I want to do a story on an up-and-coming fashion designer who creates most of her works through upcycling. I would follow and interview her as she designs (sketches, pulls different thrifted patterns and textures she might want to work with)/creates a new garment. Think of it almost like one of those “day in the life” YouTube videos.
(Note! I sent the actual recording to you through email.)
Host Intro: As long as you’re living, birthdays happen to everyone, every year. But the emotions attached to this special day seem to differ from person to person. Birthdays can bring some people bouts of fear and loneliness and bring others feelings of hope and excitement. Alexyss Hadden spoke to a person whose birthday is just a few days away to get her opinion on the subject.
TRACK: I’m sitting with Marty Delsoto in her living room as she watches her comfort show, The Great British Baking Show, and winds down for the night. She is 41 years old and less than a week away from 42. She begins by sharing how she feels about birthdays.
ACT: MARTY: I feel both excited, because my birthday is near Halloween, so I get to do kinda, you know, out-of-the-box things. And I also feel like they come and go too quickly so it’s bittersweet. So I’m in my 40s now and I feel like it’s just a reminder that I’m getting older and it seems like one birthday to the next, it happens in the blink of an eye so it’s teaching me to enjoy each year to the best of my ability because they come too quickly.
TRACK: Although the years seem to pass by too fast, she has still found a way to take something positive from each one through lessons.
ACT: MARTY: One thing I learned from this past year is one to set boundaries, teach people how to treat you. Even loved ones tend to overstep at times and you have to let people know where you’re at, as well, because they don’t always want to hear your story and your venting, but when it comes to them they want to be, you know, they want your full attention so I am now setting boundaries.
TRACK: As she brings the power of setting healthy boundaries with her, she has another goal for this upcoming year.
ACT: MARTY: What I hope for the new year is for me to be more present and put my cellphone to the side a bit more so this way I am fully experiencing my experiences, and fully experiencing my family and friends and creating memories without all the clutter.
TRACK: Birthdays come and birthdays go. But like any situation, if you can find the light (of say, a candle on top of a cake), you can see birthdays for what they really are – another year to grow, learn, and enjoy this world. For Baruch College, I’m Alexyss Hadden.
AMBI: Netflix Sound (ta-dum) / TV playing very low in the background
*The interviewee’s name was changed to protect her privacy.
I plan to do my photo essay on female skateboarders in New York. I used to skateboard so it’s an activity I know and love. I am going to photograph a day at the skatepark with, hopefully, two different female skaters. One will be a woman (who’s been apart of the community for years) and the other will be a young girl (who’s well integrated but still new). I want to focus on both the similarities and differences of their histories. What has it been like for them to participate in such a male-dominated sport? And how they have carved and continue to carve out spaces for themselves?
As for the pictures, there are many things I could potentially photograph over the course of the day. From experience I know I could take pictures of them park hopping (it’s super common to visit 2-3 parks), learning tricks from other skaters or teaching other skaters, leaving for snacks, trying to find the nearest bathroom, or sitting to watch people practice when they’re too tired to continue or have hurt themselves one to many times.