Are You *Actually* A Model? Do You Get Paid? What Is This Diary Even About? and other FAQ’s

Dear Diary,

I can’t believe this photo was taken almost a year ago; it was my first ever NYC photoshoot. What a year it’s been. I’ve gotten my makeup done in a diner bathroom, let an ice cream cone melt all over me, and posed in a smelly Chinatown fish market alley. (Anything to get the shot, right?)

@sawyernottom, SoHo, October 2016

Don’t fret. There are MANY faces, stories, and shoots to come. Like, actually too many. Some that I don’t even know about yet, that we get to find out about together! But first: FAQ’s. I know what you want to ask me.

No, I’m not signed to a modeling agency.

No, I don’t get paid to model.

No, I actually don’t make any money at all. None.

DON’T STOP READING.

I may not be the next Adriana Lima or Tyra Banks. And no, I can’t tell you how to go to a casting or get signed.

BUT…

I can tell you about what it’s really like to meet up with photographers through Instagram to have photoshoots in the Greatest City in the World. (Hamilton reference, anyone?) I can tell you stories about amazing people and places; I can give you a “Behind-the-Camera” look into all the crazy stuff that goes into creating that photo that you see pop up on your Instagram feed and scroll past without a second thought. Aren’t you just a little bit curious?

Instagram is all about filters. It’s our highlight reel, our idealized self. But in this diary, I’m not giving you the highlight reel. I’m giving you the whole gosh darn game. From the tip off until the buzzer sounds. Turnovers, steals, breakaways, air balls, timeouts and all. #NoFilter.

*Steps down off of soapbox*

So. Why do I do it?

• I get to meet amazing, talented people. People that are native New Yorkers. People that speak multiple languages. People that LOVE what they do. People that know how to #hustle.
• I get to help a vision become a reality. Photographers and models co-create each shot. Both parties are irreplaceable; if you change the model or the photographer, the shot becomes totally new. And I get a big say in which shoots I do and who I work with (an advantage of not being signed, really!) It’s about building a portfolio. Collaboration. Creativity. This is the art part. Modeling is my creative outlet.
• I get to challenge myself to learn how to become excellent at this. I get to observe and grow and (hopefully) improve as a model with each new shoot.
• I get some *bomb* photos to post to my Instagram account. I’m just kidding!!!
  … but actually.

That’s why I do it. So, you’re probably also wondering what I’m actually going to write about in this diary. Here’s a sneak peek.

1. A budget-friendly Glossier-inspired photoshoot: face glue, flower petals, and freckles.
2. A two-shoot day (Part I and Part II): five outfits, four subway lines, and how I lived to tell the tale.
3. A Central Park group shoot: falling leaves, embracing the newfound sweater weather (finally!), and meeting up with my fellow college friends.

And we’re just getting started! If you made to the end of this entry, leave a comment. Do you have a creative outlet? If so, what is it? What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for an Instagram post?

‘Til next time. In the words of Tyra Banks herself…

“Fierce and love,”

Nat