Leandra

After a very harrowing experience I started out 2025 in my hometown seemingly back at square one. I initially questioned a lot of my choices and felt like I wanted to retreat back to the safety of Tokyo. But I quickly realized that feeling discomfort is natural when you make such a big change.

It’s been slow, but I’ve been steadily regaining my strength and I’m so grateful to finally be working for myself and an incredible client after a decade as a corporate designer (I’ll share that story more later).

Thank you to everyone who sent me so many encouraging messages and supported me transitioning back to the U.S. from Japan & Italy. Especially a big thank you to the friends who let me stay with them in Scotland and London on such short notice, the friend who helped me get the remainder of my Japanese pension, the ones who sent me job leads and entrusted me with freelance projects, the ones who called and messaged me to make sure I was okay, the friends who let me crash with them in LA to feel it out, family I’ve recently met and reconnected with who showed me so much love, and to the new friends I’ve made at cafes here who have been so warm and inspirational. I hope we all have a transformative and meaningful year ahead 🐎

メリクリ🎶 Finding a bit of holiday joy in occupying spaces I didn’t have to decorate 😌🎄✨

Surprisingly never went to a Kusama exhibition in Tokyo, but I feel like I was meant to see her work here ⚫️⚪️

Witches ball with .gorcz 🔮🖤

“Creative people who don’t have a creative outlet are bound to become menaces to society” Or most likely suffer from insomnia 😌

このようなメイクはチョー久しぶり👀💓
MUA💄:
#ヘアメイク #外国人モデル

Feeling very classy and effortless in this .co dress😌🤎 I love that it pairs perfectly with the necklace my dad gave me for my birthday last year. It’s a very old rare coin he found on the beach and he made it into a necklace for me🪝

Not going to lie, being back in my hometown feels like I’m starting over at square one. However, I keep trying to remind myself that with a little bit of creativity and the determination to never give up I’ll get to where I need to be eventually 🩵
#外国人モデル #フリーモデル #フリーランスモデル

Is there a time you wish you could go back to 🦋?
Photos: .minds
Styling:
🎤 #外国人モデル #東京撮影 #ヘアメイク #かわいいコーデ
Models: & me

Channeling my inner Elsa and letting it all go in this frozen hell called Buffalo 😌🧊🧊🧊
Photographer
💄:
#ポートレート撮影 #外国人モデル #フリーモデル #ヘアメイク #フリーランスモデル

Year of the 🐍🧧
Photographer:
Starring:
Body paint: / / aka me

Mentally here; physically in the last pic 🫠🦬