Meeting people on the internet has always been my favourite pastime. It used to be so fun and lovely, connecting with people back in Instagram’s heyday. That’s how I met a lot of my friends, like Tasha, Mas Isa, Amel, and many more. Lately, I feel like this ability to just connect with people online has diminished greatly as social media have been chasing commercial gain more and more.
Enter Threads—a not-so-new social media everyone feels skeptical about. The algorithm there is still pretty organic. My timeline is filled with people wishing to connect with others—both personally and professionally. I’m praying very hard that this writing won’t change the beauty of that platform. And this is where I met Wendy, a photographer who posted an open call for collaboration.
Meeting people on the internet has always been my favourite pastime. It used to be so fun and lovely, connecting with people back in Instagram’s heyday. That’s how I met a lot of my friends, like Tasha, Mas Isa, Amel, and many more. Lately, I feel like this ability to just connect with people online has diminished greatly as social media have been chasing commercial gain more and more.
Enter Threads—a not-so-new social media everyone feels skeptical about. The algorithm there is still pretty organic. My timeline is filled with people wishing to connect with others—both personally and professionally. I’m praying very hard that this writing won’t change the beauty of that platform. And this is where I met Wendy, a photographer who posted an open call for collaboration.
How It Started
So, here’s how it all started. Wendy posted an open call ob Threads around mid February, which I responded to straight away. Wendy told me that he wanted the project to feel like a collaboration that we’d brainstorm together. The line kind of went dead for a while after that, due to our respective busy schedules. It wasn’t until late March that Wendy reached out again. I shared my social media with him to give him an idea of my persona and we started discussing ideas.
It was the first weekend in April when we finally met online through a video meeting. We picked each other’s brains about where and when we should have this photoshoot. By that point, Wendy already had his first photoshoot from the collaboration project, so I asked about the process and how we could apply that here. We decided that ‘book’ should be the theme of the photoshoot—so that I could showcase my Take It Slow book. As for the place, we decided to look for book cafés or indie libraries. We scheduled the photoshoot for end of April.
So, here’s how it all started. Wendy posted an open call ob Threads around mid February, which I responded to straight away. Wendy told me that he wanted the project to feel like a collaboration that we’d brainstorm together. The line kind of went dead for a while after that, due to our respective busy schedules. It wasn’t until late March that Wendy reached out again. I shared my social media with him to give him an idea of my persona and we started discussing ideas.
It was the first weekend in April when we finally met online through a video meeting. We picked each other’s brains about where and when we should have this photoshoot. By that point, Wendy already had his first photoshoot from the collaboration project, so I asked about the process and how we could apply that here. We decided that ‘book’ should be the theme of the photoshoot—so that I could showcase my Take It Slow book. As for the place, we decided to look for book cafés or indie libraries. We scheduled the photoshoot for end of April.
Last Saturday, on 25 April, we finally met up at Ngoepi. It’s a little book café on Jl. Keuangan—pretty much right next to Museum Basoeki Abdullah. The place is rather small, quaint, and really homey. Wendy suggested we meet at 9 AM, just when the café was opening, so it would be more likely we could have the place all to ourselves. The owner was kind enough to let us use the space without having to pay a rental fee or so. All we had to do was order drinks and food—some coffee, chocolate and sweet snacks. The place was such a haven of plants and books, with kooky paraphernalia strewn all over the place. Without further ado, Wendy and I got straight to work.
Last Saturday, on 25 April, we finally met up at Ngoepi. It’s a little book café on Jl. Keuangan—pretty much right next to Museum Basoeki Abdullah. The place is rather small, quaint, and really homey. Wendy suggested we meet at 9 AM, just when the café was opening, so it would be more likely we could have the place all to ourselves. The owner was kind enough to let us use the space without having to pay a rental fee or so. All we had to do was order drinks and food—some coffee, chocolate and sweet snacks. The place was such a haven of plants and books, with kooky paraphernalia strewn all over the place. Without further ado, Wendy and I got straight to work.
How It's Going
Thrifted top (from weirdoinpink) | Bobo Tokyo skirt (defect sale) | Take It Slow book | ASICS GEL-NYC™ sneakers | all photos taken by Wendy Winata
The process was pretty simple. I trusted Wendy’s vision, so I let him direct me wherever and however he thought would look good. All I had to do was bring out my personality, since Wendy’s aim was to embed a touch of the model/collaborator in the photos overall. It was such a fun experience! We laughed a lot throughout the entire process. Having fun is really important, and I’m glad it’s such an integral part of the process. We also took a break in the middle to enjoy our food and drinks, where we shared insights and exchanged ideas about the creative industry—especially in this digital age. I love connecting with new people and see the world through different sets of eyes. It was an enjoyable experience through and through,
Thrifted top (from weirdoinpink) | Bobo Tokyo skirt (defect sale) | Take It Slow book | ASICS GEL-NYC™ sneakers | all photos taken by Wendy Winata
The process was pretty simple. I trusted Wendy’s vision, so I let him direct me wherever and however he thought would look good. All I had to do was bring out my personality, since Wendy’s aim was to embed a touch of the model/collaborator in the photos overall. It was such a fun experience! We laughed a lot throughout the entire process. Having fun is really important, and I’m glad it’s such an integral part of the process. We also took a break in the middle to enjoy our food and drinks, where we shared insights and exchanged ideas about the creative industry—especially in this digital age. I love connecting with new people and see the world through different sets of eyes. It was an enjoyable experience through and through,
This experience really reminded me that we can have all sorts of connection to make us feel happy and alive. I forgot how good it feels to make friends and widen my circle. I’ve always loved the feeling of getting to know something or someone new, no matter what the context may be. Love that April has become the month I rediscover my creativity all over again. Thank you so much to Wendy as well for the fun collaborative project! It was such a good idea and a fun experience. If anyone reading is a creative of any kind and would like to collaborate, please let me know! I’d love to do more fun projects like this.
Watch the process (and more) in the vlog down below!
This experience really reminded me that we can have all sorts of connection to make us feel happy and alive. I forgot how good it feels to make friends and widen my circle. I’ve always loved the feeling of getting to know something or someone new, no matter what the context may be. Love that April has become the month I rediscover my creativity all over again. Thank you so much to Wendy as well for the fun collaborative project! It was such a good idea and a fun experience. If anyone reading is a creative of any kind and would like to collaborate, please let me know! I’d love to do more fun projects like this.
Watch the process (and more) in the vlog down below!