MOMENTS MAGAZINE
ISSUE 2
AIJA MAYROCK Sarah Barrios, Maysa Askar, + Bookcon and tour exclusives from Pvris and Future Hearts Tour
SARAH BARRIOS page 4
MAYSA ASKAR page 8
BOOKCON page 12
AIJA MAYROCK page 14
pvris page 20
FUTURE HEARTS TOUR page 22
MOMENTS MAGAZINE ISSUE TWO - JUNE 2015 CREATOR: PAULA ARAUJO EDITORS: PAULA ARAUJO Samantha Capaldo LYNDSEY NADEAU WRITERS: PAULA ARAUJO BRIDGET FoRnarO PHOTOGRAPHER: PAULA ARAUJO designer: paula araujo VISIT US AT: momentszine.com CONTACT: momentszine@gmail.com @MOMENTSZINE
momentsmagazine moments-magazine
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SARAH BARRIOS Story and photos by Paula Araujo
WITH AN IMMENSE LOVE FOR LITERATURE, it’s no surprise Connecticut singer-songwriter, Sarah Barrios, uses her music as a medium to tell stories. Meeting up with her at a library turns out to be the perfect setting. She may be dressed entirely in black, but her violet hair matches her vibrant personality. Having penned songs since the age of 13, Sarah is talented, ambitious and driven. Now at 21, her hard work has paid off; she has received several nominations for her talent and was awarded the Best New Act of the Year at the New England Music Awards. She says songwriting is her favorite aspect of the creative process. “It’s a nice kind of way for me to emotionally get my feelings out, but also creatively come up with an idea or a story to tell through music.” Growing up, Sarah had a typical childhood. She played soccer, competed on a dance team, earned some extra cash with a job, and even enrolled in college for some time. Music, however, proved to be the constant in her life, which lead her to ultimately take the leap and pursue her passion full time. “I thought...maybe [my music career] doesn’t go anywhere, but at least I could say that I tried and that I enjoyed myself while doing it.” Luckily for Sarah, music had always been a lingering influence at home. She credits her father and brother as a driving force for her choice to learn how to play the guitar. When her brother, Jonah, told their father he wanted to play the guitar, Sarah wasn’t initially interested in picking up the instrument. She says when Jonah quickly lost interest, she thought, “Well, if he’s not going to do it, then I’m going to do it.” Her goal at first was only the ability to play along to songs on the radio, but she quickly became intrigued
when she realized she could create her own melodies and write lyrics to go along with them. Music was evidently becoming more than a hobby that she focused on in her free time. The moment she began playing in front of crowds was when she realized this was what she wanted to pursue. “You can play to your bedroom mirror, but it’s not going to respond to you, versus playing to a room of people,” Sarah says. “And whether it’s a good response or not, it’s a response nonetheless...so I think this is the first time I was like ‘Okay, this is really something I want to do.’” When she decided to dedicate herself to music full time, her family and friends were tremendously supportive. “My mom has been really involved. Having the support from your family and friends is good to have to fall back on when things aren’t the best.” Sarah’s influences are an eclectic range from Ed Sheeran, Halsey, Melanie Martinez, and The 1975. As a group of musicians who are known for including strong narratives in their songwriting, it’s clear why Sarah strives to accomplish this in her music as well. “With songwriting, I feel like you get to write a small little book. And for me, I create these characters and create a conflict and I write the song based off of that.” Sarah had only worked independently on her music until recently, when she decided to collaborate with other songwriters. She says that co-writing has been a great experience. “It’s nice to say an idea and have somebody bounce back on that with a different idea. It’s a flowing communication versus you just sitting there. Somebody’s going ‘Yeah, that’s good but maybe it can do this or maybe it can do that.’ So it’s nice having someone kind of play devil’s advocate a little bit.” 5
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" at least i could say that i tried and that i enjoyed myself while doing it." While Sarah’s musical journey has been rewarding with a positive response from fans, this doesn’t mean it has come without obstacles. One of the greatest challenges for most new artists is figuring out exactly where they belong in the music industry. Sarah says she identifies with this struggle, especially since she enjoys a wide variety of music. Fortunately, she’s developed a confidence to voice what she does and doesn’t like, and says she has come a long way from not knowing who she was as an artist. “I think that has been the most difficult thing— trying to figure out what kind of direction I want to take my music and stick to it.” At this rate with Sarah’s ambition, her trajectory will open the door to several valuable opportunities. For now, she plans to focus on creating and releasing music more in tune with how she defines her sound, as well as innovative ways to lyrically compose her music.
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MAYSA ASKAR Interview by Paula Araujo Photos courtesy of Maysa Askar
WITH GOOD VIBES AND VIVID HAIR, 23-year-old Maysa Askar has spent the past eight years with a camera by her side. A trip to Palestine sparked her interest in photojournalism and eventually inspired her to focus on photography in college. A few years ago, she began pursuing photography professionally from commercial-based work to being featured in publications such as AP Magazine. Who inspired you to follow your dreams? All of the photographers I discovered through the magazines I flipped through for hours when I was younger. I’d send them emails all the time asking for advice about the industry and they would always write back with encouraging words. Once I graduated high school, I was pretty much convinced by them to move forward and make this into a career. Who do you look to for inspiration in the industry? My list of inspiration is never-ending but the ones that immediately come to mind are Megan Thompson, Jered Scott, Ryan Russell, Tom Barnes and my good friends, Matt Vogel and Sam San Roman. What is your favorite thing about photography? Capturing memories. I have clients from the past who still reach out to me years later to tell me how much they appreciate their photos by me and how they still remember the exact time the photo was taken.
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How would you describe your style? I don’t really know how to describe it because I try to change up with almost every photo I take. I feel like I’m a little all over the place. Editing wise, I build presets but I never really use the same one more than twice because I try to learn new editing techniques with every photo. I can say I try to mimic a film style with most of my work. When I was in high school I used to play around with film cameras quite a bit so when I discovered Photoshop and Lightroom, I tried my best to have those vintage tones and grain appear in my digital work. What has been the most rewarding thing so far? Knowing that there are people who can recognize my work without a watermark or photo credit feels pretty rewarding. It makes me feel like I have a distinct style that people can pick out of a ton of images and know it was taken by me. What has been the most challenging thing? Dealing with the business. If there was one thing that fellow photographers and mentors have nailed in my head is that it’s 75% business and 25% photography. You could take the most incredible photos anyone has ever seen but if you don’t know how to sell yourself, you may crash and burn in this industry. What has been your biggest accomplishment? My biggest accomplishment would have to be being published numerous times in a magazine I’ve been subscribed to since I was about 12 years old. Seeing my work printed is something I’ll never get over. 10
When did you have that ‘a-ha’ moment when you realized this is what you wanted to do for the rest of your life? It was probably when I photographed my first real concert for an actual publication. It felt exhilarating having the access to be so close to the stage with thousands of fans behind you while you do your thing. I still have that exact feeling whenever I photograph any show, big or small.
What are your short term goals and long term goals? I feel like right now I’m in the midst of my short term goals: work at a studio, freelance, build up clientele, and photograph as many shows as I can. My long term goals consist of owning my own studio one day and touring with numerous artists consistently.
How important do you think education and getting a degree is in regards to photography? In regards to photography, I don’t find a degree to be necessary. I went to college and completed my AS degree only because I learn better from mentors and being hands on in a classroom. If you can retain information better by being self taught and learning from tutorials online, then save the money and skip school. In the end, it comes down to having a great portfolio. You may run into a situation where you and another photographer want the same job but you’re lacking an education so the company will end up choosing the other photographer with a Bachelor’s degree over you. If that happens, don’t fret. Your work will speak for itself and more opportunities will come your way.
“It felt exhilarating having the access to be so close to the stage with thousands of fans behind you while you do your thing. I still have that exact feeling whenever I photograph any show, big or small.”
What has been the best advice that’s been given to you? Don’t focus on what someone else is doing, focus on yourself. In the past I focused way too much on what other photographers were creating which made me want to give up and sell my camera since I felt like my work couldn’t even compare. I still get a little lost in another photographer’s career from time to time but shooting a show or two just rejuvenates my passion for it.
What do you hope people take away from your art? I hope when they look at my art they feel inspired to create art of their own. I’ve met kids who say they’re inspired by my work but can never do the same because too many people are trying to do the same thing so they don’t have a chance. Don’t be discouraged by that silly saying “everyone is a photographer.” Stay true to your art and you’ll become recognized.
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Javits Center, NYC May 30 Main Event Hall Panels
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Featuring: Nick Offerman, Paul Rudd, Paper Towns Cast & Crew, Aziz Ansari, Mindy Kaling, and BJ Novak
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Aija Mayrock Story and photos by Paula Araujo
Hair and makeup by Jessi Butterfield
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“I want to be a writer and actress that gives voice to the voiceless through my art.” IT IS A WARM SPRING DAY AT THE HIGH LINE in New York City when I meet up with Aija Mayrock. She is radiating with confidence, standing tall with platform shoes, and enthusiastic about starting our interview and photoshoot. With such a sweet disposition, it’s baffling how she was once a target of bullying for much of her childhood and adolescence. Luckily for her, she found a healthy and productive outlet to channel that negative energy by writing about her experiences. This led her to become an anti-bullying activist, actress, screenwriter, and writer. Her writing career and activism began when she was only 14 after entering a competition for student filmmakers and screenwriters. This was when she realized she could successfully raise awareness about the issue through her passion for writing. At the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, she accepted an award for screenwriting through the The 10-10-10 Student Screenwriting and Filmmaking Competition. “It was a really pivotal moment for me because I don’t know if I believed in myself before that moment.” Now at nineteen, she has inked a deal with Scholastic. On June 30, the California native and current NYU student will have her original self-published novel, The Survival Guide to Bullying: Written by a Kid for a Kid, republished under Scholastic. Aija knows first-hand the thoughts that run through a kid’s mind when being bullied. She grew up without having a survival guide to reference during those tough times, which is what inspired her to write the book. “I thought that there was something wrong
with me and that it was my fault [I was being bullied] because I couldn’t understand why exactly,” she says. “The first chapter of the book is ‘Why Me?’ Why is this being initiated towards me? Through writing the book, I was able to heal myself and really answer so many of the unanswered questions I had.” Bullying has been a hot topic in the last several years, with many organizations and public figures raising awareness about the issue—especially with the transition from bullying on the playground to cyberbullying. Before kids virtually lived on social media and cell phones, society associated bullying with kids being stuffed in lockers or their lunch money being stolen. Now in the digital area, bullying follows kids home and can happen anytime on various platforms. Even for Aija, sometimes it was hard to realize it was happening. “I knew something was wrong and I knew I didn’t deserve to be treated that way. And I didn’t know what to call it. When people said bullying I was like, ‘Oh, that’s not happening to me.’ I think that’s something that’s really important is to realize that bullying is such a broad spectrum.” The Survival Guide to Bullying takes on a refreshing perspective coming from a young person who has recently experienced it. Kids and teens may be scared to approach an adult when they’re being bullied, but now they can reference the book and find it relatable. Aija hopes to inspire kids to achieve their dreams, despite their struggle with bullying. After all, she is living proof. “I hope my readers can understand that bullying doesn’t define them, that they can go on to 17
achieve their dreams and have the life they dreamed of, that their past of being bullied doesn’t have to affect their future.” Aija has already received responses from readers across the globe on social media, email, and in person. She finds this the most rewarding part of her writing career. “I got an email yesterday from a girl in Germany. It makes me feel like all the years I spent being bullied and writing this book and not really sure where I was going...it makes me feel like I did the right thing,” she says. “When I go to events, I get approached by girls and boys who are so open and honest with me, which I think is so brave because I never would have been able to do that.” Aija went on to explain how she recently participated in an event for Girls’ Life Magazine where a girl approached her in tears. After hearing Aija’s story, the girl realized she had the ability to overcome her struggles with bullying and look forward to a bright future. “I almost started crying because I can’t believe that I can actually help someone with my story,” she says. Aija is currently working on her next book as well as some digital projects. Whether she’s writing or acting, her goal is to use her talents to make a difference. “I want to be able to be a writer and actress that gives voice to the voiceless through my art.” 18
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PVRIS JUNE 1, 2015 NYC
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THE STUDIO AT WEBSTER HALL
Photos by Paula Araujo 21
FUTURE HEARTS TOUR JBL LIVE PIER 97 NYC FEATURING: STATE CHAMPS TONIGHT ALIVE ISSUES ALL TIME LOW
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Photos by Paula Araujo 23
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