What's the single most important point you need to
understand in order to succeed as a model?
While I could probably come up with several points that tie
in importance, I'm going to choose this: You need to treat
Modeling as a business, pure and simple.
It is just one part, though an important part, of the multi-
billion dollar industries of fashion and advertising. Models
promote (and therefore sell) much of the world's fashion and
consumer goods.
The sooner you understand this fact the happier you'll be,
and the happier your clients will be with you...And the more
bookings you'll get.
As in all businesses there is a product to sell and as a
model, your product is you--a combination of how you look
physically and what you project from inside of you. It
includes how you relate to and work with clients, agents
and others. It is your level of self-confidence, your charm
and charisma. It is the sum total of your thoughts,
attitudes and personality. That combination is your own
brand of magic and is what makes you unique. This is what
you bring to the market.
WHAT MODELING IS NOT...
Modeling is not a beauty contest, a popularity contest, or a
"most likely to succeed" contest.
And it is most certainly not a gauge of your self worth.
Your self-worth is already validated. It's based on your
inherent value, as the unique individual that you are, and
it can never be taken away from you. Your inherent self-
worth is in no way correlated to your career as a model.
You know, many of the models I've worked with have been
stunningly beautiful. And yet, so many were insecure. You
could see that they still had an inner image of themselves
as that ugly little duckling, wanting acceptance and
approval so badly.
They hoped to find love and approval through modeling; a
place where, ironically, the danger of rejection and
insecurity couldn't be more real.
So never confuse being booked with being loved. One has
nothing to do with the other. And conversely and just as
important is don't confuse not being booked with being
unlovable.
Let's say that you have a client who's very excited about
you and books you--they tell you how wonderful you are, they
pay you very well and they've got to have you, no one else
will do. Does that mean that they actually love you? No. It
means that as a model you correspond to what they're looking
for at the time.
Sooner or later, that same client will stop booking you. It
might be overnight, or it might be after years. But since
change is the nature of fashion, they will eventually stop
booking you, to change for someone who fits the look they
want now.
Remember, it's not personal; it's just business.
The sooner you see the difference, and stop taking such
facts of life personally, the happier you'll be as a model.
Even better your clients will pick up on your positive
attitude and your sense of confidence, and you'll actually
begin to attract more bookings to yourself as a result.
Kim Luret is the real deal--a former high fashion model who has worked with most of the big name designers in Paris, Milan, New York, London and elsewhere. Nowadays she is a model scout for a well known Paris modeling agency. She offers fantastic success strategies for aspiring models at http://www.inner-modeling.com
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