Summer of Self-Care
July 2016
Dear Readers, We declared this summer the summer of self-care. Starting with a simple question, “what does self-care mean to you?” we found our answer in unexpected places. We discovered kindness in the smiles of strangers we photographed in Little Tokyo, found strength in the stories of women leaders from Proyecto Pastoral in Boyle Heights, explored art and culture on the streets of Downtown L.A., and health over giggles in yoga class. We learned about self-love through discussions of body image and feminism, about mindfulness while photographing nature in Hollenbeck Park, and self-expression taking portraits of ourselves and of our peers. We captured our stories in this zine, as a commitment to self-care in our lives and our communities. We invite you to explore our stories, and join us in this pledge.
Our Self-Care Pledge I pledge: To accept myself. To love myself. To know my worth. To forgive myself. To be grateful. To be mindful. To be kind. To treat my body with respect, and accept it as it is. To nourish myself. To treat my mental health as well as I do my physical health. To take time for myself. To not compare myself to others. To give back to others. To treat myself with the same kindness that I treat my friends. To not be silent when my voice needs to be heard. To find joy everyday. To express myself everyday. To find and explore my passions. To keep being me and stay poppin’ To believe in myself. To recognize my inner strength. To challenge myself to keep growing. To be patient with myself. To love unconditionally. To build community. To stand for self-care throughout my life.
What is Self-Care? “Loving yourself and accepting yourself.” - Michelle Mata “Giving yourself the time to breathe.” - Sophia Ramos “Giving yourself the permission to be your number one priority.” - Shilpa Bhongir “Respect and self loving.” - Sonia Sanchez “To live the fullest and to not care about what people think.” - Amy Sandoval
What isn’t Self-Care? “I think one of the most important aspects to self-care is taking care of your own needs; therefore, by taking care of others needs and not your own is not a form of self care. It also isn’t a healthy way to live.” - Christina Montoya “Comparing yourself to others.” - Michelle Martin “Hating yourself for the things you can’t change.” - Ximena Gaytan “Being around negative people with bad vibes.” - Carolina Vincente “Having negative thoughts about yourself.“ - Trinity Sandoval “Not eating enough because someone judges your health habits.“ - Ruth Chaj
“It’s not what others define, it’s what you make it.” - Danette Bouzanquet
Stories Soledad Lopez is a member of Dolores Huerta Mission, she has been living in Boyle Heights for 50 years. She does all that she can for the community and herself as a volunteer in the Dolores Mission Church. To practice self-care she compliments herself with positive affirmations. The biggest challenge she faced trying to promote self-care is making people feel better about themselves. We asked her what she thought about feminism and she said that all girls could do what boys do. “As a girl we push forward without a man’s help, women and men have to be equal,” she said. She says she loves to be involved in the community and church, because she can participate and feel safe. Her children have always thanked her for always being there to help them and push them forward. To All The Mothers Little girls and boys Are like sponges. Taking in what is taught forever taking their rules in life I learned from Mama Self-Care is selfish. I saw her put her husband, children, mother, father before herself. I see her struggling. Losing sleep over her children cooking meals for her husband Not having a moment to herself Not having a moment to breathe Her hair is turning gray Her face is sinking I don’t want to be Mama It’s not Mama’s fault, she learned from her Mama This is where the cycle ends. - Sophia Ramos
Body-Positivity How do girls feel about body positivity? Curves, Thin, Big, and small we are all different, that’s okay, don’t change, you are you, you are unique. - Andrea Flores
“Always compliment yourself no matter what! Work your body out and cherish it!” - Amy Sandoval
“Be positive about yourself. Sometimes you could overthink the smallest things, and they might really get to you. However just remember that you are one unique, amazing person!” - Ruth Chaj
Health
“Health is to take care of yourself mentally and physically.” - Maya Rosado
“To keep yourself energized and using natural remedies.” - Kayla Pineda
“Staying healthy & having confidence in yourself.” - Luna Calderon
What is Health? “Health is a personal well being, soul, mind, body and heart. You got to take care of yourself properly to prosper.” - Sophia Ramos
“Health is eating right; treating your inside like you would your outside, tend to your body’s needs, take care of your mental health & making sure you socialize.” - Jaquelin Rosas
“You have to care for yourself, eat healthy, and do exercise. Self-care is to love yourself.” - Litzie Mendoza
s:
Tip h t l ea
H
Ti ealth
tal H
Men
Sit down and talk with your friends
rcise
Exe
ps:
• Eat Fruits • Eat Vegetables • Eat Whole Grains • Drink Water • Get your 8 hours of sleep • Take a stroll on the beach • Go running • Ride a Bike
Do Yoga
Culture There are many ways to practice self-care, but one way I practice self-care is to appreciate my culture and where I come from. The place I am from is Mexico. In my culture we celebrate different holidays and we eat different kind of food. The food we eat: • Tamales • Tacos • Spices/Chili “Some people have different type of cultures and are ashamed of where they come from. I want them to know that they shouldn’t pay attention to those with negative comments instead appreciate your culture because that is what makes you unique.” - Ximena Gaytan “I am from the Salvadorian, Mexican, and Dominican Culture. I would call my culture a blessing.” - Amy Sandoval “I am Mexican and Guatemalan. In the past, I have participated in Folk dances from Mexico.” - Sophia Ramos “My culture is Mexican- American. I love to dance to my culture’s music. I would describe it fun, loving, and creative.” - Sonia Sanchez
Feel-Good Spots in Los Angeles Self-care is all about feeling good and treating yourself when you need to. We all have a special spot that means a lot to us, when we are with family, friends, or simply alone. These spots all hold special warm memories and you might be able to relate!
“To me, Hollywood is where I can be myself. It’s unique, creative, and amazing.” - Andrea Flores “It’s a beautiful and colorful place that makes me feel at home and I love cultural things.” - Ruth Chaj “I like LACMA because it makes me feel happy and it also helps me forget about the bad things.” - Kayla Pineda
“I love Olvera Street because it brings me back to my roots.” - Sophia Ramos
“I chose the beach because it is what helps me relax. I like to feel the sand and ride my bike to the beach.” - Carolina Vicente
“Pershing Square is my favorite spot because it is the heart of DTLA and I hold many memories there. During the winter there is ice skating and during summer there are many events and lots of food trucks.” - Carolina Vicente
“I like to go to El Mercadito because I can really see my culture and where I am from.” - Ximena Gaytan
Passion! Many people think that passion is the same as a hobby but in reality, passion is more than just a hobby. Passion is something that you can’t control, you practice for hours and enjoy doing. It makes you feel great and you get to be your true self.
Why is Passion Important? Passion is so important because it is one of the few things that keeps us going. It shows who you are, who you want to be, and who you can become. People have accomplished many things because of their passion. Whether it is becoming a musician, chief, writer, swimmer, or runner. Just follow your passion and see where it leads you.
Interviews Carolina Vicente
Alexi Fernandez
Carolina is 17 years old and is currently attending VAPA [Visual And Performing Arts]. She is passionate about being able to bring people together with music and loves to express herself by singing, playing the flute, and taking pictures.
Alexi is 12 years old and is currently attending Rivera Middle School. She plays the drums and piano. Her passions are expressing herself with music and making up songs about her life. She also loves to daydream and mostly dreams about school over the summer.
How to find your passion Finding your passion can either be tough or easy. Of course it can be a little tough when you don’t know what your passion is, but it all depends on you. If you think that it will be hard then it might be but if you say it’s not hard and keep looking, you will find your passion. To find your passion you have to be brave. Go out there, try something new, and eventually you will discover your true passions. “When I was little I was never really interested in anything until I heard David Garrett playing the violin for the first time. From then on, I fell in love with the violin and when I play it I get to express myself and enjoy my passion. I never have or will get tired of playing the violin because I know it’s my passion.” - Ruth Chaj
Art How is self-care related to art? Looking at art can be a form of selfcare because it might reveal emotions you didn’t know you felt. Sometimes it makes you feel sad, gross, mad, happy, scared, weird, and much more. The art that I like to look at is art that inspires me and the art that makes me happy when I am sad. Here are three types of art that inspire me and make me happy: Musical Art
Statue Art
Street Art
I had asked my classmates: “What art do you like and how does it make you feel?” - Maya Santiago “I love theatrical art. The acting part mostly, but also to work behind the art such as the stage & technical work. It makes me feel alive & happy.” - Sophia Ramos “Trees, oceans, sun, especially the ocean. I like it because when I see the ocean it has no ending to it, and I love how it has no ending.” - Michelle Mata
“I personally like street art, it makes me feel safe, beautiful, & happy because it’s in my community & shows how talented people are.” - Ruth Chaj “The art that I enjoy & get inspired by is film. It makes me feel so excited when I edit it I ask myself ‘did I really take this?’” - Jaquelin Rosas
Relationships Relationships help us build our self-esteem, and support us in rough times. Relationships aren’t just a male and a female pair. Relationships can mean many things. For example, you can have a relationship with your dog, cat, food, clothing, even your shoes. This is Amy and Trinity having fun. They have an awesome smile and even have the same last name!
This is Michelle and Ruth. They have been best-friends since they were in the third grade. Their relationship has always stayed positive and strong. They are always laughing!
This is Luna and Sophia. A good friend is someone you can always play pat-a-cake with no matter how old you are.
Feminism “A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of woman and men.” - Gloria Steinem Feminism by definition means the belief that men and womxn should have equal rights and opportunities in politics, society and in the economy. For Andrea Flores, feminism means to be equal in society and having the same privileges as men. For example, equal pay. In general womxn earn $0.75 of the $1.00 a man earns. However Latina womxn make 54%, African American womxn make 64%, Asian American womxn make 90%, and White womxn make 78% compared to a white man. The wage gap is important between men and womxn but also between womxn themselves. To Alexi Fernandez feminism is where womxn can feel themselves without feeling bad about it because they feel okay being healthy and loving themselves. Moving on, feminism is related to self-care because as feminist we understand that taking care of your self is necessary and helpful in different ways. People in general tend to cater to other people’s needs instead of their own, especially womxn. As womxn (young and old) we need to care for ourselves - while men aren’t expected to do that because they don’t always have to put others before themselves. Feminism is the art of self-care because it reminds us that it’s okay to love ourselves. The act of feminism on self-care is important because us womxn get to be ourselves mentally, emotionally and physically.
As a girl, Boys tend to think we are weak That we are afraid to speak “You can’t do this” “You can’t do that” A girl can do whatever she wants We are independent We are mothers, daughters, friends and more But the important thing is We, women, are both strong and brave - Andrea Flores
Feminists Soledad Lopez of Dolores Mission Church says that feminism is a good thing because whatever a man can do a womxn can do it too. As a girl we push forward without a man’s help. Feminism is important because womxn and men get to be equal.
Danette Bouzanquet a mentor of Las Fotos Project says that feminism is a part of self-care because it takes a certain amount of self-respect to recognize when men aren’t respecting you.
Sophia Ramos, a student of Las Fotos Project says that feminism is a part of self-care because being self-involved may be wrong in a man’s point of view yet for a womxn it is a right.
Thank You Thank you to everyone who has made this zine possible! Our Sponsors: Natalie Yemenidjian Mary McCloud Elizabeth Virani Christopher Tickner Emily Grijalva Rebecca Carriaga Jacqueline Gonzalez Emily Linebarger Neeti Jain Angela Soley Alexander Keat Our Partners: Mujeres de Maiz Proyecto Pastoral General Assembly In Her Shoes
Julia Smith Rhianna Illube Pramila Nathan Tom Illube Vibhu Norby Eunice Ko Nuria Gordillo Alex Austin Miki Reynolds Kat Yalung Jude Molke Our Mentors: Sonia Sanchez LFP Alum Christina Montoya LFP Alum Monica Rauda LFP Alum Danette Bouzanquet Gia Trovela Dana Stopler Yessica Garcia Shilpa Bhongir Carolina Ibarra-Mendoza
To learn more about Las Fotos Project visit: www.lasfotosproject.org Follow Las Fotos Project on Instagram: www.instagram.com/lasfotosproject Like Las Fotos Project on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lasfotosproject
Alexi Fernandez
Luna Calderon
Ruth Chaj
Amy Sandoval
Maya Rosado
Sky Guererro
Andrea Flores
Maya Santiago
Sophia Ramos
Carolina Vicente
Michelle Martin
Trinity Sandoval
Jaquelin Rosas
Michelle Mata
Ximena Gaytan
Litzie Mendoza
Natalia Angeles
Las Fotos Project: The mission of Las Fotos Project is to inspire teenage girls through photography and mentorship. Las Fotos Project was founded in 2011 to provide girls, ages 12 - 18, with a healthy outlet for creative self-expression, helping them develop identity, self-esteem and skills to confidently navigate the world around them.