Forums > Model Colloquy > What do you wish you knew before modeling?

Model

Nat has a username

Posts: 3590

Oakland, California, US

Models-

Today I was reflecting on this question, I'm curious to know what everyone else has to say.

For myself-
I wish I knew that there were many different genres of modeling and focused on art modeling from the start instead of trying to remain "as marketable as possible".
I wish I knew that not all TF was worth it, and to focus more on building long-term collaborations from the beginning.
I wish I had reached out to more experienced models that worked in my genre(s) and markets.

Aug 12 17 07:34 pm Link

Model

Jules NYC

Posts: 21617

New York, New York, US

I got into modeling by accident when I was working as an actress in Hollywood. I take it for what it is, the entire business. You can make money at any age as markets are changing.

In hindsight I wouldn't have wasted time with runway shows. Hours of preparation for very little time walking. The pay was crap if I got paid at all. Not all runway photographers can take a good motion photo. If I didn't get a good photo it would be a huge waste of time for me.

There is no fanfare in walking for a minute for people that won't help you make more money. The women that make money doing this are making 800 or more a show walking fashion week. After 26, no one is 'old' but for that genre of modeling you are. One could say after 21. It's a kids' market.

I wished I didn't run around for zilch many times.

I did modeling because I love photography; there was never a need to fulfill my esteem. Being a model doesn't provide a 'bragging' factor for me. Then again I don't see the world as someone is better than another because they're 'pretty'.

Hummm, the best photographers I know pay their models sometimes but never brag that they can get talent for free. They just create however it works.

There is a need & want to make money but it's not an end-all. I am always willing to work for nothing if someone is truly an artist. They always become my friend anyway and you don't pay your friends to hang out or do something fun.

Aug 13 17 05:25 am Link

Photographer

Jerry Nemeth

Posts: 33355

Dearborn, Michigan, US

Jules NYC wrote:
I got into modeling by accident when I was working as an actress in Hollywood. I take it for what it is, the entire business. You can make money at any age as markets are changing.

In hindsight I wouldn't have wasted time with runway shows. Hours of preparation for very little time walking. The pay was crap if I got paid at all. Not all runway photographers can take a good motion photo. If I didn't get a good photo it would be a huge waste of time for me.

There is no fanfare in walking for a minute for people that won't help you make more money. The women that make money doing this are making 800 or more a show walking fashion week. After 26, no one is 'old' but for that genre of modeling you are. One could say after 21. It's a kids' market.

I wished I didn't run around for zilch many times.

I did modeling because I love photography; there was never a need to fulfill my esteem. Being a model doesn't provide a 'bragging' factor for me. Then again I don't see the world as someone is better than another because they're 'pretty'.

Hummm, the best photographers I know pay their models sometimes but never brag that they can get talent for free. They just create however it works.

There is a need & want to make money but it's not an end-all. I am always willing to work for nothing if someone is truly an artist. They always become my friend anyway and you don't pay your friends to hang out or do something fun.

This is a great comment!

Aug 13 17 05:44 am Link

Model

Nat has a username

Posts: 3590

Oakland, California, US

*shudders* you just made me flash back to a handful of small runway shows and YUP

Thanks for your input.

And absolutely agree, the people I work with with no money exchanged are friends or at least people I feel comfortable enough with to push each other creatively. I'm a lot of ways those shoots recharge me and make me more able to do well on paid shoots.

Aug 13 17 06:50 pm Link

Model

Kelly Kooper

Posts: 1240

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Nat, this is one of the best posts I've read on MM in a long time. Fantastic question! It really got me thinking and I hope it does lots of others.

Without question, it would be to be more assertive. Speak up whenever you're uncomfortable and stand your ground. There were little things I let slide when I first started (16 years ago!) that left me feeling a bit sick. There were a number of times I should have told someone off and didn't. I don't think I could have gone into it being that type of person; it became a learned skill - but it sure as hell would have been easier.

That's my number one takeaway. Lots of other things but that was the first that popped into my head!

Aug 14 17 03:33 am Link

Model

farhaaalin1

Posts: 7

Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Jules NYC wrote:
I got into modeling by accident when I was working as an actress in Hollywood. I take it for what it is, the entire business. You can make money at any age as markets are changing.

In hindsight I wouldn't have wasted time with runway shows. Hours of preparation for very little time walking. The pay was crap if I got paid at all. Not all runway photographers can take a good motion photo. If I didn't get a good photo it would be a huge waste of time for me.

There is no fanfare in walking for a minute for people that won't help you make more money. The women that make money doing this are making 800 or more a show walking fashion week. After 26, no one is 'old' but for that genre of modeling you are. One could say after 21. It's a kids' market.

I wished I didn't run around for zilch many times.

I did modeling because I love photography; there was never a need to fulfill my esteem. Being a model doesn't provide a 'bragging' factor for me. Then again I don't see the world as someone is better than another because they're 'pretty'.

Hummm, the best photographers I know pay their models sometimes but never brag that they can get talent for free. They just create however it works.

There is a need & want to make money but it's not an end-all. I am always willing to work for nothing if someone is truly an artist. They always become my friend anyway and you don't pay your friends to hang out or do something fun.

Nice one smile

Aug 14 17 08:12 am Link

Model

MatureModelMM

Posts: 2843

Detroit, Michigan, US

I wish I had known that it would be acceptable and appropriate for me to model naked for artists and photographers at a much earlier age.  I had taken several modelling classes while in high school and shortly after, including one where we actually discussed the nude art modelling genre posing for artists and classes as being legitimate and a good starting place for beginner models to build confidence and get experience. 

I passed up an opportunity to model at age 19, because I was too shy to get undressed and stand naked in front of strangers for two or three hours.  I probably also felt it was naughty to do, even though others were modelling with their clothes off and there was nude art in local galleries. I was 35 before I finally worked up the courage to get out of my clothes while visiting a weekly figure drawing group and get up on the platform with the model I knew who was scheduled for that evening.  Immediately I realized that what I was choosing to do was perfectly OK, and I haven't looked back since, and don't intend to ever stop.

If I had that knowledge and quite a bit more courage at 19, I could very easily have had about 15 more years of modelling experience.

Aug 14 17 08:32 am Link

Model

Laura UnBound

Posts: 28745

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Was just talking about this the other night : I didnt expect to get into modeling full time, it was just supposed to be until I was able to find "a real job". But a series of events led me to sticking with modeling. My last "real work" history is from 2009, how the fuck am I supposed to explain the last 8 years if I wanted to re-enter the "workforce" now? Freelancing is scoffed at, especially if you didn't have your own "real business" with verifiable proof that you did all the things you said you did and have all the skills you claim to have.

nobody tells you to start preparing in the very beginning for how you're going to get out of modeling when you're done.

Aug 14 17 12:34 pm Link

Model

Jules NYC

Posts: 21617

New York, New York, US

Laura UnBound wrote:
Was just talking about this the other night : I didnt expect to get into modeling full time, it was just supposed to be until I was able to find "a real job". But a series of events led me to sticking with modeling. My last "real work" history is from 2009, how the fuck am I supposed to explain the last 8 years if I wanted to re-enter the "workforce" now? Freelancing is scoffed at, especially if you didn't have your own "real business" with verifiable proof that you did all the things you said you did and have all the skills you claim to have.

nobody tells you to start preparing in the very beginning for how you're going to get out of modeling when you're done.

You know, that is what a lot of artists feel and experience, esp. if they are doing whatever 'full-time'.  As long as you can live comfortably working a few gigs to every day, then right on.

I do creative things like modeling professionally but I always, ALWAYS worked corporate building my business resume.  I always did my music, modeling, writing, etc. during contract jobs 'full-time' and when I worked a '9-5' did exactly that.  With enough $, one could sponsor themselves and give themselves a springboard for whatever they wish.

My boyfriend experienced the exact same situation as you, but not in modeling.  He was more of an entrepreneur so going back to 'regular job' was competing with others who have been 'in the game' for a while.

I think there are PLENTY of artists who are exceptional, but few get to the point where they can make a comfortable living doing just (insert creative activity here).  Some are cool with living simply, doing what they enjoy.

Imagine how say a housewife enters the workforce again after raising kids?
It's the same scenario.

Aug 14 17 01:26 pm Link

Model

Laura UnBound

Posts: 28745

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Jules NYC wrote:

You know, that is what a lot of artists feel and experience, esp. if they are doing whatever 'full-time'.  As long as you can live comfortably working a few gigs to every day, then right on.

I do creative things like modeling professionally but I always, ALWAYS worked corporate building my business resume.  I always did my music, modeling, writing, etc. during contract jobs 'full-time' and when I worked a '9-5' did exactly that.  With enough $, one could sponsor themselves and give themselves a springboard for whatever they wish.

My boyfriend experienced the exact same situation as you, but not in modeling.  He was more of an entrepreneur so going back to 'regular job' was competing with others who have been 'in the game' for a while.

I think there are PLENTY of artists who are exceptional, but few get to the point where they can make a comfortable living doing just (insert creative activity here).  Some are cool with living simply, doing what they enjoy.

Imagine how say a housewife enters the workforce again after raising kids?
It's the same scenario.

A lot of freelancers experience the same to some degree, but theres a lot of freelance work that, if you're good at it and the market stays viable, you can do until the day you die. Writers, traditional artists, makers, photographers, etc dont age out (if anything people take you more seriously when you're 45 than when you were 18) but the mature freelance model market is not booming. A lot of us wont choose to leave in favor or retiring or finding some other work - we'll get kicked out.

Aug 14 17 02:30 pm Link

Model

MatureModelMM

Posts: 2843

Detroit, Michigan, US

If you don't try to make a living from it, there's really no reason to ever stop.  You won't get kicked out, you may need to find a different age group of people to work with. I will never choose to leave as long as I'm physically able to pose. And I definitely won't be putting my clothes on.

The older I get, the more interest I get from older photographers and artists who find it extremely difficult to hire models over 40 willing to get naked in the name of art.  I also have quite a bit of interest from younger ones who want the variety of being able to work with someone twice or three times their age. Maybe it's just the novelty of being different in a world of young models, but it has resulted in literally hundreds of offers to work in the years since I joined MM at age 60. Unfortunately most of them are in opposite ends of the country, or in other places in the world.

If I were able to travel, I could get more than enough modelling work to keep me busy for a long time. I know of several women older than I am (and I'm not young, turning 65 in a few weeks) who are still modelling actively for artists and photographers, and there are some in their 80's who are still modelling for art classes at various colleges.

Aug 15 17 04:06 pm Link

Model

Nat has a username

Posts: 3590

Oakland, California, US

Yes!! Art modeling doesn't really have an age limit. A lot of artists actively seek out older models, larger models, or those with atypical features.

And reentering the workforce is daunting... a few years ago I found a part-time job because I interview well enough (even without a resume eep), i just put a positive spin on all of the skills I had picked up over the years freelancing and got the OK from a handful of bookers and professors to act as character references. I feel like once you find one job that's more on the books, it's easier to get others after. Alternately, consider something kinda related to modeling- I've seen a lot of models transition into photography, photo assisting, production, make up, wardrobe styling, etc etc.

I think keeping at least a part time job is something that is beneficial for most people; I wish I had taken the summer to do temp work sooner (carpentry assistant, bussing tables, there's a lot of temp jobs that don't require extensive resumes)

Aug 16 17 05:10 am Link

Model

MatureModelMM

Posts: 2843

Detroit, Michigan, US

I agree with you, using modelling experience to get a foot in the door for a more traditional job probably isn't very helpful.  Everyone who models and figures that they won't be doing it forever also needs to take positive steps toward having some marketable skills in a field that can support them.  That could include education, or working part time doing something totally unrelated to modelling.

I don't want to take this discussion off in another direction, but today it's quite difficult for anyone to get hired for most job openings as there are simply too many people applying and nearly every position requires 2 to 5 years experience in that field. How do you get even an entry level job when they set the bar so high and demand that experience before hiring?

Talking to friends who are parents of recent college graduates, I'm hearing that some of them are sending out 500 to 1000 resumes, applying for jobs related to their education and getting zero replies, which is quite frustrating to both the recent graduates and their parents. All of them are still living at home since they can't find work to support themselves and pay off their student loans. Most of them have never worked before, or only had a very part time job years earlier, which doesn't work well when applying for jobs in the real world. Even doing volunteer work over the summers in something related to their education and chosen career would be a big help.

Aug 16 17 06:53 am Link

Model

Gelsen Aripia

Posts: 1407

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I wish I had heavily marketed myself (after joining Model Mayhem) as being an "alternative model".  It just never occurred to me to do so, I suppose because I am completely normal to myself despite many other people being confounded by my look.

Aug 16 17 08:36 am Link

Model

Nat has a username

Posts: 3590

Oakland, California, US

That's a good tangent to go down!

My personal experience is not broadly applicable but hopefully helpful-

-cut down expenses.

-I do odd jobs. A lot of odd jobs.
-teaching English as a foreign language, being a PCA, service industry, temp work are a few things that are always in demand and have relatively little experience needed to get a foot in the door.
-show up in person, be enthusiastic, dress the part (i.e. look like a server if you want to be a server, etc etc), play up your skills
-taking an evaluation of what I naturally gravitate towards and leaning into it was helpful. volunteer work, workstudy programs, etc can be good for that.
-if you decide to model full-time, learn how to do it well. Keep learning, networking, improving.
-I went into college at 17, had partial scholarship and paid the rest in cash (yay state schools), and dropped out at 19. That 2 years made me realize that was NOT what I wanted to be doing, so I treated my next step as seriously as college. I am glad I decided to drop out and didn't take out loans.

Aug 16 17 11:26 am Link

Photographer

matt-h2

Posts: 876

Oakland, California, US

Thanks for such thoughtful posts!

Aug 16 17 03:45 pm Link

Model

Koryn

Posts: 39496

Boston, Massachusetts, US

I did really well transitioning back into the workforce from modeling, when it's all said and done. The first job I got after going back was total shit and only lasted about a year, before I was about to get my electricity turned off, so I threw up my hands and resigned. But, on the whole, I found it easy to get back in the job market - just not to find a living wage job. That was honestly the biggest reason I left the mainstream workforce and began modeling full-time anyway; despite having a bachelor's degree, I couldn't find work that paid enough to live on. Modeling made me a modest living, unlike regular jobs after college, that typically paid minimum wage (in NC at the time, that was $6.50/hr). But, that first shitty job after being out of the workforce did give me something to put on a resume.

I think really the best things I did to make myself even useful for that awful job was: (a) I did a community college level certification course before I even attempted to re-enter the workforce. It took me about 9 or 10 months to complete online and cost about $1200. My bachelor's was worthless. It made me smarter, but it didn't make me more employable. I have a "good" job now and make good money for someone who came up out of basically nothing (the first year I was out of modeling, I had to fully support myself on $11,000 for an entire year), but that certification course was SPECIFIC. I went from being just "some kid needing a job" to "a young adult with a specific set of marketable skills." I've still never used my bachelor's degree for anything and if I'd known at 18 what I know now, I'd have focused on modeling younger than I did, skipping university, then going into trade school/training program when I was ready to move on from modeling. I would have been five years ahead in my career right now - but hindsight is 20/20. I was a first generation college grad; my mom wanted to see that happen, even though she wasn't exactly supportive of me, or even nice to me, when I was in university.

(B) I really filled my post-modeling resume with "spin." I wasn't a model, I was a "workshop organizer," "studio PR person" and "lighting assistant." I could back up all those things, and had references for having done each role. I made the horrible service sector and severely underpaying Social Work jobs of my early 20s sound like million buck career paths. They weren't. They sucked, but I made them SOUND great on paper. I read articles about how to write cover letters and included an individualized cover letter in with each job. I mean, I REALLY REALLY REALLY made myself sound great. Great enough to get a starter job in my industry after finishing my certification.

Writing a resume is sort of like polishing up a turd. Douse it in perfume and hopefully no one will scrutinize it too closely. I also went to every interview in a full business suit, carrying a portfolio with my bachelor's, my certification and (again, turd-shined) letters of recommendation). For that first job after modeling, the initial interview was group-style, for a commerical chain gym. I bought a business suit at Goodwill; the other interviewees showed up in workout clothes. I got a second interview, and then an immediate job offer.

I think returning to the mainstream work world has a lot to do with how much you put into it. You cannot get out without a specific escape plan. Even then, there were highs and lows. There was a year after I left that first commercial gym job where I did modeling tours again, and was depressed, burned out and felt like my attempts had failed. I got a horrible ghostwriting job from Craigslist, working for a man who was fucking nuts and abused his girlfriend. I did all his freelance writing work for 10 months while he got fucked up on prescription morphine and moaned about how no one respected his fine expertise. He put his name on all that work, and paid me $12/hr. Finally, I got a full-time fitness job that paid $12/he which was enough to cover bills through 2016. It made me happy and no one was crazy there, and through connections I made in the community there, I got my first REAL job that is actually like a respectable career. I get a salary; I opened a savings account for the first time in my life. I finally qualified for a credit card last January (after being denied even for "secured" cards for years and having no credit at all, unable to build any) and I've gone from no credit to a score that should hit 700 by the end of this year, possibly sooner.  Ultimately, my original escape plan did not fail. It actually worked out perfectly - but it took a LONG time to really transition fully from modeling to a living wage, sustainable job in the mainstream. I started studying for my certification at the end of 2011 and I got this job in autumn of 2016. That was five years. It felt like it was never going to happen.

Aug 17 17 10:42 am Link

Model

Mina Salome

Posts: 214

Los Angeles, California, US

Laura UnBound wrote:
Was just talking about this the other night : I didnt expect to get into modeling full time, it was just supposed to be until I was able to find "a real job". But a series of events led me to sticking with modeling. My last "real work" history is from 2009, how the fuck am I supposed to explain the last 8 years if I wanted to re-enter the "workforce" now? Freelancing is scoffed at, especially if you didn't have your own "real business" with verifiable proof that you did all the things you said you did and have all the skills you claim to have.

nobody tells you to start preparing in the very beginning for how you're going to get out of modeling when you're done.

It depends on what kind of work you wanted, I would say...if you were going for a marketing or sales position for example, I think you could definitely leverage your modeling career to your advantage.  It takes a LOT of varied sales and marketing skills to be able to make any money as a freelance model, and even if it is a freelance business and not a normal 9-to-5, you are practicing a lot of self-management and your skills will be obvious in the way you talk about yourself.

I wouldn't necessarily come right out to the manager at a job I wanted and say "yeah my last job was as a nude model," like Koryn said in her post it's good to find a way to put a spin on it, but I think having confidence, professionalism, and a personable demeanor can go further than you might expect.

Sep 18 17 07:18 pm Link

Photographer

Eric212Grapher

Posts: 3754

Saint Louis, Missouri, US

Jules NYC wrote:
--snip--
Hummm, the best photographers I know pay their models sometimes but never brag that they can get talent for free. They just create however it works.
--snip--

Great comment!

Sep 18 17 07:34 pm Link

Photographer

Expression Unlimited

Posts: 1408

Oceanside, California, US

Much of what you learn, comes at the right time for you to know, or appreciate it.

Definitely make checks on EVERYTHING and don't assume anything is the way things will work. Places and  people have different expectations and processes.

Don't do what you don't feel good about, leave if necessary, and always speak up, politely, if you have concerns or questions.

Ask for usable decent  sized images when you get TFCD
That's what I wish I'd known, how small most of them really are!

Sep 19 17 04:46 pm Link

Model

Liv Sage

Posts: 431

Seattle, Washington, US

Mainly to be more assertive in person when people are pushing boundaries. I really, really wish I'd been very firm when I first started modeling as opposed to falling into a natural people-pleaser role while pretending to like certain things I found silly or ridiculous - or gross.

It's also easy to get sucked into this "world" as a model, and I have a tendency to be a workaholic, though I'm trying to be better about it. You NEED to maintain hobbies and friendships outside the industry. Especially when traveling a lot, you can get sucked in so far it's the only thing you do, the only thing you know. You can end up really, really dumb that way. So, cultivating other hobbies is really necessary - even if it's just watching a lot of classic cinema or using duolingo for a foreign language, or watching documentaries, you need to do something besides just modeling and talking about modeling. Right now, I'm starting to practice my Russian again (I have a minor in it along with a four year Philosophy degree), I'm taking some cooking classes, and I'm looking into other certificates I could possibly get for trade skills. I have two years of experience working in an academic library prior to modeling, so I might try to build off of that too. I'm also starting to sell paintings and have been consistently selling my own photography for a while. Hopefully these things could all fit in some sort of way on a resume in the future once I slow down on traveling - though I plan to model for artists till I'm a little old crone. Hopefully. And I find I'm a more motivated model when I have other things going on because I have breaks between things. I have other outlets for creativity too.

In the same breath, forming friendships with other models is also super necessary - it will help you be able to vent about issues you're having, and it's also a safety measure too. I was slow to meet a lot of models when I first started, and I regret that looking back. It should have been one of the first things I started trying to do. I would have avoided a few people I had issues with right from the beginning.

Sep 24 17 07:28 am Link

Model

MatureModelMM

Posts: 2843

Detroit, Michigan, US

ASmallWoman wrote:
.........though I plan to model for artists till I'm a little old crone. Hopefully.

You definitely can, and definitely should!

I'm proof of that, still modelling for artists at 65 and no intentions of ever stopping.  I know women in their 70's and a few over 80 who still model for artists both privately and in college classes and gallery figure drawing groups.  My plans are to be among them, and you should be as well in the future.

Sep 24 17 07:39 am Link

Model

Liv Sage

Posts: 431

Seattle, Washington, US

MatureModelMM wrote:

You definitely can, and definitely should!

I'm proof of that, still modelling for artists at 65 and no intentions of ever stopping.  I know women in their 70's and a few over 80 who still model for artists both privately and in college classes and gallery figure drawing groups.  My plans are to be among them, and you should be as well in the future.

If I get to that age and am still in decent enough health, I plan to smile

Sep 24 17 07:46 am Link

Model

Koryn

Posts: 39496

Boston, Massachusetts, US

ASmallWoman wrote:
.

It's also easy to get sucked into this "world" as a model, and I have a tendency to be a workaholic, though I'm trying to be better about it. You NEED to maintain hobbies and friendships outside the industry. Especially when traveling a lot, you can get sucked in so far it's the only thing you do, the only thing you know. You can end up really, really dumb that way.

Yeah, that's some of how I ended up a burned out, bitter former model. The last few years I modeled were really tough, because I spent so much time completely alone, driving between cities. I'd spend like 4-6 hours per day with a photographer who'd booked me, then I was completely alone again afterwards. I'd be sitting reading a book in a hotel room, or eating alone in a restaurant, going to the movies alone to have something to do after a shoot. I'd feel the empty theater seats beside me, and all this empty space around me felt like some big abyss I was always falling into. when the weather was warm and I could camp at a campground, I'd be sitting alone at night staring mindlessly into a campfire, in Somewhere Middle America, USA, while people's families played and laughed and shared experiences at the other sites around me.

I was just very alone those last few years, and the sense of emptiness got hard to deal with. I had a lot of friends who were also models during the early years (2007-2011), but those people all moved on, got careers, married and had kids, did 30-something stuff. I virtually never met other models "in the flesh" from about 2012-2015 when I finally quit shooting. It was just hard to meet others during the years I was most alone out traveling by myself.

I'm at a point where I can start monetizing my photography now (doing headshots for others, got leads of some weddings, babies, etc), but after leaving that industry, it's been hard to get up the motivation to set up the necessary social media, portfolios, etc. It's not the physical work that bothers me, just the emotional labor that shooting (on either side of the camera) requires. Anything to do with cameras sort of reminds me of that old loneliness, the days running into days, becoming weeks and months out touring alone as a model. That weird volatile combination of emotions continues to stall me out every time I remind myself, "You have leads on gigs now, people will to pay for headshots. Time to move your ass." I love shooting. I love modeling. I love everything about the industry, but it comes with some hard stuff too.

Sep 24 17 08:32 am Link

Model

Liv Sage

Posts: 431

Seattle, Washington, US

Koryn wrote:
Yeah, that's some of how I ended up a burned out, bitter former model. The last few years I modeled were really tough, because I spent so much time completely alone, driving between cities. I'd spend like 4-6 hours per day with a photographer who'd booked me, then I was completely alone again afterwards. I'd be sitting reading a book in a hotel room, or eating alone in a restaurant, going to the movies alone to have something to do after a shoot. I'd feel the empty theater seats beside me, and all this empty space around me felt like some big abyss I was always falling into.

The alone time can be very, very strange. And especially when you're traveling, you don't take people with you. It's hard to always coordinate meeting up with other people on the road - though the model groups online have made it a little easier I think, but that might be a recent thing. So, unless you have some way to transport hobbies with you, you're just occupying time in between shoots. I've not been doing this a super long time, but I'm already burned out on watching movies alone and eating alone in restaurants. It really is like, "Oh great, this. Again." I've found traveling in cities that don't have good public transportation to be a bit more difficult for me, not because of the transportation, but because I'm stuck alone in a car all day. And it's exhausting to be completely alone in a small space for days just getting from one spot to the next.

I'm slowing down a bit on my traveling next year because it would actually be nice to be able to take a regularly scheduled pilates class, or to actually be in my apartment for more than 4 days at a time. I could go to a movie with another person even.

I really love modeling, and seeing new things, and being able to be creative every day, but it is exhausting at times.

Sep 24 17 09:35 am Link

Photographer

Jerry Nemeth

Posts: 33355

Dearborn, Michigan, US

Koryn wrote:

Yeah, that's some of how I ended up a burned out, bitter former model. The last few years I modeled were really tough, because I spent so much time completely alone, driving between cities. I'd spend like 4-6 hours per day with a photographer who'd booked me, then I was completely alone again afterwards. I'd be sitting reading a book in a hotel room, or eating alone in a restaurant, going to the movies alone to have something to do after a shoot. I'd feel the empty theater seats beside me, and all this empty space around me felt like some big abyss I was always falling into. when the weather was warm and I could camp at a campground, I'd be sitting alone at night staring mindlessly into a campfire, in Somewhere Middle America, USA, while people's families played and laughed and shared experiences at the other sites around me.

I was just very alone those last few years, and the sense of emptiness got hard to deal with. I had a lot of friends who were also models during the early years (2007-2011), but those people all moved on, got careers, married and had kids, did 30-something stuff. I virtually never met other models "in the flesh" from about 2012-2015 when I finally quit shooting. It was just hard to meet others during the years I was most alone out traveling by myself.

I'm at a point where I can start monetizing my photography now (doing headshots for others, got leads of some weddings, babies, etc), but after leaving that industry, it's been hard to get up the motivation to set up the necessary social media, portfolios, etc. It's not the physical work that bothers me, just the emotional labor that shooting (on either side of the camera) requires. Anything to do with cameras sort of reminds me of that old loneliness, the days running into days, becoming weeks and months out touring alone as a model. That weird volatile combination of emotions continues to stall me out every time I remind myself, "You have leads on gigs now, people will to pay for headshots. Time to move your ass." I love shooting. I love modeling. I love everything about the industry, but it comes with some hard stuff too.

I worked with a model recently who was traveling with her boyfriend.  You story helps me understand why she is doing this.

Sep 24 17 10:01 am Link