My internship at Los Angeles Magazine requires a ton of time -and a soso amount of dedication. From the outside with my nose pressed against the glass, I thought this magazine was flawless. Now I'd say that it's still pretty flawless, but there are surprising and disappointing little details that I've slowly discovered within these last 2 days. But I still respect this magazine a lot. And even though they've had just about a billion "Best of LA" issues and half a billion "Food Lover's Guide to LA" ones, I guess the novelty never wears out because LA is constantly changing, and that's why it's beautiful to write about this city. The magazine has been around since the 1960's. I had to work with really old issues on my first day, so I got to see how the magazine has evolved from one that was extremely politically oriented, to eventually becoming more arts and culture oriented, to one that is now more or less directed at sybarites (GRE again!) and how to maximize their hedonistic lifestyles.
Magazine life really is as organic as it seems, compared to corporate 9-6's. First of all, hours here are 10AM -6PM, if even that. On Wednesday (my first day), first thing my editor said to me, "I'm not really a stickler for time. If you come in late, it's fine. Just let me know if you're gonna be really late." Last thing my editor said to me before I left, "I'll probably be in late tomorrow." :]
And luckily for me, our building is right across from LACMA so I can just jump over and buy coffee for lunch, and peruse the gift shop because that's kinda like a mini, free version of the actual museum right?
Anyway, this internship is turning out to be pretty awesome! If there's an event I want to go to, I just propose to cover it and then get tickets for FREE! So my mission for next week is to propose "The Swell Season". Don't judge me, why shouldn't I milk this?!?
Some pretty cool things about LA I stumbled upon while working:
Remember the guy who did this Sarah Palin effigy a while back during the election at his West Hollywood home and caused a huge squabble?
Well I got to talk to him today! ChadMichael Morrisette (yes that is his name), the professional Window Display Designer (ohhhh now the whole "hanging mannequin" setup makes sense!) was very cordial and accommodating, and well, perky!
Mark Laita is a photographer who has been working on a series called Created Equal since 2002. He travels across the US and takes pictures, putting together diptychs of contrasting (or maybe complementing) characters. These photos really deserve multiple looks. They're ironic, sad, funny, and shocking. Really makes you think... He'll be at the Fahey Klein Gallery from Dec to Jan, for those interested. Here are a few:
Polygamists/Pimp
Nuns/Prostitutes
Fur Trapper/Woman with Dog
Halloween was Epic!
it was fun to be home again
I've been pondering a lot lately about the future, especially since I've been skipping around my career options for the last 2 months. Would it be scary to start from scratch? All over from the very beginning? Personally, I don't think it's ever too late for anything. No matter how crazy it is. Hmm... am I being vague? Well what else is new. It should all come together in a few months, when I come back from my hiatus in Aussieland.
The future looks bright : )
