LA
We spoke with photographer Pia Riverola about her tenuous relationship with her iPhone, her favorite newsletter, a tradition of making phone calls with no purpose from her childhood in Barcelona, and more.
Read MoreWe had the chance to talk with actor, writer and content creator Delaney Rowe about the tap dance performances she foisted upon her parents as a kid, developing self-consciousness and a penchant for cringy moments, the luxury of having obsessions, and more.
Read MoreMaddi Bragg’s first foray into the professional food world was as a sous-chef during a social media break — a necessary step back for the YouTube phenomenon with 1.1 M subscribers. In this conversation, she elaborates on seasonal shopping, leaving home and supporting herself at 16, and her desert island cooking essentials.
Read MoreAmbar Lucid has come a long way since sharing her first cover on YouTube. She talks about tracks that transport her back in time and reveals what song cures relationship problems when shouted at the top of your lungs.
Read MoreMusician Andrekza spends most of her days looking at a screen. The self-declared workaholic doesn’t just use her phone to keep track of song ideas or mark architectural details in the cities she visits. She also runs multiple side gigs from the handheld device — including a fashion venture and successful production company. When it comes to her main creative endeavour, however, Andrekza prefers the quiet surroundings of her studio — or, as she calls it, her “house of inspiration and creation”. There, she can usually be found in the company of her pet bunny Benni. A closer look at the artist’s creative process reveals a longing for emotional connection and presence that explains her prioritisation of the quiet moments. Here, she talks to us about how she keeps track of memories, finding inspiration in other disciplines, and why it’s good to take selfies when you’re sad.
Read MoreGina Correll Aglietti has built a life around communing with others through food and music, and her spirit for entertaining is entrenched in her life's work as a founder of Yola Mezcal. Though Gina sees it as in part "a blessing" that socializing is so central to her life and career, it also means that seeking quietude requires focus. When moments of calm do present themselves, Gina's often found passing by the Silver Lake Reservoir, where she walks her pup Donny — a companion who "doesn't want to party." On a spring afternoon, we caught up with her to hear about how she views her home as a morphing entity, what goes into making handcrafted mezcal, and her secrets on how to throw a stellar dinner party.
Read MoreKarolyn Pho has worked in fashion for a long time and has arrived at a point where she’s currently styling her dream shoots. Along the way, it’s taken experimentation and a willingness to go all-in on her creative projects. We chatted with her about the moment she felt she’d made it and how to actually achieve a work/life balance by forming boundaries. She also gets into what rebuilding her life after experiencing trauma looked like and how much her parents inspire her. Read on and learn.
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A truly multi-disciplinary artist, Charlotte Lindèn Ercoli Coe got her start at a markedly young age. But, that doesn’t mean she wants to hold on to youth or play into how society fetishizes it: the opposite is true. In this interview, she gets into the films and books that have inspired her throughout her life; what starting her new company, Simulacra Pictures, was like; and how things all fall into place when you want something badly enough.
Read MoreKerrilynn Pamer invites us to scroll through images of her alongside her husband and pups settling into their new lives in California. The natural beauty behind CAP Beauty also speaks with us about her past in New York, how a Celiac diagnosis kickstarted her career in clean beauty, and what writing means to her.
Read MoreFor Claudia Serrato, food goes hand in hand with community. And her knowledge runs deep— she is a culinary anthropologist, decorated and public scholar, professor, chef, and womb ecologist. Her understanding of Indigenous cooking and cuisine across the United States informs her work as a Co-Founder of Across Our Kitchen Tables, a culinary hub for gender-non-conforming individuals and women of color. We caught up with her on how she brings intention into each day and reveled in her undying love for all that food can do.
Read MoreAfter an activist awakening at age fifteen, Jessica Assaf life-long commitment to health and well-being was born. After attending Harvard Business School, she went on to become a pioneer of the cannabis revolution when she co-founded Prima.
Read MoreYukata, souvenir from Japan
My morning starts off in the kitchen because I love breakfast. I prefer something sweet (like chia seed pudding) to savory in the morning, followed by a yummy, vibrational beverage. Every week I make a batch of mylk. This week I made it with fresh coconut, dried coconut flakes, dates, sunflower seeds, cashews, and a little honey. It is so good. I like to experiment with morning drinks because that’s the best way to start my body up. I’ve been meaning to make a video on some of my favorites (turmeric latte, smoothie, creamy coffee). Right now I’m drinking tea from Chinese licorice root. I really wish I enjoyed morning work-outs, but I don’t. If I do anything, it’ll be yoga. Then I burn incense to close out my morning while I make my to-do list in my bullet journal.
I did a chunk of my growing up in Irvine - a strange city because it’s privately owned and every establishment is some sort of franchise. There aren’t many family owned shops there. I never realized until moving to Los Angeles how sterile and fabricated Irvine is. It kind of freaks me out now, but it’s still home - insanely cushiony.
Until college I worked doing reception work. I was a horrible receptionist, though. Luckily I had my blog to carry me through; it actually paid for my college education. From there, I searched Craigslist for a marketing job and landed one at a really tacky jewelry company. Trust me, it was really bad— we sold flashy bejeweled butterfly brooches. After a few months, the men’s creative director, David, scouted me to design under him at Paige Denim. I had never designed in my life and definitely did not know what I was doing, but I was eager to get out of there and I worked extremely hard to pick up the pace.
““It’s crazy how something so minor can influence our lives so much that we have to make intentional efforts to better our lives without it. I love being off-grid so much and wish I could really commit to it.””
I started it my senior year of high school because I loved being on the internet. It was a natural progression from the days I made guilds on Neopets and built pixel websites. My strict parents rarely let me leave the house (I missed out on many school dances), so the blog became my outlet of expression and a window into the world. I was lucky to grow up at a time when everything was still analog yet it was also the beginning of the internet. Magical time.
I went from using a Canon g7x to a Sony camcorder, but I also really love my GoPro. Video making can be so daunting. Start recording and try editing it. Find comfort in knowing that your first video isn’t the one that needs to be published, but starting the process will help you understand how to better record the next time around. Having the right footage is the real key to an easy and beautiful edit.
Having a great film camera and someone you feel comfortable with shooting has statistically yielded me good images. Really know your angles and what you like. Snapseed is a great editor, because you can pinpoint certain areas of an image to brighten.
Dress, Perfect Number
““The time that is fully for me is when I leave my phone behind. Having grown up on the internet, it’s a luxury to be offline. It’s really important to have a good relationship with yourself, not a perfect one, but a good one. That’s the best way to get a feel for when you’re feeling a little off and to try various things to remedy that. For me, I need to get out of the house, be in nature, see pretty things, listen to music, and be around people to feel recharged.””
Dress, Perfect Number
The majority of my closet is pre-loved. I’ve been a consignment shopper since the day I got my first paycheck and learned how to navigate eBay. The high of finding designer goods at an affordable price is addicting. Now, I’ve graduated to The Real Real. I like what I like and try to live in an unfiltered experience (consignment, thrift stores, even Pinterest!) to let my mind gravitate to what it likes.
Being on YouTube has given me exposure to a lot of brands so I’m lucky I get to try a lot of products. I did the 10 step Korean skincare routine for a while, but I’ve been so lazy and uninspired with beauty lately. The only routines and products that excite me are those with simple ingredients paired with good techniques i.e. oils and gua sha. I also use Sangre de Fruta Botanical Body Cream, La Solution 10 De Chanel, CLE Multi Cream, Red Earth Green Rush Bubble Cleanser, Agent Nateur Deodorant, Susanne Kaufmann Lifting Mask Line A, True Botanicals Pure Radiance Oil, Josie Maran Argan Finishing Balm, MAKE Beauty Moon Stick, RMS Beauty Magic Luminizer, KOSAS’ Color & Light: Pressed Powder Blush, and Mason Pearson Hairbrush.
I’m a big fan of Moon Juice adaptogenic’s including Cordyceps, Reishi, Pearl, Ashwagandha, Brain Dust and Power Dust. I also use HUM’s Green Superfood Powder.
They are the best thought provokers for me. And I can enjoy them while I double task. Where Should We Begin by Ester Perel is a series that every human should listen to for its grounding perspective on the erotic intelligence that permeates every aspect of our relationship with ourselves and the external world.
Dress, Perfect Number
I picked up The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson after I saw her speak at a panel with Miranda July and I fell in love with her brain. She told stories in such a witty way and had me hanging on her every word. It’s a dense read for me because I’m so bad at reading, so I have to constantly reread lines. But when I really can digest the words, it’s always beautifully articulate.
Howl’s Moving Castle by Hayao Miyazaki, an easy favorite, The Devil Wears Prada by David Frankel, The Handmaiden by Park Chan-wook and American Psycho by Mary Herron.
rachel’s favorite places in La
Larchmont Wine + Cheese for wine, Italian groceries and sandwiches
Mh Zh for casual, thoughtful, delicious outdoor eating and the best Branzino of your life
Larchmont Farmer’s Market for coconut cold brew and groceries
Marciano Art Foundation for great art and less crowds than The Broad
San Onofre or Blackies, Newport Beach for surfing
Jones on Santa Monica for chopped salad, negronis and an East Coast vibe
Tenants of the Trees and Shabbaaaaa for going out
Griffith Observatory hiking for light exercise and some magical education
Cinespia at the Hollywood Cemetery for a summer time classic
Snakeskin Pants, Anine Bing; Mockneck, Entireworld
Ara Katz is a true multi-hyphenate: storyteller, designer, entrepreneur, question-asker, activist, dot connector, and — most recently — the co-creator of Seed. She opens up about her early entrepreneurial streak, the intersection of science and art, motherhood, and the bacteria that led her here.
Read MoreMeet Dijanna Figueroa, a deep sea marine scientist and educator who has been featured in various science documentaries, nature programs, and publications.
Read MoreMany of us came to know Melissa Broder through her Twitter handle, so sad today. Her online musings have often gone viral, for reasons that are obvious if you follow her (the latest tweet as of this writing says “brb, regretting major life decisions”). Her sharply funny and devastatingly relatable quips ultimately paved the way to a book of essays, also called So Sad Today and recommended to us by Passersby Lauren Nostro and Angie Venezia.
Read MoreMeet LA passerby Holly Liss, the founder of ENLISST, a digital creative consultancy that aims to make brands come to life through social media storytelling. She shares her tips for living bicoastally and making both cities feel like home.
Read MoreMeet LA Passersby, Melaena Cadiz. Originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Melaena moved to L.A. a year ago from Greenpoint, Brooklyn. She is a musician and a mama.
Meet LA passerby, Trelawny Davis, the brand marketing manager for Parachute, one of Passerbuys most recommended brands for bedding. After starting out as an intern on political campaigns, her career took a natural turn to marketing and social media, which has become a major part of the way businesses run today.
Read MoreMeet LA Passerby and actress, Jameela Jamil, who plays Tahani al-Jamil on NBC’s “The Good Place.” Living in Los Angeles has always been a dream, and after never having acted before, she gets to learn every day from the best on set.
Read MoreMeet LA Passerby and filmmaker, Natalie Falt, the founder of Women and Film, a resource and community for women filmmakers who would like to make it in the industry.
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