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

I know that tax season for the year already passed but I felt it was still okay to post about the topic of taxes and modeling since I figure it's never too early to get info that could help people out when it comes time to file next year (and maybe even give you a jump start on organizing your receipts and other paperwork). I've written a few articles on the subject (if you use the search tool on my blog and type in "taxes," the posts will come up--make sure you select the "Amodelsdiary.blogspot.com" option and not "Web") but this particular post is a bit more specific. I want to talk about write offs, also referred to as "deductions." You may or may not have heard this term before but it is a popular one--namely, with business owners, entrepreneurs and independent contractors. So what exactly is a write off as it relates to doing taxes? According to the site TurboTax: "Well, a write-off is any legitimate expense that can ...

It's rare that I meet aspiring models who don't have goals of being in a fashion show and doing their thing on the runway. I can't say I blame them--there's something about being in the spotlight with all eyes on you as you strut down the catwalk. It's a pure adrenaline rush. I've written numerous topics about the runway walk on this blog but wanted to add this post to break down some of the important dos and don'ts that female and male models can learn from, especially if you're just getting into the industry. Remember: you don't have to be in Fashion Week to use these tips to your advantage. Whether you're doing a huge show or have the chance to model in a student fashion show or other type of event, the work atmosphere tends to be pretty similar so going in armed with the info below will help position you to be the type of model that clients will want to work with again and again. DO: ARRIVE EARLY My motto is, "Early is on tim...

I used to jokingly say, "Common sense is a superpower." Truth be told, I don't really joke about it anymore because it's true. On almost every shoot I've been on this year I've heard at least one "WTH" type of story about a model. I believe in signs so the fact that I keep hearing about all these ridiculous happenings that really shouldn't even be an issue is what motivated me to write this post. If you've been guilty of this, I'm hoping that you learn why the matters touched on in this post are not okay to make a part of your career, not to mention your reputation. Newbies and those just getting into modeling will be much better off reading this post sooner than later to avoid the following pitfalls and ensure that clients won't end up telling someone like me how they couldn't believe so-and-so did this or so-and-so did that. To be honest, I wish I didn't have to list the following common sense tips for female an...