated mine with a trip to the west village (shot in the video above). there's been a lot of resting, reviving, creating, and laughing in the rael household. it feels great.
as 2015 nears its close, i decided to share a few of my favorite things:
1. favorite songs that i've listened to this year
2. favorite photographs taken this year
3. favorite youtuber that i found this year
4. favorite video that i found this year
5. favorite music video that i found this year
6. favorite blog of the year
7. favorite tumblr post of the year
8. favorite shop of this year
9. favorite source of inspiration of the year
10. (one of many) favorite photographers of the year
you can listen to the playlist of my favorite-songs-that-i've-listened-to-this-year below.
that's all i wanted to share this week.
have a wonderful day everyone.
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a sonnet
By and by we find ourselves afraid
of losing that with which we contemplate:
our mind, our form, our soul, our self, our shade
So easily set free with time and fate
We are the gale that crashes to the rough
Distressed that our opus dissolves beneath
We are afraid our time is not enough
to breathe our breath through lustrous tempest teeth
From technicolor hues to black and white
Our minds do wilt as herbs do in the sun;
Why is that what we fear what we not bite,
For our mind's end we wish not know undone.
We must exist as though we have none left
If time is of the essence, then time bereft
a shakespearean sonnet (capitalized and everything!!) for my romantic poetry unit at school (+ a new-ish video that i thought kind of embodied the sound of the poem).
have a lovely thursday, everyone
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what i'm thankful for + VSCO
i have a lot of things to be thankful for. i am thankful for my family, my friends, my home, my education, and my entire life thus far. i'm thankful for VSCO.
how i got became involved with VSCO is too long of a story to even begin to explain; but, i think what i wanted to point out in this post is how far they've driven me into the art universe. (and for this, i am eternally grateful).
the relationship that i have with the people at VSCO are ones that i hope will continue for a very long time. they are kind, intelligent, fashion-savvy, honest, and all-around brilliant people. they've opened so many doors for me in the photography world that i would never have the chance to open myself. i'm doing projects with other awesome companies, i'm helping design things, and i'm being introduced to all of these exceptional opportunities. i have no words to express my gratitude other than "thank you." VSCO helped me get here. their message as a company and as a community helped me form my own ideals and morals about life and creating art.
i am honored to be a part of such an inspiring body of creatives. to know that i have the support of all of these people is such an amazing feeling, and i often forget it. believe me when i say i am thankful for VSCO because i really mean it. truly.
have a wonderful, joyful, and extraordinary thanksgiving, everyone.
with love,
izzy + the raels
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q's birthday
if you're an old reader of mine, then you know that i have a brother. his name is Q. i like to tell people we're pretty close, which isn't a lie, but i think as the years go on we'll continue to grow closer.
two days ago, the 19th of november, my brother Q turned thirteen years old. it's going to be a big year for him. he's going to have to learn to be more independent, to keep himself motivated, and not completely break down from stress (like i do).
he doesn't really know it because i don't tell him ever, but i love my brother a lot. he's a cool kid with a lot of talent, but he's shy when expressing it to people. we don't really fight unless it's over who has to set the table, but other than that we're pretty good siblings.
in honor of his thirteenth year of life, i made a short little film and/or vlog (because it's not that good) about finding him a gift and celebrating his birthday. i hope you enjoy.
have a wonderful weekend, everyone.
happy birthday, q.
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farms + portland
i am currently in portland, oregon for two weeks to visit my grandparents and go to jazz camp! to celebrate this absolutely wonderful summer weather, my grandmother, grandfather, aunt and i went to sauvie island farm to pick (a TON) of berries. i, out of nature, was tempted to film little details of the farm, so i did and i made a video out of them.
so yeah. berry picking + good music + sounds of the farm = bliss.
enjoy.
have a marvelous week everyone!
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your very own book
ah! i'm so excited about this. you can make your own instagram book (for free) and get it shipped to you. i explain how to do so and give you a peek into what it looks like in my little video.
why wouldn't you want one?
--
01. go to http://chatbooks.com/
02. click "make a book now"
03. click "create an account now" in the pop-up
04. create an account
05. you will be directed to http://app.chatbooks.com/books – click "+ create new book"
06. select instagram series + "create"
07. name your book + log in to instagram via the "login to instagram" button
08. once pictures load, click "+ subscribe" button, then "confirm"
09. enter my code "MINIM785" to get a free book delivered to you!
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questions and answers
after many weeks of putting this off, i finally filmed, edited and published my q+a (and you get to see my new youtube intro!!)
thank you so much to everyone who asked questions– unfortunately i wasn't able to get to all the questions because of the high quantity of them (i wanted to keep the video as short as i could)...
p.s. thanks to my gorgeous and awesome friend julianna for being my assistant
have an absolutely fantastic week, everyone!
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guana
as many of you know, last weekend my family and i took a trip to the british virgin islands, a set of small islands near san juan. it's been wicked cold in the nyc. last week it was 9˚F, so it was nice to add a zero to the end of that number...
it was the first time i've ever seen waters so clear and blue. yes, i've been to the beach multiple times (thanks, cali), but to see water to pure was probably like seeing snow for the first time. it seems almost impossible. there was plenty of fruit-eating, sun-bathing, and sleeping. sleeping in has never felt so good.
there was rain, but it was beautiful. it was the type of rain that you can swim in because it's so warm and soft. there was something about this place that made me tranquil, and i don't think i have ever had such an experience like that before.
next week, exams start, so i guess this trip was a stress-reliever of sorts. i'm looking forward to that. not.
have a lovely weekend everyone!
i am fifteen
it's kind of hard for me to believe that i'm turning fifteen today.
the big 1-5– the year of the quinceanera (that i am not having).
i mean, it's just another year that i've been alive, in a quite literal sense.
about 6 hours into fifteen-dom i realize that being fifteen is just like being fourteen. it's not like you're turning thirteen, your first "teen" year; or eighteen, your "last" "teen" year, and you're not celebrating your sweet sixteen, either. so i ask, what is it then?
fifteen. just fifteen.
so instead of saying fourteen you say fifteen. that's basically it. you say you're fifteen and that you're a freshman in high school. that's all that you think has changed.
physically.
i don't feel different, i don't look different, i don't sound different, i don't know any different, but i know that i have changed, and will continue to change. and yes, that is both a good thing and a bad thing.
good in the sense that i am becoming more knowledgable and that there will be more opportunities for me.
bad in the sense that i am actually getting older, physically and mentally, and that i will have to hold more responsibility on my shoulders. but there's no stopping it. there's no stopping any of it. and i have to deal with it.
i went with a couple of my friends and my family to two of my favorite places in new york (state) to celebrate my first few days in fifteendom. naturally, i took my camera with me to capture the moments.
i'll let the film give you a sense of the joy i felt on that day.
so to this i say, happy birthday, me.
may this sixteenth year of existence (and your seventeenth and eighteenth and nineteenth, too) bring you good and amazing things.
buckwheat porridge for design*sponge
a video? but izzy, you never make videos!
i actually do, sometimes... and this is why:
for the past couple of weeks, i've been writing, shooting, and taste-testing for this marvelous project i did with the amazing women behind design*sponge.
i was not only astonished to get an email from such a well-known blog, but to be asked to create a recipe video for their friday column!
how awesome is that?
from 1 to 10, i give it an 11.
as the final result, i created a warm, ginger buckwheat porridge, topped with a poached pear, and a thickened coconut milk. to see how i made it, watch the video above.
to see the recipe, visit my feature on their blog.
have a wonderful weekend everyone
"raw" + vegan snickers bars
a video, a few pictures, a few words here and there, and the recipe.
that's all that is needed for this post.
let's keep it minimal.
"raw", vegan, minimal snickers
makes 10 bars
crust:
1.5c rolled oats
15 dates
3 tbs almond milk
1 tbs brown rice syrup
caramel:
2c dates (lightly packed)
1/4-1/2c almond milk
chocolate:
6oz dark chocolate
01. in a food processor, blend all crust ingredients. press in one even layer into a tart pan
02. refrigerate
03. process all caramel ingredients. spread evenly over "crust"
04. refrigerate
05. melt 6oz of chocolate (i used coconut-filled) in a double-broiler over low heat. pour over "crust" and "caramel"
06. refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or freeze for 1 hour.
07. cut. enjoy.