Ziya Asen Vlogs, looks & life behind the lens

Ziya Asen

Vlogs, looks & life behind the lens

Latest Articles

The Take That Fell Flat Bought My Groceries: A Love Letter to the Outtake Economy
Behind the Lens

The Take That Fell Flat Bought My Groceries: A Love Letter to the Outtake Economy

I crunched a year of analytics and ran a follower poll, and the results were humbling: my trips, flubbed intros, and dead-eyed abandoned takes outperform my polished work almost every time. Here's my honest breakdown of why imperfection wins — and the three-question framework I now use to turn 'failed' footage into a deliberate content pillar.
The Sun Is My Production Manager: Confessions of a Creator Who Lives by the Golden Hour
Behind the Lens

The Sun Is My Production Manager: Confessions of a Creator Who Lives by the Golden Hour

My week doesn't run on a calendar — it runs on sunset. Here's how I plan errands, outfits, and friendships around 45 minutes of perfect light, plus the honest cost of making the sun your boss.
The Off-Camera Friend Tax: What My Besties Get Paid in Coffee, Cameos, and Crying in My B-Roll
Behind the Lens

The Off-Camera Friend Tax: What My Besties Get Paid in Coffee, Cameos, and Crying in My B-Roll

Every vlog has a supporting cast nobody credits — the friends holding the ring light, re-walking the crosswalk four times, and agreeing to be 'the funny one' in every thumbnail. I interviewed my own unpaid crew about what that's actually like, and built the official rate card creators never knew they owed.
The Timeline Nobody Screenshots: One Vlog's Journey From 4 Hours of Chaos to 12 Clean Minutes
Behind the Lens

The Timeline Nobody Screenshots: One Vlog's Journey From 4 Hours of Chaos to 12 Clean Minutes

You've seen the final cut — the b-roll, the transitions, the punchline that landed just right. What you haven't seen is the 3 AM export crash, the forty deleted rambles, and the version of me that existed before I became 'the version of me.' Here's one video, start to finish, unedited about being edited.
I Gave My Comment Section a Job Interview (and Hired Only Three of Them)
Behind the Lens

I Gave My Comment Section a Job Interview (and Hired Only Three of Them)

Twelve strangers once had full access to my self-esteem, and they didn't even have to clock in. Here's the 'comment triage' system I built to decide who gets my energy, who gets blocked, and who gets absolutely nothing.
My Followers Approved This Video Before I Ever Hit Record
Behind the Lens

My Followers Approved This Video Before I Ever Hit Record

Before I spend a single hour setting up lights, I spend ten minutes reading my comment section like a focus group report. Here's the exact system I use to separate polite applause from genuine demand — and the one video my audience talked me into that I almost scrapped.
No Announcement, No Apology: The Art of Sneaking Back Onto Your Own Feed
Behind the Lens

No Announcement, No Apology: The Art of Sneaking Back Onto Your Own Feed

Every break I ever took came with a dramatic 'I'm back' post, complete with a moodboard and a promise. This time I just... posted. Here's what happened when I skipped the comeback speech entirely.
Laundry Day Got a Film Score: The Month My Life Had Its Own Soundtrack
Behind the Lens

Laundry Day Got a Film Score: The Month My Life Had Its Own Soundtrack

I paid a composer to write original music for my most boring moments — folding towels, buying milk, crying on the L — and filmed every single one. Turns out audio was the thing my vlogs were missing all along.
I Quit Treating the Algorithm Like My Boss — Here's the Truce We Finally Reached
Behind the Lens

I Quit Treating the Algorithm Like My Boss — Here's the Truce We Finally Reached

For two years I posted like a barista clocking shifts for a manager who never learned my name. This is the story of how I stopped auditioning for the algorithm and started defining success on my own terms — plus the mindset shifts that actually stuck.
What My Bathroom Mirror Sees: The 11 PM Version of Me Nobody Films
Behind the Lens

What My Bathroom Mirror Sees: The 11 PM Version of Me Nobody Films

Everyone wants the glowy 'get ready with me' version of my routine — but the 11 PM one is messier, cheaper, and way more honest. Here's what actually happens after the camera turns off, and why I finally stopped hiding it.
Everything I Know About Thrifting, I Learned in My Grandma's Kitchen
Style & Lookbooks

Everything I Know About Thrifting, I Learned in My Grandma's Kitchen

My grandma spent forty years dressing a family of five on a teacher's salary, and her shopping rules still outperform every app and hack I've tried. I tested her seven old-school thrifting secrets against my usual routine — and my closet will never be the same.
I Ate Cold Meals for Content Until I Didn't: Notes From the Month I Put My Phone Face-Down at Dinner
Behind the Lens

I Ate Cold Meals for Content Until I Didn't: Notes From the Month I Put My Phone Face-Down at Dinner

Somewhere between the third re-drizzle of honey and the fourth angle of a burrata situation, I realized I hadn't actually tasted a meal in weeks. This is what happened when I spent thirty days eating first and filming second.
The Folder I Never Open: What 400 Unposted Clips From My Worst Month Say About Creator Culture
Behind the Lens

The Folder I Never Open: What 400 Unposted Clips From My Worst Month Say About Creator Culture

Every creator has a folder of footage that will never see the light of day. I finally went through mine — a full month of deleted takes, dead-battery B-roll, and one very quiet voice memo — and it told me more than any analytics dashboard ever has.
One Blazer, Thirty Comments: The Month My Followers Became My Stylists
Style & Lookbooks

One Blazer, Thirty Comments: The Month My Followers Became My Stylists

I bought an $8 blazer from a Goodwill in Ohio and handed the styling keys to my audience for thirty days. Here's what happened to my closet, my comments section, and my sense of my own style.
Seven Days of Letting Strangers Run My Life: What Happened When the Comments Took the Wheel
Behind the Lens

Seven Days of Letting Strangers Run My Life: What Happened When the Comments Took the Wheel

I handed my outfit choices, my meals, and even my filming schedule over to my followers for a full week — and filmed every messy second of it. Here's what audience-driven living taught me about burnout, boundaries, and where community ends and control begins.
Parking Garages, Library Stairs, and Free Flowers: My Secret Map of Spots That Film Like a Million Bucks
Style & Lookbooks

Parking Garages, Library Stairs, and Free Flowers: My Secret Map of Spots That Film Like a Million Bucks

You don't need a rented studio or a palm-lined rooftop to get luxury-looking content — you need to know where the light lives in your own city. My seven favorite free location types, plus the golden hour timing tricks and neighborhood light audit that changed my whole feed.
Thirty Days, Zero Fast Fashion: My Vintage-Only Experiment on Camera
Style & Lookbooks

Thirty Days, Zero Fast Fashion: My Vintage-Only Experiment on Camera

For one full month, everything I wore on camera came from a thrift store, consignment shop, or resale app. The challenge started as content — it ended up rewriting how I think about personal style, my audience, and the clothes I actually love.
Five Sets, One Tiny Apartment: My Rental-Friendly Guide to Faking a Studio
Behind the Lens

Five Sets, One Tiny Apartment: My Rental-Friendly Guide to Faking a Studio

You don't need a studio membership or a 2,000-square-foot loft to film like a pro. Here's how I carved five distinct 'sets' out of my 600-square-foot rental — no drilling, no big budget, no landlord drama.
I Read Every DM (and It Changed How I Post): Notes on Parasocial Honestly
Behind the Lens

I Read Every DM (and It Changed How I Post): Notes on Parasocial Honestly

Thousands of messages from followers taught me more about connection — and boundaries — than any brand deal ever did. This is what I've learned about being trusted by strangers.
The $30 Face That Films Like a $300 Face: What Actually Survives a 12-Hour Shoot Day
Style & Lookbooks

The $30 Face That Films Like a $300 Face: What Actually Survives a 12-Hour Shoot Day

No glam team, no drugstore aisle left unexplored. Here's the exact routine I built through trial, error, and a lot of unflattering playback footage.