How Gabby Agustin is Empowering Gen Z Women of Color

An example of Gabby Agustin’s photography. All photos here are provided by Gabby.

Gabby Agustin is a storyteller,

uplifting the voices of Gen Z girls of color through her podcast, Off She Goes. She and I sat down over a phone call to chat about her entry into podcasting, her photography career, and her aspirations for college and beyond.

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Iris: Hi Gabby! Thanks for taking the time to chat with me. I’d love to get started by you sharing a bit about yourself and how you got to where you are today.

Gabby Agustin, photographer and host of Off She Goes

Gabby: I’m Gabby Agustin. I’m 19 years old and was born in Manila, Philippines. I moved to the states when I was sixteen and since coming here, I’ve been interested in art and something in the creative field. The summer after I moved, I did an internship at Los Angeles Fashion Week and that's where I really grew my photography. I also attended a lot of photography meet-ups in LA and the Orange County area. Every summer since then, I’ve continued to pursue internships related to PR, marketing, communications, etc. I’m now a junior at UCLA studying communications and it’s really exciting.

I dabble a bit in everything in terms of communicating. My passion for photography started that and I began to dabble in graphic design, now podcasting, more writing on the side. The core of everything that I do is storytelling. I try to empower the communities I am a part of and share unheard stories, the voices of underrepresented communities.

Iris: I like how you have the goal of storytelling and exploring all these types of mediums to do so. You’re great at photography but at the same time there are other ways that are going to reach people differently. I would love to learn more about the meet-ups you mentioned. How did you find those and what was it like attending?.

Gabby: All throughout instagram, honestly. I followed a lot of photography pages and one of them posted a summer day meet up in Venice beach. Since I had just moved here, I didn’t know anyone and I thought this would be a great time for me to build my portfolio. I attended the event in the afternoon and models, stylists, and photographers from all over the area were there.

I kind of knew already what my interests were – communications, PR, marketing – and I typed out keywords, found people in my area, and looked at their resumes on LinkedIn to see how they got there, what companies they worked at, and that’s part of how I’ve built my network

“Throughout this process, I want my style and voice to be strong and I want it to be inspiring. I want to bring my passion for Asian representation, for immigration reform, for intersectional feminism, into the things that I do.”

Iris: Yeah, even for my magazine, I’ve relied on Instagram to get it’s initial following and even now, most of the people I talk to I find on Instagram. It’s also cool to hear you’re still using LinkedIn. It’s surprising to me because LinkedIn is traditionally in the college world and recruiting.

Gabby: I made my LinkedIn when I was sixteen or something and it was intimidating. Everyone there was so much older and very corporate. I felt ambitious and I like seeing that resume with all of my achievements and it motivates me to see other people too. I gain a lot of inspiration, also on Instagram, seeing all these strong Asian women doing amazing things and it inspires me to do the same.

Cover Art by Pat Fermin

PODCASTING

Iris: Putting all the creative achievements on LinkedIn is definitely interesting in that it combines the more creative side with the traditional world. With dabbling in a lot of different areas and growing your network, what prompted you to start a podcast?

Gabby: I’ve been an avid listener since 2018. Over time I’ve realized that this is something I wanted to do. I’m a communications student and I don’t want to box myself into photography. I’ve always had a podcast in the back of my mind but I didn’t really have the time with school. But now, being in lockdown, I had the privilege of thinking about what I want to do with my “free time.”

I love podcasts that are interview-style, career and advice related, and women-empowered. I realized that I hadn’t really seen any podcasts that specifically featured conversations with Gen Z girls of color. Like I mentioned earlier, the core of everything I do is amplifying diverse voices and I feel like Gen Z is overlooked in the media – we’re still not really taken seriously – and even more for Gen Z girls of color. I wanted to create that inclusive and safe space where I can invite all these amazing girls and share their stories.

Iris: I absolutely love that. I can tell that even though your podcast is relatively new, there is no shortage of Gen Z girls of color doing amazing things. What has been the best part and hardest part so far?

Gabby: The best part for sure is meeting and learning more about my guests. Before I started the podcast, I made a masterlist of people I wanted to interview. I only see so much on their Instagram so being able to talk to them in-depth for thirty-plus minutes is great. Every time I record with them, I feel energized and inspired by their journey. Another best part is getting feedback. I’ve gotten messages from people saying how inspired they feel from listening to my podcast. It makes me really happy to see because sometimes I think no one really listens to my podcast and it makes me happy to hear someone cares about it. I want for my listeners, no matter what your background is, you feel inspired and motivated to pursue whatever it is you want to pursue.

In terms of the hardest part, sometimes when I want to reach out to a bigger personality, they might reject the offer. They have busy schedules, but that’s a challenge that I’ve noticed.

CREATIVE STYLE

Iris: It’s exciting to be getting good responses to the podcast and I know there are girls out there who might not have peers that are also women of color and they need to hear those stories. You’re also an incredible photographer with your own style and everyone you’ve interviewed has had their own style. How has your photography style developed and changed?

Gabby: Back home, I shot with friends and classmates my age. I’ve now shot with professional models, bloggers, and brands. I’m self-taught, all through Youtube, and something I’ve really seen change and evolve is my clients. Early in my work, especially when I first came here, I gravitated towards shooting white models. That mindset, back home, those people with eurocentric are more “model” types. This past year, I’ve done a 180. I’m more mindful of the type of people I cast in my photoshoots – I just don’t want it to be a white, tall, skinny model. I’m trying to make sure the people in my photographs are people of color, are from different backgrounds, different sexualities and religions. It’s something I plan to continue doing my photography and also work with more people my age.

Throughout this process, I want my style and voice to be strong and I want it to be inspiring. I want to bring my passion for Asian representation, for immigration reform, for intersectional feminism, into the things that I do.

Iris: How have you gone about finding other young creatives? I know you attend those meet-ups, are those people usually on the younger side?

Gabby: The first couple meet-ups that I did were all older people, in their twenties. I was probably one of the few teenagers there. It definitely felt intimidating and very out of place. It’s the same with my internships so far – I was the only teenager in the office. I am very lucky to be surrounded by people who really know what they're doing, but it felt isolating because it felt like I couldn’t relate to anyone.

Instagram, that’s where I find a lot of people my age that are doing amazing things. It’s really where I’ve built that community. A lot of magazines and non-profit organizations are founded by Gen Z which is so inspiring.

“Creatives are shying away and you should own that title, whatever you want to call yourself.”

Iris: Social media is huge, for sure. For a budding young creative or photographer, other than starting an Instagram page, what advice would you give them to strengthen their voice and grow?

Gabby: If you're a photographer that’s interested in honing your style, I would recommend watching Youtube videos (this is how I started). Jessica Whitaker, Jessica Kobeissi, and Mango Street are three photography channels where I really learned a lot. Finding those free resources like podcasts and Facebook groups where you can post and get feedback.

Next, find your niche, whether portrait, landscape, concert photography. Once you find your niche, practice. Trial and error. It can be very discouraging at the beginning when you’re like, this isn’t working out, this isn’t really the style that I’m going for, or this isn’t how I want my photos to look like. Keep practicing and editing. Look up your favorite photographers on Instagram and get a sense of what editing you want to pursue. I started off copying them but over time, I’ve found my own style in the process, what I liked and didn’t like.

Once you have your photos, I recommend creating a portfolio. Wix, Squarespace, tumblr – there’s a bunch of affordable ways to build an online portfolio. When you contact models or brands, you can just send that link and showcase your work.

Don’t be shy to post your photography on Instagram. That was something I faced in the beginning. I wasn’t sure if I was good enough to post my own photography work on Instagram or if I’m ready to brand myself as a photographer. On Instagram, you can make a title on your name and I didn’t know if I was considered a “photographer.” But, fake it ‘till you make it, fake that confidence.

Iris: That’s a ton of amazing advice. What you mentioned with the Instagram title, I think a lot of creatives struggle with that and like, when can you call yourself a photographer or a writer.

Gabby: Yeah, people mention that. Creatives are shying away and you should own that title, whatever you want to call yourself. Own it, baby, own it!

LOOKING FORWARD

Iris: Even putting the label on can validate it for yourself. That’s all so exciting. We’ve dabbled a bit about your podcast and it’s exciting to hear it’s getting great responses. What would be exciting for you in terms of the future of your podcast?

Gabby: This summer, I want to grow my podcast for sure. I have a list of people I want to talk to and hopefully have them on the podcast. Maybe have sponsorships and make a little passive income. Growing the audience reach and gain more reviews and ratings. Growing the Instagram page and marketing it more. Overall, I'm just excited to invite more inspiring girls of color on the podcast.

Iris: I can’t wait to listen to those new episodes. Additionally, what are your goals for your own future?

Gabby: I just finished my sophomore year of college and am transferring to UCLA. It’s crazy because I’m planning to move to LA and it’s exciting! I’m studying communications but I’m also planning on double minoring in digital humanities and global studies. As a photographer and creative in general, I’m looking forward to being in LA because I can collaborate with so many people based there. Even though classes haven’t started yet, I’m already part of an executive board of a few clubs. My time at community college went by so fast so I want to make sure I am making the most out of it while I’m at UCLA.

In terms of post college, I don’t even know. I want to shoot for a Master’s, something communications related. It's a super broad major and I have so many interests. In an ideal world, I want to work in a place that has the same values and goals as me, amplifying communities of colors and women-empowered companies. It’s scary but I’m excited.

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Thank you so much to Gabby for sharing her story and giving us some of her time. You can find more of the podcast on Spotify (and wherever you listen), more of Gabby on her personal Instagram and website.

Gabby Agustin is a Gen Z Filipina storyteller + creative based in Southern California. She hosts Off She Goes podcast, conversations with Gen Z girls of color who are making bold moves & changing the world.