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agreed, curly-haired people are awesome haha :) but yea...i would be a terrible wife - I can't cook a thing.
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hmmm...ever since I was a little little kid i've been planning out my life. i stopped doing that a couple years ago - and it's the best thing ever :) !!! i mean, i have some general ideas....hopefully 10 years from now i'll still be doing something creative and maybe have a family of some sort - but other than that....who knows?!
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unequivocally yes. thanks for asking, anonymous... :)
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a best friend?! i have a couple best friends ;)
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of course, ask away! i'm not an agent or client - so my opinions are just based off of my experiences :) but will definitely try to help! so fire away...
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It would be amazing to teleport. definitely. but if i couldn't teleport i would love to be able to turn anything into cookie dough ice cream, on command.
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Hey britta1088! Thank you, and welcome to chicago :)
How did I do it? I started by freelancing in Chicago. I did enough shoots and jobs to start a basic portfolio. Then, I went to a couple agency open calls, and emailed one agency who then set up a meeting with me. I got a no and two yeses so I had a couple more meetings to get a better feel for the agencies before I made a decision.
I've always heard that you'll get a lot of no's before you get the right yes! I've gotten no's along the way too. It's important to know that rejection is (a big) part of the job. I've taken acting workshops that say if you're getting callbacks 1/4 of the time you're doing great (which means you're getting rejected AT LEAST 75% of the time)! So - BE PERSISTENT & RESILIENT! Just because certain markets, clients or people say no, or that you're too [fill in the blank], or just don't get it - YOU have to trust that they're wrong and keep powering through. When you get no's from agencies, it's always fair (and smart) to ask for feedback. They might not always give it - or give it honestly - but it's worth asking for. Don't ask what they think about you, or what their feedback is - instead ask what needs work, what can be better, or what criticisms do you have? The great thing about getting criticism is that it can help immensely - BUT if you think it's totally off-base, you always have the freewill to reject it! So ask!
I just worked in Cape Town, South Africa for season where I met tons of models from all over the world who were so diverse. My roommate was 5'5" and works full-time as a model in NY (She's been in Marie Claire, Elle, worked for L'Oreal and more). I'm also not a typical fashion model in every way. I met girls who were "old," not super skinny, short, curvy, you name it. Yes, the industry generally has rigid requirements, but there are lots of exceptions.
From your message above I noticed something though. it sounds like the majority of the feedback you're getting is that you're too commercial and too short? I would suggest to you: Listen to what they're saying! Know your market/niche. If you're "too" commercial and shorter, that's SO fine! It just means your portfolio should be geared toward the commercial/lifestyle market. MOST lifestyle print jobs, TV commercials and beauty print clients don't care how tall you are!
If you're not a typical high fashion model that's ok! You can totally have a great and profitable career. So if lifestyle is your forte (or even beauty?) - use that to get your foot in the door - then you can surprise your agency by diversifying your work into fashion or other areas that you're interested in. Maybe you're getting "no's" from the fashion agencies or fashion divisions? Research agencies, their divisions, and geographical markets that are lifestyle-based. Target them. Take acting classes so the agencies know you're prepared to go on TV commercial auditions. Go to the agencies with an on-camera resume and acting headshot. Shoot lifestyle images for your portfolio, and beauty - if you've got a strong face for it. Use only the best - quality over quantity. Be prepared. Try to eliminate the reasons they could say "no." Once you have an agent it's likely they'll have you re-shoot portfolio images or headshots - but if you've got something good to start with it shows your ambition and commitment.
Also, I started by freelancing. If you can't find an agency now you can always represent yourself as a freelancer to build your experience and portfolio. I think most agencies encourage models to submit every 6 months so you can continue to develop yourself as a model and always send in your new photos for consideration. Freelancing takes a lot of work but i think it better prepared me, from a business standpoint. I've met a lot of agency-represented girls who expect their agent to do all the legwork - and get mad when they're not getting jobs. Freelancing helped me learn the ropes so I can be an active participant in my career :)
oh, and network. always network.
Hope this helps! Sorry it's ridiculously long.
m.
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selfishly, i think the best thing about modeling is self-exploration... the more i do this, the more i realize its ok to be myself - and that it's our imperfections that make images (well...and life) captivating
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meganlewismodel’s Bio
Former ballet dancer. As of the last couple years, a model. just got back from my first season working in cape town, south africa. attempting to model full time and generally figure out what in the world im doing...
