So I am still settling into my role with Bay Area Kei (BAK) as a newly appointed video editor. There was a post asking if anyone was available to do video edits and motion graphics and I happily volunteered.
To provide some context here, my demo reel is in a state of poor neglect; I haven’t touched it in years and it hasn’t been updated to showcase any of my recent work. When interviewing for my current job I hastily threw together a bunch of video work I had done in a YouTube playlist. After landing the job, my reel and examples were thrown to the wayside, with the idea that I would someday find some time to polish it up. Three years later I still haven’t touched it, and it’s gotten to the point of gross embarrassment for me.
Unfortunately a lot of my work is restricted to internal company use; there is a small smattering of work that is public facing but these are rare. One night I was doing my usual nighttime web scroll and stumbled across a post asking if anyone was available to do video edits and motion graphics. Cue me volunteering my skills for BAK; thinking I could use the work I do for them to update my reel, possibly use this as an opportunity to learn and experiment, and have a chance to be a little more creative.
In BAK we get together virtually to discuss planning, event details, and volunteering. Someone mentioned that they were thinking of doing a “Get Ready with Me” panel for another community’s event and that it would probably be more fun to have a few of us BAK members join.
I was poised to do what I normally do, which is not participate. It’s not that I don’t want to; on the contrary it has been something on my bucket list of things to try but have been terrified to commit to. But the idea this time was tantalizing to the point that I found myself volunteering to join. I was given assurances that it would be a fun and not-so-scary thing to do. Which brings us to…
mystical tea garden hosted by Rosé Forêt
Rosé Forêt is an online community created by the Colorado Gothic and Lolita Society. They also have an Instagram account to check out as well.
get ready with us!
🍄Mystical Tea Garden🍵
🌸Vanity Project: GRWM Floral Makeup Edition!🐇
Saturday, April 10th, 11:00 AM MST
“Join Obsixwi, Sara Bread, Mindy, and Sporkii from the Bay Area Kei team in a Get Ready With Me makeup panel! They will each attempt a different floral look while chatting about J-fashion makeup trends, revisiting their own personal makeup journeys, and attempting to answer any questions that are asked in chat!“
Mystical Tea Garden. (2021, April 10). Retrieved from https://roseforet.com/mtgpanels
After settling in to this decision I took a closer look at the theme and realized it was to be florals.
Well hmm..
I own very little in the way of floral items, be it clothing, accessories, or shoes. This was going to be a difficult theme for me so I figured I’d better start brainstorming. I decided to not try and shoehorn myself into something I don’t have much of; I would probably have a miserable time putting together a look I didn’t feel confident about. I kind of thought about doing some sort of gothic look but Obsixwi and Sara Bread had pretty much cornered that style (like ducks to water).
After rooting around a bit I came upon a bunch of accessories I had bought from Atelier Pierrot (via their virtual in store shopping experience.) I settled on my little bird friend and worked the rest of my look around it. My take was that florals is a theme which centers around spring time, and birds are also a symbol of welcoming spring. After that everything kind of fell into place.
“I’m going to be a bird”
gothic holic
Here is the little bird that started it all and that I fell in love with at first sight. The top hat, the gold chain…this guy exudes so much character.
The brand is Gothic Holic and they specialize in creating hats with ears, and taxidermy like things. gothicholic IG is a good way to see some of their pieces.
I thought I’d also mention Atelier Pierrot, which was where I bought him. Not only do they sell their brand pieces, they also carry a variety of smaller, indie brands too.
queen and cavendish
A beautiful 18th century historical reproduction chatelaine from Queen and Cavendish. The first time I stumbled upon these I knew I wanted one. I’d absolutely love to own an antique someday but I know I would get more wear out of something new.
Someday when traveling becomes a thing again I will definitely use this for Fêtes Galantes.
I though these would be a fun idea to represent birds collecting trinkets.
I do declare
This Sheer Mesh Blouse is sadly sold out. It was initially made to order in a variety of colors. I was sorely tempted to have one of each color but decided on getting just the black.
I like wearing this if I want to go semi blouse-less. The dress I chose has a pair of long wings that drape over the shoulders so I wanted to avoid having it look and feel too heavy.
louise black
I have a few versions of this type of belt, but my favorite by far is this one from Louise Black. The buckle is made from brass and has a nice sturdy heft to it. The hands are beautifully crafted and easy to close.
It is a satisfying feeling to clasp the hands together, and I can’t explain how nice it feels when I wear it. I also like that it can reduce the volume of a petticoat around the waist without having to cinch it tight.
l’esprit de la noblesse
“Our inspiration for our clothes and accessories is aesthetics of past centuries, history and literature, significant historical figures and events. We trust that clothes are a great way to express yourself and your attitude to the world, and make this world a little more beautiful. Every our collection carries a certain thought and concept, touches on very serious theme: the connection of life and death, the importance of health, the desire for manifestation of strength, struggle and independence. Beauty, Thought, Art – the foundation of every thing we create.“
L’Esprit de la Noblesse
If you are looking for a bit of fancy I would recommend L’Esprit de la Noblesse. Their pieces are decadent and I love their historical aesthetic. For someone like me, who enjoys historical fashion but isn’t so much into historical re-enactment and accuracy, I like that this brand is able to blend history with this fashion style.
fluevog
These boots were sitting for a long time on their website, and I would stare longingly at them but the price tag was out of my budget. Maybe someday…
One day I checked and I saw that they were on sale! And not only that, but they were on sale in my size! You bet I went for them, no regrets at all.
When I bought my very first pair of Fluevogs during an NYC trip with Jo, I found them to be a great statement boot with amazing comfortability. They were the ubiquitous Cubist Cupcake in black and I wear them so much when I want to wear a look that can be walked in. So when I first saw these Teahs I was absolutely smitten.
The low heel makes these very comfortable to walk in. They are great to pair with leggings and I find they work well with these knee-length dresses.
the gang
When I am nervous about not doing well on something I will try and compensate in other areas that I’m more comfortable with. In this case I put my focus into dressing the set to match the theme. Instead of staying at my desk I brought out my laptop and an extra table, and placed my webcam on a tripod. I had bought an inexpensive ring light that could be powered via USB and hooked it up to the laptop. I also brought out a couple of tray tables upon which I set my makeup and accessories; they aren’t as high as my main table so it was nice to have all of the clutter hidden from view. I also brought in a couple of other things like my flower arrangements, a candelabra, and a wig stand in which I placed my wig and hat. I have to say that doing this really helped settle my nerves to a much more controllable level. Knowing that I had carefully placed everything I needed close by allowed me to rest my mind and not worry about needing to get up and find things during the panel.
Here we all are! I was a little nervous beforehand; I felt a bit vulnerable and exposed being online in public without being fully done up. I was also not quite sure on whether or not I would manage to say anything (typical me overthinking). But that slowly went away as we started. I enjoyed the small chit chat and conversation we had going on between us in addition to questions being sent.
I didn’t do any wild editorial make up or anything, but rather settled on what I typically do but with the aim of making it as clean of an application as possible. With the outfit I had chosen I wanted to keep my face simple. If I had gone for a much simpler outfit then I would probably gone for a much bolder makeup look. Since it’s my go to look I had a pretty good estimate on how long it would take, and was able to complete it with some time to spare.
Overall I had a great time; I think this was a perfect way to get a taste of what it could be like in a panel. I was happy that it was a group event rather than an individual one, which would probably have been too much for me to handle. I know that I wasn’t the most talkative of the group, which is typical for me, but maybe with more experience in future panels that could change. There was a moment in where we christened my bird friend with Henri as his name (it’s perfect). I loved being in our little group, especially since the rest of them have more experience about this than I do. I felt like they were able to keep up a nice stream of chatter and were solicitous in making sure everyone was included in discussions.
The time flew by and before I knew it, it was done. Mindy captured this group shot of all us at the end.
conclusion
I want to say thank you to Mindy, Obsixwi, and Sara for inviting me to this panel. Obsixwi was very patient and kind when it came to showing me the ropes and understanding my reason(s) for hesitating. I also liked learning what this is like behind the scenes and the amount of coordination it takes to make it work. It is truly a labor of love and I am impressed at how much time and effort they contribute towards a passion we all share. At times it can feel like another job, especially when I am done with my work for the day and log out of my work desktop only to switch to my personal one to do more video editing and motion graphics. But despite it all this has been a rewarding experience for me.
After the panel Kirby and I tore apart my video set in order to reuse it for a photoshoot. We moved to the living room to set things up. I like how scrappy and nimble we can be when we set our minds to it.
May I now present to you Henri and I
MARS 