___tabula___rasa___

09/22/2023

Absolutely thrilled to have my photography used in this fun and touching article by Katy Atchison for Broke-Ass Stuart featuring the incredible work and labor of love that is the Moonlight Manor run by artist, costumer, designer, and all around creative impresario, Christina Molcillo and her amazing team of equally talented collaborators (including R.d. Silva!!)

I have been a big admirer of Christina’s work for over 10 years and a long time fan of this space (best haunted house installations EVER!) I’m also inspired by its truly positive impact on the surrounding community. What an absolute joy to see how it is evolving and thriving.

Here’s to many more years of creative success for this house and its wonderful creative stewards!

(And thank you, Katy, for inviting me to be part of this work! 💜)

The Moonlight Manor is Oakland’s most unique house artistically themed rooms built by a community of talented Bay Area artists. Last week, I had the privilege of touring this space and sitting down with the owner to unveil the fascinating and touching true story behind this exceptional home and ho...

05/01/2021

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝, 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜. 𝙽𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜, 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠. #𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖𝚜𝚘𝚗⁠
---⁠
There's always got to be a balance in photography between setting up a shot and letting the shot come to you. More than anything, I think being a good photographer is about being a good observer, having an openness to the present moment, seeing things happen both before they happen, and imagining how they will turn out after the moment passes.⁠
⁠
A music history professor of mine described our place in temporality as a person walking with their back to the future, facing the past. You can feel the future coming up from behind you like the wind and see it manifest all around you clearly in the present, and as the past recedes away it becomes fuzzier and fuzzier in the distance. I always loved that visual way of describing something we experience every day of our lives.

04/30/2021

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚌 𝚑 𝚊 𝚗 𝚐 𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚘𝚎𝚖. #𝙰𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚁𝚒𝚌𝚑⁠
___I've always been very seduced by the idea of destiny. There's an uncontrolled, eternal romance to it. It's funny because I appear to most to be the quintessential type-A personality; always making plans and then making contingency plans. ⁠
⁠
And yet, if I'm honest, there's part of me that is quite in love with the chaos of the moment I am in. Like a whirling dervish, I am both singularly focused and in a state of surrender.⁠
⁠
That's what I feel most intensely when I am watching a sunset like this. I have an overwhelming desire to capture the moment, to preserve it, wrap it up in the gauze of memory, and pack it away neatly for some less beautiful future when I will unwrap it like a piece of hard candy and savor it again.⁠
⁠
But then my wandering mind betrays me, and I stop.⁠
⁠
And enjoy it. ⁠
⁠
And I am there with it; this moment. ⁠
⁠
Consuming the sweet, fragile temporality like candy floss on my tongue.

04/29/2021

𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝚐𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛. #𝙷𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚢𝙳𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚞⁠
___I've been taking a bit of a pause from posting lately. Life has kept me pretty busy but also I'm still trying to figure out what I'm trying to do here. What are the stories I want to tell with images? Who do I want to connect with? I'm a classic over-thinker. I often get "paralysis by analysis". ⁠
⁠
I've decided to be more intentional with my life, and sometimes that may mean taking my time. It also means, when I do make up my mind, really committing; put my whole self behind my actions.⁠
⁠
Intention is really the intersection of inspiration and commitment. Putting your own stamp of approval on your own life instead of waiting for someone or something else to do it.⁠
⁠
Ironic that I would choose to use a platform that consumes people with seeking the approval of others. An interesting paradox worth exploring. ⁠
⁠
What do you think?

04/29/2021

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎'𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚎 𝚜𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚊 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚎𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎. #𝙿𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝙱𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚢⁠
___They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And lemons are surprisingly affordable these days. What a surprisingly sweet and sour time to be alive. All that we have been through in the past year, the wilting separation from each other and the brutal closeness with ourselves. I feel like in a year, I have lived only a few weeks and also ten years. Time has a way of collapsing and expanding at will, it's definitely feeling less linear these days!⁠
⁠
But, yesterday I got my first vaccine shot, and slowly I feel my friends coming out from hiding like the Munchkins in Oz -- timidly blinking at the sun, still fearful of that old witch, COVID, but hopeful that maybe, just maybe, she's really good and dead this time. ⁠
⁠
I often think about each year as either an "expansion year" or a "contraction year" - 2020 was certainly one hell of a contraction, and this year I feel somehow more fearless than before, more surefooted about what I'm looking for in life, I feel like branching out.⁠
⁠
How about you? 4 months in, how's 2021 going? Are you feeling the pull of something greater for yourself?

02/28/2021

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠 𝚘 𝚞 𝚗 𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕 𝚒 𝚐 𝚑 𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞. #𝚁𝚞𝚖𝚒

02/27/2021

𝙱𝚎𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎’𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚊𝚙, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚘𝚞𝚜, 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚙. 𝙰𝚗𝚍, 𝚑𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚜 𝚗𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍, 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚗𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍. #𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚞𝚔𝚒𝙼𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚔𝚊𝚖𝚒⁠
⁠
---⁠
Last weekend, I took a day trip out to the adorable town of that feels like it is frozen in time around 1960. Originally a whaling outpost, it sits at the picturesque convergence of the (more photos of that to come) and the Pacific Ocean. ⁠
⁠
As a big branding/typeface nerd, I was delighted by all of the handpainted signs throughout the town. There's a level of art in advertising that you just don't get with images created on a computer. There's a piece of the person who painted a sign lovingly embedded in each brush stroke.⁠
⁠
➡️ scroll through the carousel to see some more examples of Moss Landing's typographical character!

02/26/2021

𝙻𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚜 𝚘𝚛 𝚎 𝚡 𝚙 𝚊 𝚗 𝚍 𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎’𝚜 𝚌 𝚘 𝚞 𝚛 𝚊 𝚐 𝚎 . #𝙰𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚜𝙽𝚒𝚗
🌿

02/24/2021

𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚜 𝚒 𝚕 𝚎 𝚗 𝚌 𝚎 ; 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚙, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎. 𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚒𝚝 𝚋𝚢 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚊-𝚋𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎. 𝙻𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏 𝚘 𝚛 𝚎 𝚟 𝚎 𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚙, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚔𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚔, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜, 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖 𝚢 𝚜 𝚎 𝚕 𝚏 . #𝚅𝚒𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚊𝚆𝚘𝚘𝚕𝚏

02/23/2021

𝙼𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚛,⁠
𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑 𝚊 𝚝 𝚎 , 𝙸 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚎, 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚕 𝚘 𝚟 𝚎 .⁠
𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝 𝚎 𝚊 𝚛 𝚜 , 𝙸 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚎, 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚜 𝚖 𝚒 𝚕 𝚎 .⁠
𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚌 𝚑 𝚊 𝚘 𝚜 , 𝙸 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚎, 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚌 𝚊 𝚕 𝚖 .⁠
𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝…⁠
𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚠 𝚒 𝚗 𝚝 𝚎 𝚛 , 𝙸 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚎, 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚜 𝚞 𝚖 𝚖 𝚎 𝚛 .⁠
𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚢. 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚗𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚙𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚎, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎’𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 – 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛, 𝚙𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔.⁠
⁠
-----⁠
⁠
𝙼𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚛,⁠
𝙰𝚞 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚞 𝚍𝚎 𝚕𝚊 𝚑 𝚊 𝚒 𝚗 𝚎 , 𝚓’𝚊𝚒 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚟é 𝚚𝚞’𝚒𝚕 𝚢 𝚊𝚟𝚊𝚒𝚝, 𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚒, 𝚞𝚗 𝚊 𝚖 𝚘 𝚞 𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎.⁠
𝙳𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚞 𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚕 𝚊 𝚛 𝚖 𝚎 𝚜 , 𝚓’ 𝚊𝚒 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚟é 𝚚𝚞’𝚒𝚕 𝚢 𝚊𝚟𝚊𝚒𝚝, 𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚒, 𝚞𝚗 𝚜 𝚘 𝚞 𝚛 𝚒 𝚛 𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎.⁠
𝙰𝚞 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚞 𝚍𝚞 𝚌 𝚑 𝚊 𝚘 𝚜 , 𝚓’𝚊𝚒 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚟é 𝚚𝚞’𝚒𝚕 𝚢 𝚊𝚟𝚊𝚒𝚝, 𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚒, 𝚞𝚗 𝚌 𝚊 𝚕 𝚖 𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎.⁠
𝙹’𝚊𝚒 𝚛é𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜é, à 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚊, 𝚚𝚞𝚎 …⁠
𝙰𝚞 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚞 𝚍𝚎 𝚕 ’ 𝚑 𝚒 𝚟 𝚎 𝚛 , 𝚓’𝚊𝚒 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚟é 𝚚𝚞’𝚒𝚕 𝚢 𝚊𝚟𝚊𝚒𝚝, 𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚒, 𝚞𝚗 é 𝚝 é 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎.⁠
𝙴𝚝 𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚊 𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚞𝚡. 𝙲𝚊𝚛 𝚒𝚕 𝚍𝚒𝚝 𝚚𝚞𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚞 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚒, 𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚒, 𝚒𝚕 𝚢𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚕𝚚𝚞𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚞𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 - 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚕𝚚𝚞𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚞𝚡, 𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚍𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚛. #𝙰𝚕𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚝𝙲𝚊𝚖𝚞𝚜

02/22/2021

𝙿𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎 𝚊 𝚛 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜 𝚘 𝚞 𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚑 𝚊 𝚛 𝚍 . #𝙰𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚂𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚘𝚗

02/21/2021

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊 𝚘𝚏 𝚠 𝚊 𝚒 𝚝 𝚒 𝚗 𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚎 𝚡 𝚌 𝚒 𝚝 𝚒 𝚗 𝚐 . #𝙰𝚗𝚍𝚢𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚑𝚘𝚕