Magayon

“Magayon” is a Bicolano word that translates to “beautiful.” I chose this word because my mother’s side of the family is from the Philippines province, Bicol, and I wanted to dedicate my business to them. Another reason why I chose this word was to signify the beauty of Filipino culture that many of us have yet to discover and appreciate fully. Since lockdown became a time of contemplation and thoughtfulness, I used my extra time to connect with my Filipinx-American community by learning more about my roots. This led me to share what I have learned through art as something people can wear proudly. Since my business had been operating during the height of the pandemic, I had to limit contact with too many people so I took the opportunity to practice my photography using close family and friends. Each photoshoot became a learning moment for me as I got to experiment with different lighting, different outfits, how to arrange them/shoot them creatively, and how to direct models. For example, the Colonizers be Trippin shoot was taken on my home's stairs. Lighting was improvised with warm light from the Christmas decorations, a ring light, and two lamps which were covered with DIY gels cut from binder dividers.