LOST
FREEDOM
Volume 1 | issue IV
background photo by Angela Wu
From the Editor Dear Readers,
It’s the start of a new year, which of course (excuse the cliche) means a fresh start and a new look for Lost Freedom. I’ve spent hours and hours working on and perfecting this issue to create what you see in front of you right now. More than half a year ago, when I first started this, I had no idea what I was doing. Well, honestly, I still don’t know what I’m doing. What I do know, however, is that this magazine has changed so much for me. I love finding new talented photographers and artists and pieces of writing that are so honest and so beautiful. I love collecting pieces of inspiration and artwork created by others and I love doing this. In a scary way, creating this magazine allows me to escape from my life and be able to get a glimpse into the lives of others. Hopefully, you, as readers see the same thing, and this magazine serves as a source of inspiration to everyone out there.
Angela Wu
Contributors editor in chief & layout designer Angela Wu staff Hannah Durant Natalie Chyi Shae Wu Emelia Taveras Lena Rautenhaus photographers Alex Phillips Shae Wu Laia Xixons
find us around: flickr: flickr.com/groups/lostfreedom tumblr: lostfreedommag.tumblr.com issuu: issuu.com/lostfreedom facebook: facebook.com/pages/Lost-Freedom-Magazine/236119073130512 magcloud: lostfreedom.magcloud.com contact: lostfreedommag@hotmail.com
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background photo by Angela Wu
Contents 006 012 018 024 032 036 042
Madalena Taveras Photographer
Millie Clinton
15-year old photographer from England
Sirin Thada
An interview with the talented visual artist living in New York
Lucid Dreams
Cover shoot, a film series shot by Alex Phillips
Rediscovering Oblivion
A series by Carly Hildebrandt
Jenna Fletcher
An interview with the 20-year old artist from Portland, Oregon
Lonely Forest
A film series shot by Shae Wu
048 054 056 060 064 070 072 076
Dee
A theatre major with a passion for photography
Vanessa Raiborde
Set of photography and writing
Rosie Brock
An interview with the aspiring 16-year old photographer from the United States
Nishat Khan
17-year old photographer
Victoria Young
14-year old photographer from the United States
Music:Creature Comfort A winter mixtape
Eva Patikian
23-year old photographer
Natalia Peris
An interview with the film photographer from Spain
082 088 092 094 100 102 106
Lost Freedom
A series shot by Laia Xixons
Lina Fochesato Photographer
My Own Form of Therapy
Writing by Aishia Funderburke
Sofie Olejnik
28-year old photographer from Germany
Can’t Buy Happiness
Shot by Elizabeth Lim
Ana Santl Photographer
Music: New Beginnings
A mixtape for the new year
M a d a l e n a T av e r a s
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24783604@N06/
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Millie Clinton
a 15-year old inspiring photographer from South East England
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“To me, photography means discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary.”
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Sirin Thada an interview with the talented visual artist currently residing in New York
LOST FREEDOM: How old are you and where are you from? SIRIN THADA: I am 14 as far as maturity goes; add 20 years to that and that’s my actual age. My parents are from Thailand, but I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and am currently residing in Brooklyn, NYC. LF: When and why did you first become interested in art? How has your artwork changed since then? ST: I’ve loved drawing for as long as I can remember. Occasionally my dad would doodle on napkins, scraps of paper, and I remember as a child how delightful it was whenever I stumbled upon one of those silly scribbled masterpieces he had left behind. Growing up I also loved cartoons, and read the Sunday comics religiously... Add to that the fact that I have always been an introvert by nature, and it’s no surprise that paper and pen have always been my closest friends. With paper and pen in hand, you’re never bored, and you’re never alone.
I did take a few drawing and painting classes through high school and college; later I also went on to school for fashion design. So stylistically my work has changed a lot as I learned, grew and evolved. At the same time, in many ways, nothing has changed at all. Because drawing is so much a part of who I am, it’s still just lil’ ol’ me. I draw for the same reasons I did when I was two. Because I just like it a whole lot. And it’s been there for me when I’ve been bored, ill, happy, depressed, heartbroken, you name it. It’s always been there for me, through it all. LF: How would you describe your style? What do you try to convey through your artwork? ST: My work is a colorful concoction of everyday observations and embellished eavesdropping, mixed with a dash of pop culture. I am drawn to the basic, boring struggles and emotions we all share -- giddy crushes, first love, social awkwardness, mean people... We’ve all been there. I love the challenge of depicting all this, in a way that is engaging and fun, hopefully sometimes funny too. If I can get you to connect with my work emotionally, I’m a happy gal. Sometimes I draw completely ridiculous things too, with nothing to convey but, um, sheer ridiculousness. Because it’s fun, and it’s just how I am.
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LF: What medium do you use for most of your work? ST: All of my work is done by hand on heavyweight cold press watercolor paper. I usually start by sketching in pencil, sometimes in ink. Then I color everything in with gouache. I also often use crayons, colored pencils, markers, collaged bits of paper, colored masking tape, to add another dimension to my work. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with incorporating lipstick kisses into my drawings. As a teenager I always wanted to send a boy a love letter with a lipstick kiss. I’ve never done it, though. I think I’m making up for lost time. Or something. LF: Who or what inspires you? ST: Kindness, sincerity and integrity -- that’s what inspires me. I’m being completely serious. Life is not easy for anyone, and let’s face it, some have it much more difficult than others. In an ideal world, we’d all be reaching out to help one other. But hey, we don’t even have to go that far -- imagine what life would be like if people just slowed down a bit and made more of an effort to just not be mean to each other? Our daily struggles are the underlying theme to my drawings; the people who have learned to ride the choppy waves of life’s struggles with self-awareness and grace, they are my heroes.
View more of her work here:
www.sirinthada.com Issue IV // 023
LucidDreams
photographed by Alex Phillips
models: Halle Choi and Jackie Perkins
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Rediscovering Oblivion by Carly Hildebrandt
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Jenna Fletcher http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenna_2step/
Lost Freedom: How old are you and where are you from? Jenna Fletcher: I’m twenty years old, and have lived in a wide variety of places but am currently calling Portland, Oregon home. LF: Why do you photograph/write? JF: Writing and taking pictures are the only mediums I’ve found so far that have been able to silence the chaos of this life. Aside from that, creating things is just the obligation of my hands. LF: Who or what inspires you the most? JF: It’s not really something so static or absolute, so this is a hard question to answer. On any given day it can range widely, really. I’m lucky to know a lot of people who live their lives with a sort of zest that’s not particularly easy to come by. I think being surrounded by individuals like that constantly pushes me to expand my vision on life, and search for new things to find my pulse in. LF: How does art play a role in your daily life? JF: Most days I’m just a supporting character, and my creative inclinations are the lead role. It’s a full time gig, being a creator, not something that you ever give up or set down. An everything at all times sort of situation.
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LF: What do you want to express through your artwork? JF: I can’t say that, overall, there has ever been a deliberate attempt at conceptualizing any of my work. Whether it’s a piece of writing or a photo or a watercolor, most are products of very specific moments in time, very specific feelings—more like a crime of passion than anything painstakingly premeditated. I guess you could call it some sort of elaborate journal. If anything, I think the goal is to be able to capture finite moments in a way that extends their lifespan. To lend an echo to something that would’ve otherwise burst and then quickly faded. LF: What is your favorite medium? JF: Different occasions or feelings require different mediums! Some things need to be expanded on, shaped, stitched together, and that’s where the written word generally seems to be what’s most comfortable to me. It’s something that I have full control over, and has been my most natural aptitude. On the other hand, photography is something that I continually struggle to get the hang of, but love regardless. Both of those hold equal importance for me.
Lonely Forest
photographed by Shae Wu Model: Denise S.
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Dee //
http://www. flickr.com/sopranosflight I am a theatre major, and as such, I am taught to see the world in stage pictures and in my contribution to the work as a whole. Life is an ensemble piece. That is what photography is to me. It’s my contribution to this slice of the world that I am living in, through portraits of my friends, self-portraits that articulate the character of me, and film photographs that lend depth to the quiet moments of my life. Theatre is ephemeral; it is over as soon as it is performed. But photography is something I can keep forever, frozen exactly the same way as the moment in which I saw it.
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“Photography is something I can keep forever, frozen exactly the same as the moment in which I saw it.�
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Vanessa Raiborde http://www.flickr.com/ photos/musicaldoodle/
These inescapable walls are a distraction. But the minuscule hole amongst the walls are a comfort. It is beckoning to me. It wants me to feel light again. I want to feel light again. But this brisk fear has tied me down. My mind tells me to creak a bone, but my weary limbs protest. I notice spectrums of light streaming in through the void cracks. It only adds to my fear of breaking free - not knowing what’s out there. And all at once, I let go. But You catch me even before I hit the unforgiving ground.
And we must all stand after our shipwrecks. Our shipwrecks in fact, sink us. Like the jagged rocks on an uneven watery grave, are waiting. One hit, one distraction... and we have hit rock bottom. Lead us not astray. Give us the willpower to conquer our shipwrecks, no matter how tragic they might be. Oh, fatality has taken so many. But Your mercy still reaches my lungs, it is still in my system. Because that is what keeps me breathing.
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Rosie Brock
http://www.flickr.com/rosietherivphotography/
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Lost Freedom: How old are you and where are you from? Rosie Brock: I’m currently sixteen years old. I was born in South Carolina, lived in Florida for ten years, and then moved to Northern Virginia when I started middle school. LF: When did you first start taking pictures? How have you changed since then? RB: I first started taking pictures about a year ago, but as a little girl I was always drawing and painting. I‘ve been involved in artistic endeavors since I was young, but in photography, I found my true passion. When I first started I was using a basic point and shoot camera and didn’t have any photography experience. As time progressed, I began transitioning from simple glamour shots to more of an artistic look. I began observing the works of photographers I greatly admire, which very much inspired me to use photography as an art form. Now, I plan images constantly in my mind and think of concepts/certain looks I would like to shoot. LF: What does photography mean to you? RB: Photography is a true extension of myself. It amazes me to see a photograph in my head and then go out, shoot that image, and have this thought become an actual visual representation.
LF: What do you try to portray through your photos? RB: Through my photographs, I seek to evoke a sense of memory or slightly ethereal beauty. What I like to do is to invent a memory, and through a photograph, portray that moment in a nostalgic way. LF: Where do you get your inspiration from? RB: I gather inspiration from natural light, the work of other photographers, historical decades, free spirited personalities, films, and music. I have certain phases where I only listen to old school rock, and that inspires me to adapt a more rebellious style and I also have days listening only to acoustic music, such as (my personal favorite) Bon Iver, where I’ll be inspired to take dreamy film photographs. LF: Do you prefer film or digital? Why? RB: Honestly, I love both too much to decide. I just recently bought myself the Canon 5D Mark II, which I am obsessed with. However, I have this philosophy that film captures a moment better than digital- I think it has something to do with my deep desire to have been born in a previous decade. There’s something about the honesty of film photographs and that anticipation of getting film developed that I love so much.
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Nishat Khan
http://www.flickr.com/cleanteeth/
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Victoria Y o u n g http://www.flickr.com/photos/victoriayoung/
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What inspires you to take photos? Youth mostly. Friends, problems, life. And the things that every adolescent wants to and needs to say, but is afraid to. My inspiration is based greatly of off my feelings and the feelings of those around me. Photography, to me, is a way to vent and record those feelings. I’m in love with and at the same time hate my generation, and that is why it is never difficult for me to come up with ideas.
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Music //
photo by meggie http://www.flickr.com/62614242@N03/
Creature Comfort
a simple winter playlist to play on repeat while reading classics and drinking tea
1. Holocene // Bon Iver 2. Your Hand in Mine // Explosions in the Sky 3. Kiss Me // Ed Sheeran 4. The Suburbs // Arcade Fire 5. Horchata // Vampire Weekend 6. Love is All // The Tallest Man on Earth 7. The Orchard // Ra Ra Riot 8. Breathe Me // Sia 9. Tessellate // Tokyo Police Club 10. Re: Stacks // Bon Iver 11. A Space to Grow // The Dangerous Summer 12. Wait it Out // Imogen Heap 13. We Don’t Eat // James Vincent McMorrow 14. Transatlanticism // Death Cab for Cutie 15. Fake Empire // The National Issue IV // 071
Eva Patikian http://www.flickr.com/eva_patikian/
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Natalia Peris
http://nataliaperis.blogspot.com
An Inspiring18 year old Photographer from spain
LF: How old are you and where are you from? NP: I’m 18 and I’m from Spain. I live in a village placed between lands and a dual carriageway. LF: When did you first start taking pictures? NP: Well, it all started because I’ve always liked writing. And I used to share my writings in a blog where I had to upload new pictures in order to create new posts. At first, I uploaded pictures that had been taken by other people. But then, someday, maybe inspired by all of the wonderful work I was surrounded by, I decided to start taking my own pictures. And I don’t want to stop.
LF: What does photography mean to you? NP: I think of photography in two different ways. First, it’s the way I can say things I can’t even put into words. There are concepts, ideas that transcend words. And I need to say those things. Photography allows me to make them happen. Photography allows me to make questions, to tell stories, to say those things. On the other hand, I also like to document everything. I like how I can keep my memories with me and make some journeys, some days last forever because of photography.
LF: How does photography impact your daily life? NP: I’m currently and absolutely obsessed with light. I get up in the morning and the first thing I do is to pay attention to the way light falls on my bed, on my bedroom walls, on any object. Also, now, I walk by the street, I’m sitting on a bus, I’m having dinner with my friends… And something happens or is happening, and I suddenly think “that’s a picture”, because somewhere, someone, something is placed in the right place at the right moment, and I would definitely like to turn it into a picture. It’s funny because I think it’s only after I’ve taken lots of pictures that I’ve realised, come to appreciate the beauty of this world and the little details in life. I pay attention to stuff I wouldn’t even have noticed if it wasn’t for my passion for photography. LF: Who or what inspires you? NP: Life, art and daydreams.
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LF: Do you prefer film over digital? If so, why? NP: Yes! There are several reasons why I do, but I’m going to focus on two of them. The first one is because there’s something magical about film. I can’t even explain what it is. It may be the colours, the grain, the texture... I find the look of film really beautiful, while I usually can’t see any beauty or so much beauty in digital pictures. In my opinion, film produces this different look, this special feeling that you just can’t get with a digital camera or with photo editors. Next, when you take a film picture, you take it because you want that moment to be with you, because it’s important to you. Digital photography will never understand such thing, because you get used to taking lots of photographs and then delete the ones you don’t like. Henri Cartier-Bresson said it before and better than I will ever do, “to me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event”.
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Lost Freedom Photography // Laia Xixons
Models // Mariona Vallès, Maria Oller, Eva Giménez and Anna Vila
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Lina Fochesato http://www.flickr.com/ photos/madreperlabianca/
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my own form of therapy by aishia funderburke
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aishia_captures/ As I lay on the floor I gazed at the ceiling. I always found myself counting the flower like patterns, they seemed never ending. I could hear the rain beating on my window. Sometimes I wondered if they actually were tears. If the sky was moody like all of us, and the times where it rained day after day was only because there are so many people on the earth but no one could really reach out for the sky to hug. My apartment was empty, as empty as me. It had been for while, more than I would have liked. But I guess it’s my fault? Or maybe I’m just so easy to blame myself for every little thing. I sat up wrapping my arms around my knees. My tights had a run down the side. As long as I’ve lived here I still haven’t taken the hint not to walk so
close to the stove. That handle never gives me a break. It’s the tiniest of things lately that have been putting me in these rages, these miniature rages. The vending machine taking my only dollar and not giving me my snack, the couple with their hands all over each other in the mall, that little old lady who can’t make up her mind on what to buy when I was supposed to leave work 10 minutes ago, and that little kid who made faces at me in traffic. I feel like I could cry forever, punch a wall or break a brick. It’s possible that this is normal? I wasn’t sad when he left, I showed no emotion. I watched him pack his things, I watched him set his key on the counter, and I watched him walk out the door. The door that he once walked into with a smile, lifted me in his arms and twirled about. Every night before we went to sleep he would whisper in my ear, ‘I love you and I always will’.
So if that were the case, then why isn’t he here? Is it really real? This word love, or is it merely just a feeling that eventually dies off? I thought I loved him, I felt so strongly about it. But as of right now he’s really only just a memory and the idea of him coming back doesn’t seem like an option. I stood up going over to the window. I placed my hands on the glass and laid my head along with them. The thuds of rain tapped against my ear as if they wanted in or like they were trying to tell me something. The chill of the outside settled on my cheek, I felt so calm in my own form of therapy. I stepped back as it started to pour harder. I remembered what we used to do on rainy days. We’d sit on the couch and he’d hold me close. I’d play with his hair and he’d start to doze off. The best part of it was he’d kiss each one of my finger tips. I ran a hand down my face and through my hair. I was making it worse, reminiscing had me tearing up. That’s the last thing I needed. My phone vibrated on the table, I had been ignoring texts and calls all day. Everyone cares when you’re not paying attention to them. I went over to the front closet sifting through coats and all the way in the back I found my rain boots. I quickly put them on and headed out. I walked down the stairs from the 3rd floor, all those stairs ignoring the elevator. For some reason I just wanted to run, I ran through the lobby and out the double doors. The man at the desk asked me if I was
okay, but I just ran… I just ran. 10 seconds outside and I was drenched, pushing and shoving pass people on the sidewalk. But I didn’t care, all I wanted was to run. I came to a park and I stopped myself. I looked up to the sky and I reached out my arms, as wide as they’d go. “I’M HERE FOR YOU!” I yelled. I probably sounded a bit mad to whoever could hear. I’ll admit this was silly of me, but I felt like I had to do something to make me feel right. The rain started to fade as pouring became occasional drops. A smile danced across my face when I saw the sun peak through the clouds. This rush of relief came over me, my bad mood squeezing its way out. Maybe the sky did hug me back or possibly it just stopped raining at this certain time. But that didn’t matter, for I was so much better. Breathing the air after the rain gave my back some sanity. I’ve come to terms that it all happens for a reason, break ups, bad hair cuts, coffee spills, and the awkward run in with that boy you had a crush on in high school. Time stops for no one it’s your choice to not give up. Fail? Try again, learn, and repeat.
Sofie Olejnik photographer from Germany http://sofieolejnik.blogspot.com/
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model: Ella Hurley photographed by Elizabeth Lim http://www.flickr.com/elizabethlim
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Ana Santl h t t p : / / w w w. f l i c k r . c o m / p h ot o s / a n a - a n a - a n a /
“photography is a need.
like breathing, but better.�
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New
Beginnings
it’s a new year, and a new start to everything. here’s to the end of year full of both amazing and terrible memories, and the start of what is going to be the best year of our lives. here’s a simple mixtape to start of the year and a reminder that you should be able to chase your dreams and do what you want.
1. The New Year // Death Cab for Cutie 2. Junk of the Heart (Happy)// The Kooks 3. Waste//Foster the People 4. Hurts Like Heaven // COldplay 5. Cameras // Matt&Kim 6. Time to Pretend// MGMT 7. Devil’s Work// Miike Snow 8. Young Blood// The Naked and Famous 9. Is This It//The Strokes 10. Lasso// Phoenix
Interested in being a part of Lost Freedom? We are always on the look out for talented young artists! Whether you’re an aspiring photographer, or writer, or painter, or such, we would love to take a look at your work and include you in a following issue. To submit your work, send an email to lostfreedommag@hotmail.com with the following information: 1. Your name, age, and location 2. A few examples of your work (i.e. photographs, writings, paintings, etc.) 3. A short statement as to why you believe your work should be featured in Lost Freedom Magazine Please keep in mind that not all submissions will be featured. If your work is chosen to be included, some interview questions will also be asked to be answered. If you’re interested in being a staff editor, photographer, or writer for Lost Freedom, applications are currently open! For more information on how to apply, read this: http://lostfreedommag.tumblr.com/post/14719907881/staff-applications *By submitting your work, you are agreeing to allow your pieces to be included in Lost Freedom Magazine, both online and in print form.
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