HUSTLE FILE #100: Clara Polito

NAME: Clara Polito

OCCUPATION: Head baker and founder of Clara’s Cakes, curator, high school student

LOCATION: Atwater Village

WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE: I bake happiness into people’s lives. The remainder consists of homeschooling, refreshing my instagram, and figuring out how I’m going to make ideas of mine come to life.

WHAT DOES YOUR HUSTLE MEAN TO YOU: Not working for the man, but being the man, in my own world. Baking is something that I taught myself from “scratch” and it’s become the best job imaginable right now. If you’re working and every once in a while feel really stoked to be doing exactly what you’re doing, then I think you’ve got the right hustle going. What I’ve noticed about myself is that I love creating things, whether it’s a cupcake or art show, because there was no complete product to begin with so it’s magical to observe a finished result that originally was just a spark in my mind.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONLY THREE TOOLS FOR YOUR HUSTLE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE: My iPhone, a gift card to Surfas, and an apron.

A WORD OF ADVICE TO WANNABE HUSTLERS IN YOUR FIELD: Don’t forget salt!

claracakes.com

Visit Clara this Sunday, February 10th for her Valentine’s Pop-Up Shop at Atwater Village Farm from 11am ’til 4pm. 3224 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90039. She’ll have heart pocket pies, chocolate caliente cookie sammies and red velvet cupcakes! All vegan, all the time!

HUSTLE FILE #99: Sacha Pytka

NAME: Sacha Pytka

OCCUPATION: Sometimes fashion designer, sometimes travel blogger

LOCATION: Venice Beach

WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE: Quite simply seeing the world and sharing it.

WHAT DOES YOUR HUSTLE MEAN TO YOU: I caught the travel bug young, traveling with my parents. Whether it was a month-long stay somewhere, a weekend getaway to Europe or a two-week tour around the world, no trip was considered unreasonable. This instilled a “why not?” sort of mentality in me—it’s part of who I am. I also find that the more I travel and the more people I meet, the more reasons I have to travel (more places to go back to, new friends to stay with!) The blog is more of a travel diary that I hope inspires other people to get out there too.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONLY THREE TOOLS FOR YOUR HUSTLE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE: iPad (doubles as your boarding pass, in-flight entertainment, sound system for impromptu dance parties, among other things), Cameras (Canon G15 and GoPro), and a guide book to wherever I’m going.

A WORD OF ADVICE TO WANNABE HUSTLERS IN YOUR FIELD: Just go. Getting away doesn’t have to be planned. With all the low-cost airlines and travel sites nowadays, it’s easy to find deals on last-minute flights and hotels. And don’t forget about road trips! An unexpected 3-day weekend in a city you don’t know could be just as refreshing as that 2-week exotic getaway you’ve been saving up for.

Sacha’s blog: soyons-ouf.blogspot.com (“Soyons Ouf” is a play on words in French. ‘Ouf’ is french verlan (backwards) slang for ‘fou’-meaning crazy. “Soyons fou” is an old fashioned french saying- “Let’s be crazy.”)

Sacha’s travel guides for The Vivant: Adventure Guide to Panama and Guide to Greek Island-Hopping

Happy, New & Beautiful too!

Happy New Year, friends! Wishing you all much love, beauty and blessings in 2013.

I caught the last few sunsets of 2012 in Venice Beach (with my husband!) and they were magnificent! Hope these photos inspire you as they do me. So happy. So much love to all. XO, s

Palm Springs & Desert Dreams

Last call for Desert Dance Party tonight at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs! Randy Randall performs and him and I (DJ HUSTLE UP!!!) will be kicking out the jams from 10 ’til 1 in the Amigo Room. Come hang. It’s very pretty here! There’s even a humungo statue of Marilyn where you can stand under her skirt on your way into town. Come!

HUSTLE FILE #98: Vanache

NAME: Vanache

OCCUPATION: Visual / Recording Artist

LOCATION: New York, NY

WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE: I created my own record label in college and years later, I’m releasing my major debut album. It’s officially my transition into the big leagues. I love it!

WHAT DOES YOUR HUSTLE MEAN TO YOU: My hustle is life or death. I’ve had to go through some major bullshit for this and if I fail then I might as well just not be alive. It’s a bit extreme, but I believe you have to have that type of determination to make in this industry. So many come and go and I want to make sure that I have firm footing to last the test of time.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONLY THREE TOOLS FOR YOUR HUSTLE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE: A computer, Midi Keyboard, Microphone and I’m good to go.

A WORD OF ADVICE TO WANNABE HUSTLERS IN YOUR FIELD: In the music industry, it’s all to common to find people that want to be molded or people who want to mold you. My best advice is to mold yourself into what you want. It’s the only way you’ll find satisfaction and true worth. It also wouldn’t hurt to have a day job. Not everyone can score sponsorship, and you’ll need to find funding from somewhere.

Vanache’s new album Dancing With Lava Soaked Angels is slated for a December 11, 2012 release. Listen and PRE-ORDER NOW on BANDCAMP. All pre-orders automatically get a hard copy of the album when it releases.
vanachexfortune.tumblr.com
@vanache_vida
@vandidcam
about.me/vanache

HUSTLE FILE #97: Ana Ottman

NAME: Ana Ottman

OCCUPATION: Writer

LOCATION: The top of a hill in Echo Park, Los Angeles

WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE: Wrangling words into prose. Creating space for creative exploration and travel.

WHAT DOES YOUR HUSTLE MEAN TO YOU: Getting paid to be a writer is a childhood dream. My hustle is all about creating meaning, for others and myself. It means being a voice for people who are unable or unwilling to speak, and shedding light on important experiences. It means finding the simple, elegant solution to complicated issues.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONLY THREE TOOLS FOR YOUR HUSTLE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE: I’m going to divide this into tech and non-tech tools (Is this cheating? Maybe). Tech-related tools would be Google Voice, Scrivener, and Evernote. The luddite-version would be legal writing pads, blue gel ink pens, and candles.

A WORD OF ADVICE TO WANNABE HUSTLERS IN YOUR FIELD: Endeavor to be humble and useful. Put yourself in places that allow you to make new discoveries and change your point of view. Be kind – to yourself and others.

AnaOttman.com
@AnaOttman

Racing in the Strawberry Fields Whatever

Happy Friday, friends! Let me take you down, cuz I’m going to (and I’m featured on) Strawberry Fields Whatever…

Rad writer friend and HUSTLE FILE #81 Elizabeth Barker recently asked me to take part in a survey on her fresh new music blog Strawberry Fields Whatever. Authored by her, fellow writer Laura Jane Faulds and illustrated by Jen May, SFW is fun for everyone, especially music-lovers who enjoy “thoughtful/rabblerousing writing on beautiful rock-and-roll music, most of it from a very long time ago.”

For their SFW Survery, I chose to write about a song that “makes me cry”…

And my piece was one of 25 responses from fellow writers…

Thanks Liz letting me indulge in your and my favorite topic: SPRINGSTEEN! : )

Got a song that makes you cry? For more sweet stories on tear-jerking jams, pop on over to SFW and read the whole post with pieces from 25 contributing writers. Next question is “Describe in detail the most perfectly soundtracked makeout experience of your life thus far.” To submit a story for consideration, email
letitbebeautiful@yahoo.com sometime before October 16th. Yes! Makeout!

Nothing is real, and nothing to get hung about…
strawberryfieldswhatever.blogspot.com

HUSTLE FILE #96: Elizabeth Skadden

NAME: Elizabeth Marguerite Marie Skadden

OCCUPATION: Visuals creator, artist, director, musician

LOCATION: Between Berlin and the U.S.

WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE: Creating all the visuals that are in my head.

WHAT DOES YOUR HUSTLE MEAN TO YOU: I like to concentrate fully on one thing at a time, changing each month or so to a new focus.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONLY THREE TOOLS FOR YOUR HUSTLE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE: DSLR camera, airline ticket, time spent alone

A WORD OF ADVICE TO WANNABE HUSTLERS IN YOUR FIELD: Stop thinking about everything. Just make it.

elizabethskadden.com
collapsingnewbuildingz.blogspot.com

HUSTLE FILE #95: Justin Gakuto Go

NAME: Justin Gakuto Go

OCCUPATION: Writer

LOCATION: Transient. Usually in the US or Europe.

WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE: I write novels. But you don’t hustle writing. It hustles you. If you’re lucky maybe you get back something in return.

WHAT DOES YOUR HUSTLE MEAN TO YOU: Telling stories the best I can. And hoping to create something lasting along the way.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONLY THREE TOOLS FOR YOUR HUSTLE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE: Paper, pen and coffee. You don’t need the coffee. You probably don’t even need the paper and pen.

A WORD OF ADVICE TO WANNABE HUSTLERS IN YOUR FIELD: Decide if you really want to do this. Writing novels is pretty much guaranteed to make you broke, depressed and crazy, sometimes all at once. Then do it anyway and never doubt yourself. This is impossible advice for an impossible job.

justingakutogo.com
@justingakuto

Justin’s first novel The Steady Running of the Hour will be published by Simon & Schuster in February 2014.

Balancing Your Way Out of the ‘Busy’ Trap

Happy Sunday, everyone! Greetings from my front porch where I sit with my MacBook on my lap, plus notebooks, papers, writing projects and to-do lists all around.

Leisurely diving into my to-do’s for the day, I had a laugh when my best friend, fellow blogger and busy person Justina Blakeney sent me a link to a piece in the New York Times titled, The ‘Busy’ Trap by Opinionator contributor Tim Kreider. Wow, what great piece to read as I do my best to balance relaxation and ambition on a Sunday afternoon. I highly recommend you give it a read.

What I like most about the piece is Kreider calling out that being so “busy” is often self-imposed and something we’re addicted to, and that even though it can be the result of good things like drive and ambition, saying you’re so busy is a “boast disguised as a complaint.” Ha. So true.

Now while I’m not too guilty of using the word “busy” too much, I am guilty of always feeling like I don’t have enough time to do everything I want to do. So, yeah, I might have a little bit of this self-imposed problem described as being stuck in a “busy trap.” In fact, I’m sure most of my friends and family would cite me as having a serious case of busyness! I mean, I do have a blog called Hustle Up. : )

So, for this relaxing and rejuvenating Sunday, I’ll balance all my to-do’s with some down time and necessary idleness. As Kreider points out:
The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration — it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done.

Yes, I hustle, but I also know how to chill and skip the stress of feeling busy, even if I am busy. And it’s this balance that keeps me from feeling trapped. It’s something I’m very aware of and try to keep in check.

Brad Feld of Business Insider also wrote a great piece on the topic today titled, Have You Fallen Into The Busy Trap? And what I like most about his piece is his closing paragraph stating that even though he’s busy, he feels fine and is having fun:
I work hard. I work a lot. And I have in the past month. But I don’t feel “busy”. I don’t feel overwhelmed. I don’t feel oppressed. I feel like I’m doing some of the best work of my life so far. And I’m having a lot of fun.

And that’s just the point. Do all the things you love, but only as long as you’re having fun doing them. Yes, yes, my fellow hustlers, here’s to all the fun of being busy!!!

Looking for Some Action?

It’s summer y’all! And if you’re like me and mostly thinking about the beach and chillin’ as much as possible, I totally understand. But if you’re looking for some action…some socio-political-economic-justice action, here’s something important (and fun) that’s happening this Friday night and Saturday in Downtown LA’s Chinatown.


Friends No Age, Tearist, Ooga Booga, Jim Smith and more will all participate in the event “No Walmart in Chinatown.” All info and press release here on Unionosity.
When: June 29th, 2012 – 7:00 PM – 11:30 PM
Where: Human Resources – 410 Cottage Home St. in Chinatown, 90012
Cost: $5.00 suggested donation with proceeds to benefit nonprofit organizations driving the anti-Walmart effort.
Links to participating organizations/bands:
unionosity.com
humanresourcesla.com
oogaboogastore.com
subpop.com/artists/no_age
tearist.bandcamp.com
myspace.com/thelafog

And following Friday night’s fun fundraiser, here’s all info for Saturday’s LA Union AFL-CIO’s No Walmart Action at LA State Historic Park. According to the LA Union site, “it will be the largest Walmart protest in the history of the U.S.”

See you there! Both Friday night and Saturday at noon.
In solidarity & with love,
Shannon

HUSTLE FILE #94: Kris Fagan

NAME: Kris Fagan

OCCUPATION: Designer/Craftsman/Artisan

LOCATION: Los Angeles

WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE: Repurposing furniture, wrangling up anything I can to make things. Collaborating with creative people on design projects. Being a true craftsman and artisan.

WHAT DOES YOUR HUSTLE MEAN TO YOU: Designing and trying to figure out how things work from the inside out. Being grateful for everything I have — all the amazing people in my life and my family for always being there, guiding me when I needed guidance.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONLY THREE TOOLS FOR YOUR HUSTLE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE: Integrity, respect and humility

WORD OF ADVICE TO WANNABE HUSTLERS IN YOUR FIELD: Be a leader not a follower. Always treat others how you would want to be treated. Love not hate. Always have a sense of humor, it makes life better. Never leave home without your compass, always trust your gut instinct, and never look back.

There She Blows! Old Faithful & New Ideas

My rad dude Randy just sent me these photos of the Old Faithful geyser erupting in Yellowstone National Park. Wow! And what’s even more amazing is he rode his motorcycle there to see it!

Above is a shot just before it erupted and below is the full blown eruption!

Whoooo hooo!!! What a wild burst of energy! Funny how just a couple photos like this can inspire new ideas and a fresh perspective on all the exciting things out there in the world! Whoooo. What fun! I just had to share. Hope you’re feeling it, too!

Explosively inspired,
Shannon

HUSTLE FILE #93: Minel Louis

NAME: Minel Louis

OCCUPATION: Actor/Writer/Producer

LOCATION: Melbourne/Sydney/Los Angeles

WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE: Actor in film, TV and stage. I’m also, in no particular order, a professional fairy, writer, producer and F1 Princess.

WHAT DOES YOUR HUSTLE MEAN TO YOU: Trying to accumalate as many frequent flyer points as I can, thus allowing me to continue my creative adventures all over the world.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONLY THREE TOOLS FOR YOUR HUSTLE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE: A dress-up box, my MacBook Pro with wifi connection, and a case of sugar-free Red Bull to give me wings.

A WORD OF ADVICE TO WANNABE HUSTLERS IN YOUR FIELD: Enjoy the hustle but always take time to eat chocolate. It’s not about winning, it’s about how you play the game. In the wise words of Nate Dogg (RIP), When I wake up in the morning, when I get up out of my bed / At all times I remain a hustler, at all times I be chasing my bread.

Minel on IMDB, Vimeo and Facebook.

Tastemaker (& Booty Shaker) Faith Blakeney

Happy Friday night, friends! Whether you’re at home on the couch cozy-style kickin’ it (like me) or out-on-the-town shakin’ it, don’t miss the chance to wake up tomorrow morning to a treasure trove of goodies while you sip your morning coffee. Yep, tomorrow my BFF and HUSTLE FILE #63 Faith Blakeney curates a limited-time sale of her select finds on One Kings Lane. Check the details below and hop on over to Call Me Faith Design Studio, too. She’s got mad style y’all. So, don’t miss this.

Brava, Faith! And shout out to Faith’s sis (also my BFF) Justina Blakeney for letting me swipe this image from her blog. It’s a family affair!

Wishing you a beautiful weekend filled with beautiful things.
Much love,
S

HUSTLE FILE #92: Gia Bahm

NAME: Gia Bahm

OCCUPATION: Designer/Creator of Unearthen

LOCATION: Los Angeles

WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE: Maker of keepsakes

WHAT DOES YOUR HUSTLE MEAN TO YOU: I get to work with my hands.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONLY THREE TOOLS FOR YOUR HUSTLE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE: Brains, imagination and bravery.

A WORD OF ADVICE TO WANNABE HUSTLERS IN YOUR FIELD: Pay attention to what inspires you and see what it leads to.

unearthen.com

on instagram @unearthen_jewelry

Torrential & Tropical in Taipei

Whoooo!!! We made it to Taipei, Taiwan. We arrived to a tropical and humid night, scooters buzzing up and down the city streets. Instead of stinky tofu at the night markets though (a real delicacy that stinks up the whole street), we opted for chips and salsa and boba iced tea.



Today we woke to torrential rains worthy of typhoons and tsunamis! So we got rain ponchos and headed back to the chips and salsa spot for more yummies! Yep, Mexican food and margaritas in Taipei, baby! So funny.

And guess who the one in the light blue poncho is? None other than theeee Sarah B, my bestie and old roomie from LA who’s been living in Southeast Asia for a year and is now teaching English and yoga here in Taiwan. She even has a resident card! So rad.


I was so happy to see her, we just had to celebrate with margaritas and nachos!

Then, our posse headed back out into the rain to play in our ponchos some more…

Yeah, one big happy bunch, tripping out in Taipei!

Now all we need are scooters to get around in our new Mexican-Taiwanese biker gang. And Sarah B already has a scooter. She got hers a month ago. She’s so cool.

Signing off from Scooterlandia (where the food’s so strange, we’re sticking to Mexican),
s

Lost in Fascination (with Beer Posters)

Some of my favorite graphics I’ve spotted popping in and out of hidden, hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurants over the last week are all of the beer posters. Here’s a collection of a few favorites…





Even if you don’t drink, there are tons of alcohol-free flavors and brands to chose from! So, yeah, cheers to that!

Signing off with love from Tokyo,
s

Lost in Fascination (with Stationery)

Ahhh Tokyo… the land of hot sake and lots of way-too-cute stationary! As a writer, I get most excited about shopping around and seeing all of the cool notebooks, pens, stationery, stickers and paper goods. From overly ornate to simple, sleek and modern, Tokyo has it all. Tokyu Hands, iSetan and Muji have been a few of my favorite spots to indulge in everything a writer dreams of…

Lost in Fascination (with Our Engagement!!!)

Okay, internet friends, far and wide!!! I’ve got some BIG NEWS for you!!!

The dude I’ve been very in love with and very obsessed with since the day we met and he asked me for my phone number almost seven years ago (the one-and-only Mr. Randy Randall) asked me to… (drumroll, please)… asked ME to MARRY HIM yesterday!!! Yes!!! We were at Tokyo Disneyland and it was ridiculous and magical and mind-blowing and pretty much the coolest thing!!! The ring is so sweet and since I can’t stop looking at, I thought I’d share some of my fave photos of us (and the ring, of course) at Tokyo Disneyland. It was a serious photo shoot all day, but here are few silly ones!

My ring with french fries!

My ring with a churro!

My ring about to ride Peter Pan’s Flight!

My ring with Randy and some Japanese girls with Minnie ears!

My ring with the salad we had for lunch!

My ring close up!

My ring from the top of the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse!

And the grand finale, us in front of the castle at night where it all happened earlier that day! Whooooooo!!! Stoked!

Hope you enjoyed sharing in our magical day. And remember..
When you wish upon a star, Makes no difference who you are, Anything your heart desires, Will come to you.

If your heart is in your dream, No request is too extreme, When you wish upon a star, As dreamers do.

Fate is kind, She brings to those who love, The sweet fulfillment of, Their secret longing.

Like a bolt out of the blue, Fate steps in and sees you through, When you wish upon a star, Your dreams come true.

Lost in Fascination (with Cherry Blossoms)

Whoooooo!!! Greetings from springtime in Tokyo, where everything is pink! Well, maybe not everything… but ’tis the season when all the cherry blossoms are in bloom and it’s kind of rainy and windy so the blossoms are blowing everywhere like snowflakes in the air and on the ground. Such a trip!

On Sunday, we caught one of the last official days of “hanami” parties in Harajuku’s Yoyogi Park where thousands of people were out picnic-ing under the blossoms! So fun.

And all you do is cruise around the park with friends…

And take pretty pictures…

And then go look for more place to see the blossoms, like at Kitanomaru Park next to the Imperial Palace grounds in the middle of the city…



And then, you go look for even more places to see blossoms, like at the Hanazono-Jinja, a Shinto shrine in the Shinjuku neighborhood.



Yeah, cherry blossom season is pretty cool! Pretty, pretty springtime to all.
Signing off, so zen-ed out,
s

Lost in Fascination (with Toilets)

Konichiwa and welcome to “Lost in Fascination” — a series of stories and photos from my travels in Asia over the next few weeks. It’s Day 4 for me in Tokyo and I’m kicking off the series with a “toilets” theme. I promise nicer-themed posts about “stationary” and “cherry blossoms” are next, but I must start with “toilets” because they’re what distracted me, making me lose my passport the day I arrived.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I lost my passport within like 20 minutes of touching ground in Tokyo. We got our bags, got through customs, and then, I must have straight dropped it on the ground or set it down in the bathroom and left it. The culprit was of course my pea brain and the jet lag, but I also blame it on something else… the toilets!

Yeah, it’s cliche, but seeing my first toilet in Tokyo was strangely confusing, also exhilarating and totally distracting! Here are a few photos of Tokyo toilets, diagrams, control panels and more! They make sounds, have warming effects and squirt all over the place. The rest I’ll leave to your imagination. But you see why I may have forgot all about my passport now, don’t you?! ; )

Oh and since we all love happy endings, long story short, my passport was found at the airport a few hours later! I got sooooo lucky!!! I mean, I felt so ridiculous losing my passport that fast. So, too lessen my chances of falling victim to future bathroom distractions and my jet-lagged pea brain, I got one of these. I may look like a kid or a tourist wearing it, but at least I won’t pull some dumb rookie move like losing my passport while thinking about toilets again!

May all good things flow to you (and from you)! Prettier pictures coming soon!
Lost in Fascination,
s

My Weekly Mansion in Tokyo Awaits!

Greetings from LAX! We’re all packed and checking in to fly to Tokyo!

And I just saw the website for where we’re staying when we arrive! It’s like a hotel apartment but it’s called a weekly mansion! I can get down with that!

See ya on the other side!
Xo,
s

HUSTLE FILE #91: Lesley Arfin

NAME: Lesley Arfin

OCCUPATION: Writer

LOCATION: Los Angeles

WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE: Screenwriting, looking good, working hard.

WHAT DOES YOUR HUSTLE MEAN TO YOU: Feeling good on the inside.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONLY THREE TOOLS FOR YOUR HUSTLE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE: Discipline, quality, quantity.

A WORD OF ADVICE TO WANNABE HUSTLERS IN YOUR FIELD: Have a fall back plan (mine is nursing school).

twitter.com/lesleyarfin

Lesley is the author of ‘Dear Diary,’ as well as a writer on the new HBO series Girls, premiering this Sunday, April 15 at 10:30pm.

HUSTLE FILE #90: Sarah Anne Hartzog

NAME: Sarah Anne Hartzog

OCCUPATION: Jewelry Designer

LOCATION: Los Angeles

WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE: After almost 10 years in the fashion industry, I bailed and started Hartfield in 2011. My first collection is for Spring ’12 and everything is made with horsehair and precious metals. It’s all made by me in my studio in Los Feliz.

WHAT DOES YOUR HUSTLE MEAN TO YOU: I feel like if I don’t constantly stay challenged and creative then I have no value and I’m hella bummed. Hartfield is a reflection of my story but its also a fist-to-the-sky statement about honouring tactile crafts in a technology-obsessed world. This work actually makes me bleed and sweat and that’s awesome. I was so burned out on office jobs that it’s my way of restoring balance. Don’t get me wrong, I still do plenty of grunt work in front of a screen and that’s where the tears come in.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONLY THREE TOOLS FOR YOUR HUSTLE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE: Hah. Ummm… Instagram. Support. Adventure.

A WORD OF ADVICE TO WANNABE HUSTLERS IN YOUR FIELD: Stop analyzing everything. You’ll end up in a really lonely corner with just a lot of interesting theories. Appreciate the people that help you. Laugh when you really want to cry.

lovehartfield.com
Instagram: sarahannehartfield

HUSTLE FILE #89: Patrick O’Dell

NAME: Patrick O’Dell

OCCUPATION: Various; photo, video, curation

LOCATION: Echo Park

WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE: I don’t have one. I like doing things and let the pieces fall into place organically.

WHAT DOES YOUR HUSTLE MEAN TO YOU: Mostly it means trying to get a lot of poolside and chill time.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONLY THREE TOOLS FOR YOUR HUSTLE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE: Steam room, nature path, a tight transitioned cement quarter pipe.

A WORD OF ADVICE TO WANNABE HUSTLERS IN YOUR FIELD: Be open and create honestly.

epiclylaterd.com

Keep up with Patrick at AltamontApparel.com and check out their latest collaboration featuring Gang Gang Dance x Theotis Beasley. Plus, peep his show Epicly Later’d on Vice.com

Two Weeks ’til Tokyo! Taipei, Seoul and Busan!

Konichiwa, homies! Yep, I’m practicing my Japanese since two weeks from today I’ll be on a direct flight from LA to Tokyo to bounce around Asia for three weeks. Why, you ask? Well, because that’s how I roll. Or at least I try to roll.

I think of it as the art of balancing work, fun and travel. Hustle when you have to, but also let life flow and take some risks. I try to do what I love, make work fun, make money and handle my finances, but then take time to chill, explore and trip out! Maybe this is why I’m able to take a few weeks off to travel. All that and my hot rockin’ dude plays in a rad band called No Age and this time I get to go on tour with them while they play a handful of shows in Asia. Lucky, I know!

Here are just a few of the places and things I’m excited about:
CHERRY BLOSSOMS
Tokyo will be in full bloom when I’m there and I’m definitely getting down with all the Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) hot spots where crowds flood the parks, hang and enjoy the trees.

KAIKOO POPWAVE FESTIVAL
The Kaikoo Popwave Festival on the weekend of April 21-22 should be a super cool experience, especially since No Age is playing at Toyko’s Museum of Maritime Science for one of the days and in the cool neighborhood of Shibuya another day.

TAIPEI, TAIWAN
After a week in Toyko, I get to go to Taiwan to see my bestie Miss Sarah B, who’s living there and teaching English. Also, our friend Sky from Earwax Promotions is putting on the show in Taipei and she’s awesome!

SOUTH KOREA
And the craziest part of all is that our last stop will be two nights in two cities in South Korea — Seoul and Busan. Ridiculously cool, right?! I mean, I never imagined going there, yet here I go!

Lastly, check out my Pinterest boards on Tokyo, Taipei and Seoul as I get ready for my adventures ahead! And of course, there’ll be more stories soon. Just had to start the countdown kickoff to my departure today! Two weeks, baby!

Super cool Tokyo illustration at top of post by Julia Rothman

And all of the No Age tour dates/details listed here on SubPop.com

Yours in adventure & exploration! Sayounara… Ciao for now. XO, s

Desert Escape

Greetings from swanky Palm Springs and Joshua Tree swap meets! Postcard-esque photos courtesy of none other than Randall Randall.

Happy weekend, homies!
Desert vibes & out-of-town kisses,
s

Tropic of California: Big Sur Happenings at the Henry Miller

I love Big Sur (grew up in Nor. Cal, near the coast and among the redwoods). And I love Henry Miller (first trip to Paris, I read Tropic of Cancer cover-to-cover, absolutely stunned). So when I got the chance to contribute to Public Fiction‘s second issue THE GOLD RUSH/MANIFEST DESTINY (coinciding with LA’s Pacific Standard Time), I figured a story on my West Coast road trip to the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur to be a perfect fit. Thank you Lauren Mackler for inviting me to contribute. An issue that’s so much about promises, impulses, ambition and transformation strikes a chord with me and so many of us here in LA and in the wild, wild west!


publicfiction.org
Issue 2 available at Ooga Booga, Family, Skylight Books, Printed Matter and Amazon.

Stoke-My-Fire February into Make-It-Happen March

Oh man! Here we go folks, sliding from February right along into March. We even get a whole extra day with this February 29th Leap Day business. Trip out! And although I’ve been kind of spacing it on this blog, I filled my February with all sorts of other stuff, like a rad camping trip at Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu where I hung with friends, celebrated my dude’s birthday and stared out to sea and into campfires. Stoked!

Getting warmer? I am. Yep, the goal this year is to keep working hard and chilling hard! Oh yeah, and to make all my dreams come true!

Attitude. Check! Opportunities. Check! Willingness-to-Go-for-It. Check! Oh yeah, baby… Make-It-Happen March might just totally rule!