This week you get to meet Gustavo and his dog, Honey! I met Gustavo while traveling in Tokyo with a mutual designer friend, who was debuting his collection at Rakuten Fashion Week. I was one of the models, and Gustavo was the amazing photographer/videographer documenting our trip and the collection first show! It was an unforgettable trip, and I am excited to be sharing with you Gustavo + Honey's 33 Answers interview!
As always, thank YOU for reading, and be sure to share with all your favorite pet people ;)
xoxox,
AA + Felicity
Meet the Person:
1. what is your name?
my full name is Gustavo Adolfo Sebastiano Olivero Raskosky, but of course everyone just calls me Gustavo.
2. what is your favorite color?
As a kid I resonated with red, then I was obsessed with orange and even got permission from my mom to paint my room orange as a kid. So that was super exciting. As a filmmaker though, I think all colors are cool in their own way and they have different emotions. I have trouble deciding on this. But lately I've been enjoying pastel greens!
3. What is your favorite type of food or meal?
as a kid, it was pizza, but now I really enjoy just sandwiches, and I think Houston and Dallas have a pretty strong sandwich game. I do also enjoy pokey bowls and ramen- and shout out to those two because we went to Tokyo!
4. what is a smell that makes you happy?
immediately what comes to mind is I grew up in Guatemala for a little bit, and whenever I go back, I smell this smell of, it's like a campfire, but I don't know how to put it in the right terms… it's like you walk outside and you're in this city surrounded by a forest, and then you smell a campfire that's going throughout the city and it just warms you.
5. if you could tell your younger self something you wish you knew now, what would it be?
Take as much responsibility as you can.
6. who is your fashion icon or role model?
right now, Taika Waititi, he's a director. He directed a bunch of great Indie films including the Hunt for the Wilderpeople and What We Do in the Shadows. Another guy who's definitely number one, just because he inspired me overall, is Casey Neistat
7. if you had one word to describe yourself, what would it be?
Passionate
8. If You Had A Theme Song, What Would It Be?
I have two- one is what I imagine me driving to, and then the second is one that particularly resonates with me.
III. Life: The Biggest Troll and III. Telegraph Ave. (both by Childish Gambino)
9. What’s one ingredient you put in everything?
paprika
10. Best thing to happen to you today?
Besides someone displaying interest in interviewing me, I would say waking up with my dog curled up next to me.
11. If you made a documentary, what would it be about?
I love documentaries. I have a love for food/travel shows. Something along the lines of experiencing a day in a different place and telling a story that way. Experiencing the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, but just all wrapped up! Then discussed over a over meal, our experiences that we’ve just went through.
Meet the Pet:
1. what is your name?
Honey
2. what breed are you?
Whippet
3. how old are you?
10 years old.
4. What is your star sign?
Sagittarius
5. if you had superpowers, what would it be?
super speed for sure.
6. who is your role model in life?
The Trendy Whippet on Instagram!
7. tell us your adoption/rescue story…
freshman year of high school, Gustavo ran cross country and was looking for a dog that could run as fast or faster than him. Gustavo found this lady in Louisiana who was actually raising some whippets, because her dog had a litter on accident. Gustavo and his family road tripped to Louisiana, and fell in love with me! We’ve been best buds ever since.
8. favorite color?
Red
9. what is the ultimate cheat meal for you?
beef or chicken patties. I love meats in general.
10. If You Had A Theme Song, What Would It Be?
Same as Gustavo, I have two: Clique C-L-I-Q-U-E by Big Sean AND Whip It by Devo
11. Summer or winter?
Definitely summer, although I can work a good little sweater in the winter.
BONUS. What would you like to be remembered for?
The love that I give everyone, human and animal alike.
Meet the Pair:
1. take us through your morning routines together…
immediately in the morning, usually I get out of the bed first and Honey is still in there. She may even start laying her head down on the pillow because she progressively moves from the bottom of the bed in a donut shape to the top of the bed on a pillow next to me. Her head will eventually pop up, look at me, but then she just puts her head back down and sleeps a little bit more. I call her one more time and she'll jump out of bed, and shake off always at the same time, and then she'll come to me immediately and we'll go on a walk for about a mile to two miles in the morning.
2. do you ever dress a like?
Unfortunately, our closets have not been in sync at all times, but her coat is pretty neutral, and I tend to try to match her all natural.
3. what is your favorite things to do together?
Definitely go on walks. Like I said, we start off with one to two miles in the morning and then later in the day, I've gotten her to be able to go on pretty long walks anywhere from three to six miles. Towards the end of our walk, we have a race. I start running and she starts running too, but of course, I can't keep up.
4. what is something Honey does that gets on your nerves?
the only thing she does that gets on my nerves is when we're walking and she pulls pretty hard, just to eat a little worm or another dog's poop and I'm like, "No, Honey, you've got way better food."
5. what is the funniest thing Honey has ever done?
So when a fire truck is going by, this has happened multiple times, she copies that noise exactly with her howl. She'll go “wooooooo-ahhhhoooooo!!”
6. how long have you been together?
10 years
7. does Honey inspire you? if so, how and why?
Yes. I believe her unconditional love inspires me. Whenever I call my dog, she'll come up and I can pet her. I recognize that and I think, wow. It's really not that hard to be there for someone, whether it's a small action or anything. Just that simple action of her coming by to receive a little pet can make my entire day.
8. if you and your pet were an iconic duo (could be from anywhere… tv, movies, celebrities, history, etc) who would it be and why?
Ash and Pikachu
9. what is the most meaningful experience you have shared with your pet either directly or indirectly?
I think the most meaningful experience, I'll say indirectly because it was when I first left for college. I couldn't take her with me and so my mom was telling me that Honey stayed by the door every night, then after that, she started going up to my room. My room is a single room on the third floor of our house in Houston. And she would go into my bed and my mom would always be like, "Did Gus come home?" because my bed was all messed up. And it was because Honey was in it!
10. Does Honey attack the vacuum?
No, she doesn't attack the vacuum.
11. If someone is on the fence about bringing a dog into their life, what would you two tell them?
I'd say the best way to know if a dog is right for you, is to become friends with people who have pets and be around them. I guess now with the mask on for safety cautions, but just to experience the life of other people going through that and ask them what are your responsibilities for this type of breed? How often do you take them on walks? What do they eat? And make sure that you can find time or make time in your schedule to work that out because a dog has responsibilities the same as a kid.
I hope you loved reading Gustavo and Honey's interview, and that you found something that resonated with you...
Go follow Gustavo on insta: @gustavoraskosky
See you next week!
-AA + Felicity xx