Entry 10: New Lens, Committed Ideas, and a whole lot of coffee
- Dezaos
- Jun 2
- 5 min read
June 2nd, 2025
You know, a week can either have a lot of things happen, or, nothing at all. As the title of the post informs you, I bought a new lens since the last post. I also have an idea of what I want to premiere with on Dezaos, Corner of Andre's St, and Dezaos Creatives.
Let's break down a few things here. First, let's grab a cup of Blueberry Ube Iced Latte from The Lost Shoe and walk with me.
Item 1) The Library - Two new books, and an idea on how to make money as a creative.
I went to the library for shins and giggles a few days ago, and I picked up two books I thought were interesting. I also attended an English Practice Class in an attempt to network with others, but not much results happened, but I was glad to help people with speaking to them in English.
Back to the books, I picked up two titles that could provide insight on how I could rise Dezaos Creatives:
Make Money with Your Digital Photography by Erin Manning
The Design of Books by Debbie Berne
I began to read Manning's book before the class and found the chapter on Marketing really enticing to take action on. I skimmed a little before going home and have the two books ready for the next quiet time I have. That said, an understanding to overcome a bad habit is in observation; I have trouble reading books. I'm not sure why, I just do. Trying to read the Bible, intrusive thoughts come to mind, and distractions present themselves. I am distraught by it. I try to read the books I have here, but regardless, I intake some information but lose it. So, here's what I want to adapt into my schedule -> Book Time.
I want to read more, but how can I?
AudioBooks, and writing what I read here, or Dezaos Creatives, if it's relevant to film.
We finish the first cup of coffee. From the Cafe, we head home for the day. At home, we play a little bit of Minecraft and end the two-week phase as we finish the build, delete the world, and pull up YouTube to watch before going to sleep for the night.
Item 2) Dezaos, Corner of Andre's St, and Dezaos Creatives - The possible schedule
I spoke with a friend of mine last week, and he recommended I write a production schedule as if posting was a weekly homework or exercise for a creative. So, I went to my mirror, pulled out an Expo marker, and wrote on the mirror what I would do for June. More of that information is available on YouTube, linked below.
TL: DR (To Long, Didn't Read) wise, Dezaos will feature the same ideas I had for the Capstone video, Dezaos Creatives has a new channel for just ready projects and reviews, and Corner of Andre's St is a rebranding of the old DC channel meant to show behind the scenes content as well as the "He's explaining his thought process" channel.
Note: I have the Scarlett 4i4 and Shure SM7dB to incorporate into the build, a wire management system to set up, and headphones to purchase, but those will come in at their proper times.
Hopefully, I can learn to keep a schedule with the mirror every month as I continue to search for a job, but also not be idle with my creatives at the same time. Speaking of...
We wake up and feel drained from the night before. The YouTube session had us go through a huge rabbit hole on how Cloverfield was connected to Portal and Half Life... and Star Trek, Mission Impossible, A Quiet Place, ect. it goes so far deep... I need another cup of coffee.
Item 3) The New Lens - Had a tism moment, but also wanted to add to my collection.
A few weeks ago, Abba Flow Up posted a Volleyball tournament opening in the group chat, and I took advantage to ask if I could join, not as a player, but as their photographer. I was welcomed with open arms to join. Realizing my 70-350mm APS-C lens wasn't going to be sufficient for the game, as it would occur indoors and with a much larger stadium than I anticipated, I searched for a full-frame lens that could be of use. I settled for a 200-600mm Sony Lens and bought a used one promptly after learning that I could not rent one without a credit card (I would rather stay with a debit card at this moment).
In my defense, one free shoot could lead to a paid shoot sooner or later, and my efforts won't go in vain. I ended up paying around $1,800 for an excellent condition lens and decided to go to *Martha's Vineyard the following week for practice.
*I was bored and said, "let's make today's filler episode worth it", ok?
So, now I have a plan for my socials, a new lens to shoot with, and hopefully a good beat for the next month. All that was left were profit opportunities.
Going back to The Lost Shoe after the day has progressed, coffee flows through me once more, and a card on the cafe's notice board catches my eye:
XYZ Creatives
Last Item - Profits, Commissions, and Coffee - A possible idea I could do for making money.
I want to state this: I am still learning marketing for creatives. Hence, I picked up the two books from Item 1. As I overcome my struggles with reading, I want to apply the knowledge from those books to my work as a creative. I continue to clean this site for proper use, came up with some ideas on what I could do for commissions, as well as a "wishlist" of materials I would like to purchase as an investment. The first item, the lens, is already being used as I learn to use it for event photography, starting with the volleyball tournament. The next tackle is getting a photo printer for my graphic design services, and prints I'd like to sell. The other being a new body (a7 iii or equivalent for good video). These things will take time, and a whole lot of learning of the trade.
I am 21, turning 22 in a few days.
But I have time.
And I'll win.
Not just by drive, but by faith that God will set all things in motion of his own accord. There's no more coffee, but that's ok. I have more than what I needed for now.
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