The Next Episode

Cali has nipped his Teenage Teardrops blog in the bud, at its 1000th post, and begun a new blog right here.



Here is a great conversation between Cali and Aaron Rose about his blog's rich legacy:

Aaron - Why did you first decide to start a Teenage Teardrops blog?

Cali - I can’t clearly recall any one reason. I had been toying with some blog type things and it seemed somehow to be a good idea. At the time I was going through a lot of inner turmoil. I started the blog and therapy at the same time, and have been doing both ever since. It felt like a good way to sort of consolidate my thoughts and my days, and to make sense out of them.

Aaron - In the beginning, did you originally have a concept for what it would be or have you just figured it out as you went along?

Cali - Definitely just figured it out as I went along. Still figuring it out as I go along.

Aaron - Why does it say "I Wish God Were Alive To See This" on the top?

Cali - I thought it was a fitting title. Like, I never thought I would want to do something that is at times so candid and have it available for public consumption. Also, it should be noted that that is a quote from Homer Simpson. Not joking.

Aaron - Every time I travel, especially in Europe, people not only know about
your blog, but almost religiously read your posts. It has become like a
window onto the Los Angeles scene for them. Was this part of you original
intention?

Cali - No way! When I hear that I tend to not really believe it. It is very flattering to me that anyone reads it at all, let alone folks from far away lands. I originally thought that maybe my close friends would read it.

Aaron - Every post has an obscure literary title. Where do you get them from? Do you ever write them yourself?

Cali - All most all of the titles are stolen from songs I am listening to or books I am reading. Occaisionaly I will have one that I came up with on my own. It’s funny with the song ones because I read it as it’s sung, but at some point I realized people would be just reading them as words. When I try that they don’t always sound as good.

Aaron - Do you think you've become a better photographer since you started? If yes, can you give an example?

Cali - I don’t know about giving you an example, but just by practicing I think I’ve gotten better. Take pictures every day for three years, get better. Makes sense, right? Also I think I’ve become less self conscious about taking pictures, and probably a little bit braver. Bravery in photography is where it’s at and that’s my goal. There was a woman in a hamburger stand on Halloween applying corpse paint to her 12 year old son and I felt too nervous to ask to take the pic, or to just take it, and I have been kicking myself ever since.

Aaron - How have you seen the Los Angeles that you document change since you first started making posts?

Cali - Well, sure. Everything in my life has changed certainly. It always does. One thing I’m sure of is it’s been changing for the better, personally. It HAS been a thrilling few years in LA also, heavy activity and tons of output on the part of nearly everyone I know. A very inspired time. There has been a lot of hype about LA in certain circles as well, but that is starting to die down I think. That’s the ebb and flow nature of things though, and I for one am excited for the inevitable LA backlash. That’s going to be fun! And really, it will be the same city, with the same people, doing the same wonderful things. Life and the creative flow will go on here whether it’s lauded or not. I have been and continue to be in love with Los Angeles.

Aaron - Do you have any favorite posts?

Cali - My favorite posts are always the most recent ones. I don’t really like looking back. I’m looking at tomorrow and what is possible in the future given what the present looks like.

Aaron - Why do you post so many photos of your girlfriend?

Cali - Well, the simple answer is because I am in love with her. I find that feeling to be very inspiring. I feel like I could just take pictures of her all day and make the whole blog a Jenna tribute, but she would probably kill me for that. But I am proud of her and her life and the life that we have made and are making, so I can’t see not taking pictures of it. Haha anyway it’s my blog and I will do what I want with it.

Aaron - Why are you moving? What does the future hold?

Cali - I decided to move, and to start over, about seven months ago. My life looks so different today than it did at the blogs inception, and I have had a new start in so many ways. It just seems logical to stop this blog here, at the thousandth post, and start a new one. As the time grew closer I found myself getting nervous about it, but that’s kind of the point. I am comfortable with this one and I want to feel challenged a little bit by starting fresh. I am someone who up until this point didn’t really do the same thing for very long, so I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for such a long time, and actually enjoying it all along. It has been an incredible way for me to learn. And I can’t really tell you what the future holds. I will continue to try and tell a story. That’s it. Storytelling..
posted by kramer at 5:43 PM
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