Do you use any hair products? Or any tips to keep your hair long?
I use fairly generic products, with the exception of Le Labo’s shampoo and conditioner (which smells wonderful). To maintain nourished hair, I use a decent amount of conditioner after everything else and I let it sit for a while before rinsing it out with cool water. Hot showers help open hair follicles, but the cold water helps to seal those follicles and trap the moisturizer. Even turning the faucet to cold for a few seconds and quickly giving yourself a cold rinse can help! Also, I avoid heat. I’ve long since stopped blow-drying my hair, and I don’t use flat irons or curling irons anymore. I let my hair air dry after applying argan oil to the tips and combing it through.
What kind of music do you prefer?
I love listening to songs that make me feel transcendent, and they can range from Baroque Pop/ Folk artists like Fleet Foxes to Nordic warrior-music like Wardruna. Alternative is an umbrella term for most of the stuff I enjoy.
Any tips for editing/would you consider doing an edit-with-me type thing?
I’ve been thinking about doing an editing tutorial for a while now. I’ve also been considering starting a YouTube channel, so I suppose I will post one once I begin vlogging! One major component for editing photos that I would highly suggest is to properly utilize natural light. It makes your photos seem cleaner and more enhanced.
How did you decide the aesthetic of your feed and how do you stay consistent?
I’m completely in love with autumn, so each year I face the troubling reality that three-fourths of my theme isn’t going to be the way I want it to look. And I decided to change that! Now most of my photos only showcase the burnt umber hues in the images I capture. I stay consistent by seeking out these colors, and then editing them by erasing any contrasting hues with apps like VSCO, Afterlight, Snapseed, and Lightroom.
What are your top 3 favourite books of all time?
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo
- Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente
Fantasy!
How did you get into photography?
My mother used to work for Nikon and she was always taking photos—documenting my whole life, even the less savory parts. One day I decided to test my hand at it, then realized that I could use Instagram to share my photos…and here we are!
Are you in a cult? Can I join?
I’ve been sworn to secrecy…
If you can step into any book world, which would you pick?
I can think of many fictional places I’d love to live in, but Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses is the most intriguing one for me because I’d kill to live in the Autumn Court. A place where fall never ends? And the faeries live there? Sign me up.
What are your favorite go-to places to shop for clothes?
I used to work for Free People, and it’s still my favorite clothing store! Also: Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, ASOS, and a few indie clothing stores that are close to where I live (one of which is called Foxes). I thrift a lot, too!
What’s your favorite mythological creature?
Faeries, definitely.
What’s your ideal breakfast?
That depends on how much sleep I got. If I’m hungry, I love to make banana/ chocolate chip pancakes or cornmeal waffles with warm strawberries and blueberries. I think my favorite breakfast, however, is a warm apple turnover! Also, there needs to be hot coffee or else it isn’t really a breakfast. On the other hand, if I’m in a rush, usually I’ll eat whatever pre-made items I have, like cinnamon oatmeal or yogurt.
Which book character do you wish you were?
My favorite book characters all seem to have unsavory backstories, and I love too many to choose a single one. But if it came down to it, I think I could make it work as a Grisha soldier in the Darking’s army from Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone Trilogy.
What is your favorite color?
Despite my love for umber hues, my favorite color is deep forest green!
How would you describe yourself?
Curious. Shy, a bit melancholy, and always trying to see the good in others even if I struggle to sometimes find the good in myself. I’m also very apathetic to certain things (a trait that gets me in a lot of trouble). I hate crying, and I don’t handle my emotions well because I bottle things up until the dam bursts (which isn't often, but when it happens it is pretty awful). But I’ve been told I give wonderful advice to friends and family who’ve been in need of someone to speak with because I don’t sugarcoat things, so I suppose I’ll need to harvest that same energy and focus it inward!
Best book you have read this summer?
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty. I’m actually still in the middle of reading it, but the characters are so vibrant and the story is lush with imagery.
(Summary: Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles. But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound. In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences. After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for…)
What’s your guilty pleasure book? A book that you know has a load of things wrong with it but you love it anyway?
Oh boy…I certainly know of a few. I guess if I had to pick one, it would be all of those adult fantasy romance books I find in the dregs of Goodreads. One in particular that comes to my mind is the Tairen Soul series by C. L. Wilson. A perk of openly admitting this is that I can also admit that I’ve gotten a good laugh out of some of the melodramatic or outlandish events that happen in these books, but in the same breath, I’m still compelled to finish them.
What is your best tip for a freshman in college? Also, do you play a music instrument? If so, which one? And if not, which on would you choose if given the chance?
If you are going into your first year of college—don’t panic! I’m a very anxious person and I struggled a lot with social anxiety and peer pressure in my freshman year. Just stay focused on yourself and think of all the positive events you will partake in while facing down this huge part of your life. Also, I used to play the cello! Alas, I no longer play any instruments (believe me, it’s for everyone else’s benefit).
What job are you pursuing? What inspired you to start a bookstagram?
I hope to work in the Literature field, whether that be by becoming a professor or working in a publishing house. I also would be beyond happy to publish something of my own, but only time will tell! I originally started bookstagam because I wanted a space where I could share my passion with other, equally-enthusiastic readers.
What's your aesthetic?
Eternal autumn? Gloom? Medieval? Faeries? The dark woods? Honestly, you guys can decide! Everyone sees it differently.
Do you have a favourite photo you’ve ever taken?
That’s hard for me to say, because I’m my worst enemy and I often don’t see the same photo that you all do. However, about a year ago I went to an apple orchard in Warwick, NY with some friends and every photo we took at that location turned out beautifully. I even stripped naked and took a photo half submerged in an apple tree! I was worried the entire time that someone would come over to scold me. Those memories are what made me fall in love with the photos.
Have you ever thought to start a youtube channel?
Constantly—and maybe one day I’ll finally do it! What people don’t know is that I’m actually a very shy and private person. YouTube interest me for the sole purpose of creating videos for B-Roll where I can take snippets from photoshoots and turn them into trailers or aesthetic videos. But when it comes to talking….yikes, I might have to stick to typing.
Where do you get all your inspiration for your photography?
This might sound bizarre, but my inspiration comes from listening to powerful OST/ soundtrack music. Composers like Ramin Djawadi and Adrian Von Ziegler inspire me to think up images that coincide with their tunes, and that has led me to think of ways in which I can bring those images to life—kind of like taking a still-frame from a movie.
Any tips for college/uni? What are you studying? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I’ve been getting quite a few college/uni related questions, which makes me think that once I start vlogging I’ll have to upload a few videos discussing it! For those of you who are leaving home for the first time to dorm away somewhere, my advice would be to not let the nerves get to you for the first two months. It’ll be really hard and you might want to reevaluate some decisions you’ve made, but you just have to ride it out because eventually everything settles down and college becomes a place where you can express yourself in ways you may not have ever had the chance to! I used to hate school, actually. High school was hell for me, and my transition into college was rough and full of homesickness and anxiety. But now I’m going into my senior year and I plan on pursing my masters degree after I graduate…mostly because I don’t want to leave the education system! I’m majoring in Literature, with a minor in Journalism. (However, my backup plan will always be to become a Park Ranger somewhere in the Pacific Northwest region.) I really don’t know where I’ll be in ten years because I can barely stand to imagine myself in ten days.
When can we finally read your novel?
I’m so glad you asked! Although it is in the infant stages of its life, hopefully I can share more information with you guys once I edit it and have more time to fix some errors. Like I said before, I am my worst enemy. I constantly remove scenes and then regret removing them, and I never feel like my work is “good” enough to share. Maybe one day that will change! For now, I’ll stick with tweeting about it and procrastinating.
Where do you take your outdoor photos?
Most of them are from my neighboring arboretums or Upstate NY. The rest are from my bedroom at home and my bedroom in my apartment at college. Often I will travel into NYC to take photos of coffee shops! Greenwich Village is my particular haunt for those photos.
Who is your favorite character on Vikings + why?
My favorite character on that show is constantly changing because so are they, but Floki will always be dear to me. He’s one of the most bizarre characters I’ve ever encountered—in film or literature. And because he is so loyal to his faith, and because his passions have led him to lead a life completely exiled from other humans, I find him slightly relatable. He is so driven by the Gods and by boatbuilding that he finds it hard to assimilate back into his culture. He’s certainly the most interesting, and it doesn't hurt that he brought the Vikings to Iceland.
Are you secretly a fae and how do I become one?
- If I told you it wouldn't be a secret.
- Spend more time in the woods and you’ll see…
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