These women are badass.
WARM
WATER Nº1
We laughed, we surfed, and we shot. We wish you could have felt the energy there with us, it felt like diving naked in ice-cold water. Exhilarating. Refreshing. ALIVE. And now we are grateful to share with you these inspiring storytellers.
Not only do they work 24/7 as mothers, daughters, sisters and girlfriends
but they are also students, teachers, and 9-5 corporate office workers.
They know the true definition of what it means to hustle, to give more of yourself than you take—and to do it all with a smile.
And through all the chaos of life they manage to hold onto the most important part of themselves—that they are dreamers.
And I guess that’s how we got here really.
Aren’t we all dreamers?
It doesn’t matter how little or how big, if you have a fire inside of you to create then you are a dreamer. We used to think that dreams were like fantasies, a different reality that wasn’t really tangible.
To hell with that.
We’re in the business of dreams
and this shit is real.
On March 18th and 19th, Warm Studio was filled with eight bright new faces. In an uncensored space where we could be inexplicably whole and 1000% ourselves, we shared without filter.
meet the girls
We hope that these dreamers
inspire you like they inspired us.
Simone
Simone Staff was born and raised in sunny Southern California. She grew up competitively sailing, and using surfing as a way to play in the ocean. At age 15, she got really into developing her own film photography, and over time that developed into a passion and love for cameras. She began making my own documentary films, while attempting to capture those beautiful fleeting moments via stills. Today, she is a full time freelance photographer/videographer, attempting to do lifestyle and water imagery.
W: simonestaff.com
IG: @simonestaff
Mei - Lei
Mei-Lei is a surf, ocean, and lifestyle photographer located in the San Francisco/Bay Area. The ocean is her lifeline, and it runs through her veins. It was her deep love for the ocean and the surf culture, coupled with her interest in photography, that has guided her to her calling. Her work is centered around the water, and her goal is to evoke positive feelings and connection.
Drue
Drue de Milo is a multimedia artist based in New York and Los Angeles. The writer, director, singer, producer spent the majority of her career in front of the camera, and eventually began creative directing with fashion shows when she was working as a model. A pop singer mixing poetry with pop, Drue is particularly inspired by nature and the ocean, and has since transitioned to directing and producing her own music videos mixing fashion and pro surfers. Her most recent project, “Drowning in Paradise”, was awarded nine Best Music Video awards: at the Independent Short Awards, New York Movie Awards, Los Angeles Film Awards, among others, and an official selection at the Maui Film Festival.
W: druedemilo.com
IG: @druedemilo
Genevieve
Genevieve is a surfer, motorcyclist, outdoorswoman, writer
& nomadic freelance professional photographer.
Paige
Paige is a Canadian dancer, turned actor, turned wannabe surfer and brand new photographer.
Originally from Calgary AB, Paige spent the last decade living in Vancouver, BC working as an actress and production coordinator in the film industry.
In 2019, she moved to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Mexico to help run a luxury Airbnb, learn how to surf, and speak Spanish.
Paige currently works as a social media manager and is working on her photography and videography skills to help compliment her next project - a Sustainability Lifestyle vlog called How We Inhabit.
Nora
Nora loves shooting candid lifestyle portraits, especially on film and especially when she’s in the sea. She lives for adventures that take her outside of her comfort zone and loves when a photo captures the feeling of living in that moment.
She fell in love with the ocean while spending summers as a lifeguard for the Cape Cod National Seashore and made it her intention to build a life around it. For the past two years, she has lived on a boat with her boyfriend and their dog, which has given them the unique opportunity to explore the coasts of Southern California and the neighboring Channel Islands with an entirely new perspective. In her free time, you can find her surfing, freediving, snowboarding,
or trying her hand at miniature “boat-sized” ceramics.
W: NORA BENNER
IG: @lunazulcharters
Lauren
For a little more than a decade Lauren Simon has been designing Swim, Surf, Active, and Beachwear collections for brands like Victoria's Secret Swim, Spiritual Gangster, and Amuse Society. Wanderlust and sun-baked beaches have always been the source of inspiration for her designs so she comes to Warm Collective and the art image making in order to fully convey the spirit of endless summer and salty storytelling.
IG:@laurenasimone
DESIGN WORK : laurensimonstudio.com
pHOTOGRAPHY WORK: laurensimonstudio.pixieset.com
Alyssa
Alyssa was born and raised in Southern California and has worked in the surf industry for over 6 years. She loves to surf, snowboard and take film photos and shoot video in her free time. You’ll rarely spot Alyssa without a camera hanging at her side and a mission at hand. By far one of the hardest working young professionals in the industry, the future is bright for this driven, badass young woman.
IG: @alyssarenesmith
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