Her name was Aya and she had a three legged cat, a round Bichon dog she often carried in a round bag, and an obsession with David Bowie. The girl wore something Bowie related every day. It was amazing. She was amazing.

We frequently worked on the same shoots together and she probably never knew how cool and beautiful I thought she was from day one. Or how seeing her on set could turn a shitty day into a pretty great day instantly. I always got excited when I saw her name on the call sheet. She probably had no idea that I wanted to collaborate with her on things because she was so ridiculously talented but I was too shy to even go there. I hope she knew how adored she was by everyone and how much she added to a room, a shoot, and a fickle industry notorious for being full of basic fakes and predictable assholes. I hope she knew how contagious her laughter was and how warm her energy was. She was always unique, lovely, funny, real, and an absolute pleasure to be around. I can't believe we're never going to hear her great voice again (those squeals!) or see any more of her collages or makeup looks or laugh with her when a shoot is taking too long or taste the candy she would bring back from her trips to Japan. Nobody could rock baggy jeans with tassel trim on the bottoms like this girl and nobody came close to her makeup artistry. She was so creative and SO GOOD at it. My heart breaks for her family and closest friends. I only knew her in the most superficial way and I'm crushed. That's just a testament of what a huge impact she had on everyone. I wish/hope she knew that.

RIP AYA. If there's such thing as an afterlife, I bet David Bowie has already fallen in love with you. We all did. <3