Sometimes you need to unplug and be in the midst of nature. Just you, your person and a couple of good books. Perhaps you’ll even have an opportunity to write, brainstorm, laugh and remind yourself of just how fortunate you are to be alive. Thats what the girl and I did over the weekend in a very charming little bungalow at the top of Old Topanga Canyon. 

The most interesting thing about this experience was the fact that we only live fifteen minutes away from the bungalow but the vibe was as if we traveled for hours. There was no pounding sound of traffic, blaring sirens or the occasional passer-byers. It was as if everything was muted and nature was scoring the soundtrack of our time together. It was truly magical.

-Danny

The gal and I went on a little stay-cation and when we came back I returned to a bunch of packages. Most of them are for the new SSCC release but a few were for me; one being my new favorite SLR camera. I’ve been on the hunt for a Contax® RTS III for a year or so but I refused to pay asking price. I’ve seen them range from $500 to $700+ depending on the condition and if it comes with a lens or not. I figured I’d implement patients and would eventually find the right one. Well, that time finally came when I was able to haggle this beautiful camera with a 50mm 1.7 Carl Zeiss® lens for $400 shipped from Japan, which is a great deal. I’ve never held or used the RTS III before buying one and the thing that made me lust over the internet for a year was the beautiful design that the Porsche® Industrial Design team was responsible for drawing up in 1990. I must say, it captured my attention on the screen but it surpassed my expectations when it arrived. In short, I fell in love with this camera as soon as I unboxed it but I became obsessed with it after the first press of the shutter. I cant wait to see what I create with this bad boy.

-Danny

We added a new selection of shooters to the Camera Club.

-Danny

When I first launched the Camera Club idea I wasn’t sure what direction it would go or if people would even be interested in purchasing cameras from us. For the first release I wasn’t prepared in the slightest and blindly launched the project without an agenda set in place. The only thing I knew was that I wanted people to put down their phones and pick up a point and shoot film camera. When everything sold out, I was a bit surprised but more than anything I was happy that people were about to experience what its like to shoot a roll of film (if they haven’t already). 

When it came time to pack the cameras, I pretty much just wrapped them in bubble wrap and sent them off to their new homes. It felt very impersonal and I wasn’t happy about it. Packaging, to me, is one of the most important aspects when setting the tone of a buyers experience. I didn’t want the Camera Club to feel like it was something as mediocre as purchasing an old camera from eBay. I wanted there to be thought and effort behind it so I started experimenting with a few DIY packaging ideas. After a couple of test runs I finally opted for our new rip-top air tight heat sealed bags, which also come boxed for extra protection during the transit segment. 

This is just phase two of the SSCC initiative and eventually I’ll roll out all of the ideas that I see in my head. 

Create Daily

-Danny

I try to practice only making things that I actually need. In fact, pretty much everything that I’ve ever released is something that I’ve needed at one point or another on my SS journey (yes, that even includes the condoms and coke-spoon keychains that we put out a few years ago). I’ve used this approach for two reasons. One, I create for myself first, which helps keep me free from becoming a servant to a preconceived monetary agenda. Two, I don’t care if anyone buys the stuff I make because I know my circle and I will use them. Having this mindset makes it extremely rewarding when people outside of my bandwidth acquire SS goods. My products have traveled across the globe many times over again and yet I’ve never once left the country. The thought of that blows my mind and puts a huge smile on my face. 

I wrote out a long transparent and heartfelt Instagram post on why I made these coffee mugs and why they mean so much to me. The short version is – this one phrase, this one motto absolutely changed my life. That’s not to say that if you buy this cup you’ll get sober, fix your depression or spiritually and financially become wealthy. No, these mugs are not a cure-all, but they will remind you everyday, every morning, to fight to get what you want and to become who you were always meant to be.

Available here.

-Danny

I’m a firm believer in only working with individuals and companies that have the same energy and values that align with your own. Degs & Sal® is definitely one of the brands that I creatively admire and strongly believe in. Hell, most of my favorite jewelry pieces are ones that I bought from them well before we even started building a creative relationship.

-Danny

We just added a new catalog of compact point and shoot cameras. Some are from my personal collection and some are just cool shooters that we felt would be the perfect fit in the right hands. We tried to carefully curate this release with only excellent condition offerings. Happy shooting.

Available here

-Danny

It’s official, I just kicked off the dedicated Steezy Studios Camera Club Instagram account. This is where I’ll be showcasing some of my personal point and shoot collection through a curated design language as well as stuff that I’m into. You can also catch glimpses of what new offerings we’ll be listing on our Camera Club section. I must say, I’ve been having a lot of fun working on this and it’s nice to be excited about social media again. 

If you purchased or plan to purchase a camera from us, please be sure to tag us!

-Danny 

I did it. I finished my first full-day juice cleanse and the experience was unlike anything that I thought would transpire. Firstly, I didn’t anticipate that six bottles of juice acting as entire entrees could fill up my stomach as much as they did. It’s recommended that you drink a bottle every two hours followed by 8oz of water after each beverage. By the 3rd and 4th bottle I was beginning to have a difficult time keeping it down. So, let me walk you through my day.

Bottles 1-2

I started my cleanse at 8am and was excited to see what feelings or effects I might experience throughout the day. There wasn’t much hunger after the first and second bottle and to be completely honest, I was feeling good, especially after the Citrus 1, which I found to be extremely delicious. 

Bottles 3-4

After the third and forth bottles I found myself to be in an amazing mood with tons of energy. Honestly, I even looked at the bottle and asked myself what the hell they put in this stuff. I had meetings and I needed to present in a group atmosphere. I noticed my mind was extra sharp and fully awake. I felt “alive” and the energy was felt throughout the space. I even danced with my girl in our living room as soon as she got home for no reason at all. Now, this is a usual daily occurrence for us but my moves were extra spicy and had a pinch more of pizzazz than usual. We were groovin’ and turned our hardwood floor into a disco for two. 

Bottles 5-6

By this point it was 4pm and I was on my fifth bottle. At first, the two hour window between drinks goes by super fast and you question if your stomach can accommodate all of the liquids, but now I was beginning to feel full but definitely not satisfied. Even with the hunger sensation starting to kick in, I couldn’t believe my energy level was still intact. I didn’t experience a crash as I usually would after a late lunch followed by numerous cups of coffee. With this being said, I had my last juice at 6pm which is my cut off time for my intermittent fasting schedule and at this point I was definitely experiencing some hanger as my mood was shifting to the other side of the spectrum. Thankfully the last “juice” was the Vanilla Almond Milk which was more of a dessert type of vibe than an actual juice. Perhaps it’s the gold-star of the kit for a job well done. I doubt it’s recommended but I added a teaspoon of cinnamon and it drastically transformed the taste to that of an horchata. What? I’m a creative, it’s my job to color outside of the lines. 

So what happened after 6pm? Well, things were fine until around 9pm when I heard an all too familiar knock at the door from my old friend, the hunger monster. My mood fully transitioned and a headache was beginning to form. My stomach no longer housed any trace of the nourishments that my bladder has by now fully expelled. I was definitely hungry so by 10pm I decided to simply call it a night. 

In conclusion, would I do this again? Absolutely. Even at the time of writing this blog post (9:30am) I’ve still yet to eat. After reflecting on my experience over my morning coffee, I realized the discomfort that I was feeling was temporary and definitely mostly mental. Knowing this and listening to my body, I know I can juice for much longer the next time I explore a cleanse. I still keep thinking about how much damn energy I had, and the mood, my mood was nothing short of spectacular. Today I feel as if I hit the reset button on my mind and gut and have come back into alignment. If you’re healthy and live a active lifestyle with a focus on your wellbeing but still feeling cloudy or experiencing any sort of blockage, creative or otherwise, I highly recommend you give this a try. Do it in a safe manner with some preparation and use a juice company that you trust; or if possible, press your own organic ingredients from your local farmers market. That’s what I’ll be doing for round two. Okay, my 10am food alarm just went off, time to dive face first into some much deserved avocado toast.

-Danny

The feeling of getting packages delivered from all across the world never seems to get old. I have broken many of my addictions but camera collecting, or hoarding to some, is a vice that I just can’t seem to kick. It’s to the point where I quite often find myself scrolling through the blue-screen until 2am searching for my next fix. I don’t recommend going down this costly and timely rabbit hole, but if you decide to dive in head first, I created a new instagram account that will showcase cameras that I’m into or ones that I’m willing to let go of for a fair price. I’ll be adding photos and information on them so you know what to look for if you’re also in the market for a new film compact. I highly encourage any collectors out there to submit their favorite point & shoots so I can post them (and tag you of course). Eventually I would like this to bloom into an actual camera meetup where we can nerd-out over film shooters and talk about photography.

Be sure to follow the Steezy Studios Camera Club Instagram account as I hope to build a network and social setting for camera collectors and camera snobs alike; or for those who are simply just curious about cameras and which one they should buy. I really, and I say this with a tremendous amount of honesty, I really hope everyone out there at some point uses a film camera. I cannot express to you enough the feeling you get when you load a roll of film and then get your scans back for the first time. Its one of those experiences that consistently seems to uplift my day, my mood and my creativity, which in turn, has me hooked.

-Danny