Finally Studying Shoe Design and Construction

I got an email 2 months ago about a workshop I am not even crazy enough to believe. Turns out the fashion school I have been eyeing and pestering for so many years actually made my wish come true!

Finally, I get to study Shoe Design and Construction!

I remember sending lots of private messages to them just to inquire and prepare my schedule. And years ago, they actually had a workshop, but I was too busy for work to attend!

I am just so kilig with all these! Everything just comes into place, with the grace of God and His perfect timing!

If you are someone who’s thinking of jumping into your life’s next big adventure, just do it! If not now, when?

As what Steve Harvey says, that if you jump, your parachute will open. Not immediately, it may take time, but it will open one day. But if you don’t jump, you can be assured that your parachute will NEVER open.

So, just JUMP! 😀

Lets toast for chasing our dreams, and for not being afraid to be the ambitious ones!

Work on that dream! Make that idea happen. TODAY!

 

Sabay us? 😀

**, Via

Shoe Designing, Wedding Planning, and Speaking Engagements

We are 3,248 happy mermaids and mermen in our Encyclopevia Community! Yay! 😀

I haven’t quite posted something personal lately, so I hope this entry suffices that. Hehe 🙂

Currently, I am busy designing shoes for a client, and I am really hoping that all goes well! I can’t divulge it yet, but you’ll soon see Versaheel in your select leading malls in the metro! Yay! :’)

Crossing my fingers for that!

On a more personal note, my fiance and I set the date! We finally booked the church and the venue! And I almost cried because we got them both on our desired date! Can heaven be more loving and serendipitous?

Haha :)) Munitk ng mahalatang ang saya saya ko dito! 😀

What else?

Oh yeah, I’m having 5 speaking engagements this month, and I really hope I’ll finally meet you there!

Here is the schedule:

July 20 – SEO 101 for Marketers (This is already sold out by the way, but you can score a chance in getting in my joining my ongoing giveaway!)

July 22 – English Communication in the Contemporary World of Business

July 24 – Business and Career Growth  in the Industry of Sales and Marketing

July 25 –  JUMPSTART: The Keys to Becoming and Making It in the Start-Up Community (This is exclusive for Business Management students in a college in Manila.)

July 29 – Instagram : Take a Snap! (Admission is FREE! And it will be in Mega Trade Hall 1!

I also got my hair roots done! And the color is richer than ever! Thanks to Vivere Salon! 😀

I know, I know, I still have a lot of backlogs to do, so I hope you all bare with me! Hehe 😀

My time management needs improvement, but I do hope I get to furnish everything soon! Thank you very much for subscribing to my humble blog!

I recently created my Youtube Channel! You can check my first ever vlog in this link!

How about you? How is your week going?

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7 Tips on How to Survive Your First Photoshoot

About a week ago, I had my first legit photoshoot for my brand, Versaheel. It felt surreal really! I didn’t know what I was doing half the time, considering I really don’t have any background on posing in a studio, or a strong experience in striking poses with a lot of people staring at you.

“Who is this girl? “Why is her hair orange?”

But I survived it! I mean them! I had a 2-day photoshoot, and they were magnificent!

I know, I started selling shoes way back 2009, with only a 2-megapixel camera phone and my too-tired set of feet from long hours of standing in nursing duties, I brave the traffic and sometimes rainy weather to go to the Marikina Market, and take photos of newly delivered shoes!

It felt like a real treat for me! I remember dreaming for hours to pass by until dismissal so I can quickly pack my bags and head home, and oh, make a not-so-quick stop from my kind suppliers! 😀

There were also times when I console myself by cheating a self-promised 30-minute Multiply (the social media giant that time, Facebook wasn’t popular yet) posting and selling just so my wits will wake up amidst studying for the finals. The 30 minutes usually turn to 3 hours. 😀

Fast forward to now, I have a studio, an outdoor venue, photographers, makeup artist, and a publicist! I could have never imagined these things when I was only 20 years old!

So if you’re a teenager, a 20-ish person, or someone who has a lot of dreams, never let those go! You’ll never know the world is actually watching you, and someday it will be ready to launch you.

I’m not a pro on this, but just in case this may come in handy, I’ll tell you things I learned on how to survive your first photoshoot.

1. Sleep early and arrive early.

This helps so much to ease away the appearance of the dark circles under your eyes. It’s also good to arrive early so that you can have a lot of time for your hair and makeup, consequently more time for the photoshoot itself!

More time could also mean more photos! It also buys you time for changing and retouch!

2. Hydrate yourself.

This is quite a problem, especially that I don’t fair well with the water department. If you’re not hydrated enough, your lips will be chappy! This doesn’t look nice, especially on headshots and closeups!

3. Know your angles.

I have quite a pudgy face, and I know my right cheek is extra plumpy than the other side. So I could say right sideways is my best angle! Practice in a mirror so that you would know!

Hey, don’t stress too much! No one is that perfect! Every picture-perfect model also knows how to look best on camera, and we should too!

4. Have a concept in mind.

What are you trying to highlight? Is it your hair, your makeup, your outfit, your shoes? Know the goal of this shoot so you could also prepare!

Most high-end shoots will probably take care of everything – the clothes, shoes, jewelry and other accessories. But while you have a say on how you will look, it’s better to be vigilant on the things you bring on the set.

For example, I am promoting my shoes, so I have to downplay my dress, by sticking to plains and basic colors, and let my shoes shine! You don’t want to distract your audience by looking at the other things in the photo you are not even meant to advertise!

5. Be nice to everybody.

I think this is such an obvious thing, but we’d like to keep a happy and nice environment, no matter how pressured you are. I mean if you need help with getting some BTS photos or some extra hand to zip your dress, and the people around are not compelled to even do these for you; you’ll get extra mileage and points by being nice and hopefully (and naturally) these people can extend a hand to do your little requests.

6. Close your eyes. Open them. Smile/Radiate the aura.

There are times when you are so tired already, your smile turns into a fake smile, worst a frown. The easy refresh button technique that I learned is to relax your mouth, close your eyes, and then pop! You will look natural again!

As what Tyra Banks also said, “SMIZE!” Smile with your eyes!

And it also helps to uplift your spirits, even if it has to be on your own! I mean you’re the model, you should do your job! 😀

7. Have fun.

And the best advice is to have fun, and just enjoy it!

It’s not everyday you don’t have to ask someone to take a photo of you and hopefully, they get the right frame and angle. I mean you’re dealing with professional photographers here, and it’s such a wonder to not instruct them on how you’d like the photo to turn out.

Plus, your next Instagram photo will not be a selfie! Yay!

I hope you learned a thing or two on this! I did too! And I am extremely grateful for all the people who have helped me make this photoshoot into a reality! These photos were released in an article about my story on how I started as a shoe designer. You can read that in The Story of a Dreamer : Via Galang.

As for this photoshoot, big applauses to these awesome people!

Hair and Make Up: Alvicel Cee of Alluring Vison by Cel

Studio: MeMo Photography Studio

Studio Photography: Evan Mogol Photography

Outdoor Photography: Elvie Manlulu of Rugged Pixie

Outdoor Photography: Tobi Cabrera of Funkadelic

Publicist: Blog Talk with MJ Racadio

Published Article Writer: Viva Alvaro-Galvez

And of course, my darling fiancé for being my driver that day, forever BTS photographer, sometimes my critic, and always my number one fan!

If you were to have your first photoshoot, what will it be about? Let me know! 😀

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How My Kaartehan Turned Me to a Shoe Designer for Versaheel

She is so maarte.

***For my international readers:

arte – noun. art

maarte – adjective. artistic (Filipino definition is somewhat negative, may even be perceived as annoyingly demanding on so many things and levels, and in extremely impractical ways.)

kaartehan – noun. Creativity or artistry (Filipino definition may be connoted as a quality of annoyingly demanding on so many things and levels, and in extremely impractical ways.)

Growing up, this sentence is so common it may be the most-spoken sentence in school, especially for young girls. Being a transferee twice, my presence has somewhat alerted the school population that they have someone new to see, maybe admire, spy on, talk about, taunt, or to that person’s misfortune, a subject for scrutiny and bullying. And lucky for me, I happen to experience all.

It was such a whirlwind; I actually tried to force this kaartehan out into oblivion. Sometimes, I think there’s something wrong with me, that I have to be like everybody else, so that more people will like me. But after everything, I realized we don’t have to be the person the society expects us to be. We never stand out that way, and it will be difficult for us to be happy. So instead of quieting it down, I cultivated it more. I tried blogging and public speaking, and this really helped me maximize my creative potential. I tried to be more graphic with my words and animated with my presentations, and it was such a surprise how much appreciation I gained. I soon recognized, that my being maarte gave me a lot of opportunities, and amazing people to share it with. Being one, allowed me to be noticed more, to be perceived as unique and a burst of sunshine in an utmost dreary day. That this quality was actually not a negative thing, because creativity gives birth to wonders that will change the world.

And now, I’m taking this creativity up a notch by turning it into a tangible fashion piece – shoes! I can go on, and on, about how shoes are the greatest fashion invention, but I’d save it for another post.

For my first high heel design, I was so inspired when I got to check out these materials. The swatches are so stunning, that the moment I saw the right-most swatch I imagined it already shaping a shoe in my foot. The prints are so whimsical, fashionable and edgy. I know it’s going to be such a scene stealer to anyone who will wear it. So see how it turned out!

I’m not going to convince you how lovely it is, because it actually is! Since gradient colors are so popular right now, I tried being a little playful with the straps, and opted two colors. They have the same texture too. I tried to keep it looking put-together with the black vertical strap, as to complete the whole look. This is just the prototype though, the finished products are on their way, and will be available either on the 2^nd or 3^rd week of March. I can’t wait to see them come to life!

My vision for Versaheel is for our shoes to not just complement or make the outfit, they are THE outfit. I hope you like this new stint I’m venturing in, because I have never felt more energized about something I am really passionate about. Shoe-speaking, I own about a fair number of pairs, you can say I am a shoe addict, but there’s something more satisfying in creating and sharing this love affair to fellow shoe-o-holics.

I’ve always admired how artists get to immortalize things. Whatever their craft is, creatives would always find a way to express their gift. This is my gift to you. Welcome to Versaheel.

Find us clacking our heels in Facebook and Instagram.­ It’s going to be a shoe-stopper I’m telling you.

**, Via