Modeling & Acting 101 - A Model/Actor's Diary

While going through some old photos in my room the other day, I came across my very first modeling/acting headshot, which is the photo associated with this post. Aside from bringing back a lot of memories, I also stopped to realize how far the modeling industry has come, both the good and the bad. And it made me think about how differently the approach to modeling was just a decade ago. When I first got the flyer in the mail for a San Francisco open casting call, which will have been exactly 10 years ago for me in February (how time flies!), I didn't pursue the industry because I wanted to be a supermodel or to make a million dollars--I wanted to do it because it looked like it would be fun. That's not to say that I wasn't passionate, but during the time I was growing up, modeling wasn't in the forefront like it is today. There was no "America's Next Top Model," heck, there was no such thing as reality tv. I didn't flip through high fashion magazi...

Since I talked about my beauty and skin care routine, I figured I may as well follow up that post with one about my health and daily diet. Being 5'4" I like to keep my weight range between 115-125 lbs. No more, no less. I have never done a "diet" in my life so when I use the word "diet" here I'm simply referring to my daily eating habits. I've been lucky that my agent has never asked me to lose a pound--yet another benefit of being a commercial/print model, but that doesn't mean that I don't pay attention to what I eat. It's actually pretty easy to maintain a good and healthy weight without being a slave to counting calories or crash-dieting. All it takes is some discipline and routine. Eats I eat 5-6 small meals a day. My main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) are smaller portions that are no bigger than the size of my palm or hand. You'll find that eating smaller more frequent meals and snacks throughout the day works wond...

Because a lot of people are fascinated by getting "model skin," I thought it would be fun to post my beauty regimen in more detail. I do stress that what works for one person may not necessarily work for someone else so before you go out there and buy the same products I'll be listing here, be sure to get the right ones for your skin type and always do a patch test to avoid any bad skin reactions. I have combination skin with eczema so unless you've got that same skin type, you may not experience the same results with your skin that I have but feel free to use my beauty regimen as a reference in creating your own. Most importantly, tailor your beauty/skin care regimen to fit your skin's needs. FACE Every morning and every night before bed, I cleanse with Clean & Clear Morning Burst with Shine Control. I apply a heavier dose of Dove dry skin moisturizer to my cheeks because with combo skin that area tends to get dry easily and I only apply a thin amount...

I'm sure you're wondering what happened to the content that used to be on this blog post related to creating your own comp card. As some of you may or may not know, I am a writer for the website eHow.com. I took this particular blog post and formatted it for eHow, where it has continued to receive a lot of hits from readers. Unfortunately, eHow has discontinued its writing program since merging with a larger company. I have agreed to sell the rights to my articles published on eHow, which now become property of the new company. As part of the agreement, I have to remove any content that currently appears as an article on eHow.com since I no longer own that content. Rest assured, everything else on my blog will stay as is since I own the rights to this blog content. But never fear, there is still a way to find out the information needed to create your own comp card in Photoshop. Instead of reading it here on my blog, simply click on the link below, which will take yo...

As passionate as I am about modeling, I'm sure you may be asking yourself where I stand when it comes to ANTM? Well, if it weren't for Tyra's show, I'm pretty sure this blog wouldn't exist! It seems that ever since Tyra appeared on television and gave undiscovered models from across the country a shot at top model stardom, the fascination with the modeling industry has increased exponentially. I do give Tyra her props for the success of her career and the many roads she has paved for the latest generation but at the same time there are both advantages and disadvantages to the show. First thing's first, ANTM is NOT what the modeling world is really like. Nor does it offer a very accurate picture of how to approach modeling. All reality TV shows are a "created reality." You have editors and directors who cut and splice and put together the very episodes we love to indulge in. If anything, the show should be taken at face value and watched for pure e...

Modeling contests are a fun way of trying to break into modeling, whether you're new to it or not. Of course there are some things to keep in mind when it comes to searching and submitting yourself to them. You can find modeling contests online through search engines like Google, although the results will be so numerous, it can be confusing. You can also try looking for modeling contest info at online modeling communities like Models.com or ModelMayhem.com. Sometimes the people who are putting on the contests advertise on sites like those in order to get models to enter. Regardless of how you find out about them, be sure that you only enter modeling contests that you qualify for and be sure to read all the contest rules. There may be things listed in the fine print that aren't stated up front elsewhere. Many also have age requirements. Most will be 18+. Unfortunately, teen model contests are pretty rare but if you look hard enough, I'm sure you'll find them. Wh...