Skip to main content

Answering a Reader Question #49


Adriana Marcela Wrote:

Dania, you are a pretty and intelligent young woman. Both qualifications are difficult to find together these days!..

Congratulations! and I wish you the best in your career. I came by your blog while looking for ideas to design a composite for each of my kids (5 and 6). Your advice was very helpful. Thanks!

You writing is excellent and shows that a good education have you in the right path for success... Never give up...

What do you think was the best thing you received in the education from your parents that helped you focus on what-you-were-good for and what-you-like in life?


Hi, Adriana! Thank you so much for your compliments...I am very flattered and glad that I could offer you some advice. I am guessing your children are in the industry as well or are about to become involved?

As for your question, that is a very interesting one that I would love to answer! Let's see...I think the best education I got from my parents in terms of helping me focus on what I was good for and what I wanted in life was the fact that I was taught a different lesson from each. My parents are so different and their viewpoints played a large role in my life. My father has always been supportive of anything I've done. He knows me so well that when he recognizes that I am passionate about something then chances are it's serious if I've allowed it to capture and maintain my attention. However, with the modeling and acting field he is more of a realist and even pessimistic at times. In the beginning I felt bad that he didn't seem to take much interest in what I was doing. But he always told me to have a backup plan...to never put all my eggs in one basket and that as long as I got a college education, I could have the best of both worlds. Now that I am older I realized that his lesson--while negative to me at the time--prepared me to pursue the industry with a clear head. I knew that as much as I loved modeling, it wasn't exactly a career that was synonymous with longevity or prosperity. The industry was highly competitive and I couldn't go into it with only stars in my eyes. This motivated me to pursue my college education while modeling, which led me to pursue another passion: journalism and broadcasting. I learned from my father that while it's good for me to go for what interests me, it's important to make sure that I am still able to take care of myself in case that first attempt should fail--and that I'm not a failure because things didn't work out. He taught me to appreciate the opportunities I have but to not be so caught up with modeling that I missed out on other opportunities.

On the flip side my mother has always been my cheerleader. She loves the fact that I model and is the one who I can turn to and talk about all the shoots I've done, share pictures, and other things I feel my father wouldn't be as interested in hearing about. She has shown me unconditional support, which gave me the confidence and strength to pursue the industry. Her unwavering support and motivation perfectly balanced my father's stern point of view about my modeling. While my father was always cautioning me, my mother was always pushing me to make the most of the opportunities that came my way.

I was lucky because I didn't have "stage parents," nor did I have a parent that outright told me I wouldn't make it (even though my father wasn't gung-ho about me modeling he always silently offered me his support). Each of my parents gave me a different viewpoint but above all they taught me one common lesson: do what makes you happy but make sure you go about it the right way. They kept me very grounded and I think that played a huge role in allowing me the freedom to go after what I was interested in. This life lesson is one that I like to pass on to aspiring models. I like to say that it's okay to reach for the stars--just make sure that should you fall, you have a soft cloud to land on.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Modeling & Pay Rates: How Much Should You Charge?

(This post is more targeted towards freelance models and not those with agency representation, although it may apply to those that have an agent but continue to find their own work.) A part of being a successful model is making money from the jobs that you book. However, being a freelance model comes with many challenges--figuring out what you should charge is one of them. I will say upfront that there are no established black and white rules when it comes to pay rates. Each modeling job is different, each client is different and budgets vary. Ultimately the factors that should influence what you charge should be the amount of experience you have, the strength of the images in your portfolio and the client's budget/needs. Not every client is going to pay what you want to charge. There may be times when you will be skipped over for charging too much or taken advantage of for charging too little. It's going to happen so be prepared for it and do not take it personally. It

What Are Male Models Supposed to Look Like?

The modeling world is filled with women. That's never been a secret and sadly, that often means male models fall by the wayside. There are successful male models in all categories across the industry but the fact that the modeling business revolves around women can make it challenging for newbies to figure out how to pursue their goals of male modeling. It is important to know that because there are different types of modeling categories out there, that means there are also different types of male models. They aren't all supposed to look alike and what ends up being in demand does change every year. Let's break down the common attributes that come with male modeling in various popular categories, shall we? THE MALE FASHION/RUNWAY/EDITORIAL MODEL These are the typical types of models most of us tend to think of when it comes to men in modeling. What is important to know and understand if you're an aspiring male model is that agencies have all different looks

Modeling and Weight

One of the first things I hear potential models ask is what the weight requirement for modeling is. Sometimes that is the main issue they worry about when it comes to pursuing modeling. Let me tell you right now that weight should NOT be one of those concerns. Obviously, the height requirement reigns supreme when measuring up to the modeling standards sought out by agencies. If you meet the height requirements--whether it's for fashion and runway or commercial/print--that is the first step towards starting on the path to modeling. How much you weigh shouldn't be your biggest fear. It is rare that anyone can look at someone and say, "Oh, my gosh, he/she looks like they are 5 pounds over our weight requirement!" It just isn't realistic. If you look at many modeling agency websites, they clearly list the age and height requirements--rarely, if at all do they list any weight restrictions. The general rule of thumb when it comes to weight is that for models who