LA Update & Museum of Dream Space (MODS)
MODS is definitely inspired by Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Room. Kusama has been one of my faves since I was lining up for 3-hours in the dead of NYC winter just to glimpse for 45-seconds of her inifinity Room. I felt like I was in space and time. Nothing else mattered except me and those lights— galaxies away. This museum brought me those vibes and I would definitely go back again and again because there is no timer on how long you can stay in a room. The best part is, once you pay for your ticket the first time, you can go back again for free as long as you show the front door a photo of your last visit.
Photo by: Ziming Xie
Hello, there! Long time no see. Here to show you what’s been In My Visions and to tell you…I’m baaaaack!!!
Girl, does this feel good. I’ve done a lot, grown a lot, changed for sure, but still the same me with the same love to give for the people that have helped me become the woman I am today. I’ve missed you, IMV. I have visions of you every day, but I just haven’t been able to break it down into words and pictures the way I used to.
Recap! Then I’ll Tell You About MODS - I Swear
My last post was in 2017…OUCH! I even deactivate my account for a few months after my noticeable absence from posting, only to then miss it like crazy, so I resurrected it recently to reminiscence the good old posts. It’s safe to say, I clearly used to post a lot more. But, LA has been a beast. It’s been three years out here, and only now do I truly feel like I’ve got this city down.
Ever since I moved to LA, I’ve been hustling to make sure I am making strong career moves, a grounded group of LA friends, all while making this city feel like home. I’m still climbing up a ladder without an end in sight, but when I look down to see how far I’ve come, I catch my breath and get vertigo! I am grateful for every lesson I’ve learned, every advice I’ve been given, every mentor that listened and every hand that has lifted me upward. In this last year alone, I’ve been flying all over the US working on various reality shows, and it’s been such an incredible journey to visit different cities— cities that I definitely would not be visiting if not for the gigs. I still enjoy spontaneity and finding art in whatever town I am in. I lived in Providence, RI for almost 3 months and missed LA so much! So the moment I went back, I visited spots I’ve had on my LA bucket list and looked up the new happenings in the city. And with friends visiting town, that’s even more reason to make things happen!
So, without further ado…
Photo by: Ziming Xie
Museum of Dream Space (MODS)
MODS is inspired by Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Room. Kusama has been one of my faves for years— ever since I was lining up for 3-hours in the dead of NYC winter just to catch a glimpse of her 45-second Infinity Room. Walking in there is like time traveling into another dimension of space. Nothing else matters except me and those lights— galaxies away. This museum brought me those vibes and I will definitely go back again and again because there is no limit on how long you can stay in a room. The best part is, once you pay for your ticket the first time, you can go back again for free as long as you show the front door a photo of your last visit.
With so many “exclusive” pop-up museums— literally appearing left and right every month, I’ve lost interest in going to them. The last pop-up I went to was The Happy Place museum in 2018 and I remember feeling utterly bored and dissatisfied. I vowed never to waste money on a pop-up again, unless it was truly worth it. If you noticed my social media, I didn’t even post a thing about it. It was overpriced and way too crowded. The rooms weren’t intriguing and I was pretty over it immediately. I fell for the advertisement and the trap. I don’t like it when the space is overcrowded with people all trying to take a photo. I know that in the era of Instagram and oversharing, the number of likes have taken over the heart of why you take and share that photo. I wanted to bring back my joy of sharing a photo for the art of it. I didn’t want to share photos for the sake of proving to the world that I was doing “cool” stuff. I just want to share photos of places that I enjoy— a reminder of my original vision and why I created this space for myself to write and post. In My Visions is my personal photo journey and a place for me to post— for me.
The draw with MODS was definitely the lights and because this one is of the digital age. Best part is, this is actually not a pop-up and they do plan on updating and changing some of their rooms from time to time. No one was fighting to get their time at MODS. Yes, people were there for the Gram. But, everyone there was there for the photos, no doubt! No judgement on how many photos you take. In fact, they welcome you take photos from every angle! Everyone was there to enjoy it for themselves. Art and light like this is meant to be shared, because no one photo will come out the same as before. There’s resilience in that snap and it’s all worth it.
Photo by: Ziming Xie
Usually my posts contain photos that I took. But, this time, they are taken by a photographer from MODS. Yes, I totally paid more for someone else to take these photos, and they were especially worth it because if you’re my friend, you know how particular I can get if the framing ain’t right. :) Love you, mean it. But above all, your cellphone just can’t get quality photos with lighting like this! I also wanted both Lorie and I to enjoy the space without pressure of getting a good photo for each other. We didn’t even carry our purses in when we had our photography session. Leave it to the experts! And, we walked through the rooms to experience them 3 times! This was Lorie & Laura Taking LA.
Photo by: Ziming Xie
Photo by: Ziming Xie
Photo by: Ziming Xie
Photo by: Ziming Xie
Photo by: Ziming Xie
Photo by: Ziming Xie
Photo by: Ziming Xie
I can’t speak for Lorie, but I really enjoyed this museum! Ok, I know she really enjoyed it, too! I’ll be sure to go back again!
Get your timed ticket the next time you’re in LA: https://modsla.com/
It was worth it for me!
Photo by: Ziming Xie
Until next time! Hopefully sooner rather than two years later.
<3,
Laura
A Moment of Blurry Vision
Have you ever felt empty inside? You're not feeling sad, happy, excited, or any basic emotion. Your vision, unable to focus on what is before. You blankly stare at something insignificant and your foreground becomes the background because this time your mind is controlling a blurry gaze. You could break free of this trance if you had to and gain back the focus, but when you let the mind free, the meter moves further away from center and everything is unclear.
Tonight's post will be short and sweet because it's really just about gazing at sweet nothings.
Have you ever felt empty inside? You're not feeling sad, happy, excited, or any basic emotion. Your vision, unable to focus on what is before. You blankly stare at something insignificant and your foreground becomes the background because this time your mind is controlling a blurry gaze. You could break free of this trance if you had to and gain back the focus, but when you let the mind free, the meter moves further away from center and everything is unclear.
That's what has been happening to me these last two days. (I hope medically speaking, this doesn't mean I'm dying or that I have a brain tumor that I am unaware of.) I'm not even making it up because I specifically explained my problem to a coworker today. I've been having trouble focusing on what's before me. It is as if my mind wants me to wander away. It feels like when you're about to begin a daydream, but the difference is that the thoughts are blank. My mind is idle.
Playing with the "heart" from my new Bokeh Masters Kit.
Ironically, my latest camera toy also arrived in the mail today, and its sole purpose is to create cute photo effects with the purposefully out-of-focus parts of a photograph (aka what's beyond the depth of field). You must all be thinking, HUH? But, let the photographs demonstrate.
I thought tonight would be the perfect night to share what are In My Visions and the feeling that I can't describe properly. It's when my mind decides to take over the ability to focus, or lack there of.
My toy comes with several shapes, but I only tested out the heart and the star. I can control what it focuses on and the filter distorts the background. It's most effective with lights. It's magical, it's adorable and I can't wait to try it when I take portraits, too!
Halloween is in the air, and I just made the spooky somewhat romantic and magical. Got to love photography. But, that's all folks! Just follow your heart, go with your vision-- even when it gets blurry. I'm not sure what this all means for me today, but I'll eventually find out on one of my tomorrows.
Just a coincidence that a photo of traffic lights created a heart-shaped "L"
Love,
Laura
Enlighten Me
Lights are always one of my favorite subjects to capture. Today, I realized why I truly have a fascination with colorful lights, almost like I understood the true meaning of Christmas (except I'm not even Christian.) So, what do they remind me of? My daydreams.
Lights are always one of my favorite subjects to capture. Today, I realized why I truly have a fascination with colorful lights, almost like I understood the true meaning of Christmas (except I'm not even Christian.) So, what do they remind me of? My daydreams.
Lights always remind me of that sudden moment when I snap out of a daydream and back to reality. My blurry vision refocuses on what is before me. And as it adjusts, everything on the side, foreground and background becomes the blur because all I am looking at is just one thing. What I see here in these photos are exactly what are in my visions during that instantaneous and transitional moment.
Here are some of my favorite shots from tonight's wander-ful walk through the neighborhood. Enjoy my version of holiday lights and see what are In My Visions.
I spy Rudolph lit up in LED, but look at all the lights!
Jamaica Ave, Queens
Happy Holidays!
Laura
