This blog is for YOU, it's free and there is ton of advice on it, things I've lived through, so search through it and I hope the articles inspire you to grab ahold of your potential and give yourself a chance with a marketing mindset and belief in yourself~IJ
Hey Girls,
Recently I read about a casting for a well known retailer looks for a spunky girl with a tone body but that wasn't it.
Must be skilled with teleprompter, the casting also read. Modeling and acting couple together when it comes to booking commercial work and also print work. Print modeling involves using your personality and having an approachable and engaging persona. A girl recently wrote me telling me that her mother wants her to take acting classes since she is too short for high fashion modeling, the girl was kinda upset about this, but I told her that acting classes are actually a great thing to take, being on-camera comfortable and having the skill for reading short lines and bringing your personality to the camera is important for print modeling too.
So keep in mind, acting classes would be a benefit for an aspiring model and make you better prepared for print modeling and commercial opportunities.
Putting to use what you already are skilled at can also lead to modeling work. Another girl wrote me that she was a good volleyball player and wanted to start modeling while in high school and she didn't know where to start. After sharing with her some tips on creating some marketable photos I also told her,
well you already have the skill of volleyball why not put it towards your modeling pursuits. Why not get some professional photos of you in your fitness gear and approach a local sporting goods store and ask them about if they use models for their promotion and local advertising? Just because you live in a smaller city doesn't mean you can't book some good local modeling work with brands based in your town or regionally.
(Remember having professional photos and the
basic print modeling photos are key to booking work, sometimes when you work with an agency already they will ask you for digitals, natural shots with a digital camera to show clients the candid you, but shots like these are not acceptable when you are trying to get in the door with the agency and introducing yourself to the agency. You need professional photography. Professional photos does not mean cake on the makeup and over do the glam, it means still being natural, the real you--plus the real you IS the perfect look for print modeling anyways -think of your senior photos, smiling, personality, the real you and taken by a professional photographer. Photos are key, they represent where you are going and your professionalism. Don't think someone else will be ontop of this, it's up to YOU to manage your photography as a print model.)
So keep in mind, what you already excel at could be an asset when booking modeling work.
Being a savvy self-marketer can also lead to work. You might think the modeling agency makes it happen, but this isn't 100% so. Maybe your short, too short to work with the agencies in your town, well that doesn't mean modeling is over. You do need the right photos, a comp card and a protfolio (which will grow in time) but you also need a marketing mindset. Be clever, think broad, be bold. Who is in your circle already that might be able to help your modeling pursuits and get you some experience? Does your friend or a family member have a small company and might need a model for it? What about a new hair salon opening in your town that might need a model? Any tradeshows or craft shows coming up in your area? Start building your network and contacts. You aren't just waiting for things to happen, you're getting stuff in motion. Maybe your too short for the catwalk but who cares, those girls don't even get paid much anyways-most get nothing-and height isn't everything. Who says you gotta be a certain height to model jewelry, hats, handbags accessories? Put your own effort into your pursuits and make something happen! If you believe in yourself go get the belief of others with your savvy marketing approach. You might not get paid the big bucks...just yet, but you will be gaining experience and remember that's the point, because your modeling pursuit is a journey...so you gotta start somewhere and you might as well make that somewhere happen for yourself.
BTW, Get 20% when you spend $50 at dEliAs's until thisThursday!
~Isobella
P.s: Another skill for an aspiring model to have is to have some do-it-yourself ability and know how to adjust photos in Photoshop, Paint, etc. I don't mean making the photos look airbrushed I'm talking about simply cropping the image or setting the photos to be 300 DPI, which is print size for printing professional photos, or setting the image at 72 DPI for web size, when sending new images to your agency when they ask for them or you have new shots to share with your agency. Also/Or before your photo shoots make sure you will get the images at 300 DPI to save time.
Do you know what print modeling is?
Small town model marketing tips.
Putting that modeling comp card to use!
Sometimes things don’t always go perfect on the job, but you keep working for the best result. Having patience for myself and forging past the moments of anxiety and mistakes showed me once again that being a model takes an attitude of perseverance.
~from my book
Short Stuff: on the job with an x-small which is available in print and as an e-book!
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