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

First thing's first: let's be realistic here. It is totally possible to age gracefully and my focus with this article is about how to maintain the best looking YOU at whatever age you are. This post is not about how to turn back the clock and try to pursue anti-aging miracle solutions. The most confident models are the ones that embrace their age and understand the steps necessary to keep themselves in the best possible physical condition when it comes to skin care. This goes for both female and male models. I'll do my best to keep this post from being too lengthy but want to target general age groups, as well as share basic tips for tackling Father Time as it relates to your money maker. TEENS TO YOUNG ADULTS Don't take your youthful complexions for granted, young models! While we all wish for the days when our faces were completely free of wrinkles and fine lines, don't think that just because you're young, that leaves you off the hook with skin care...

(This post will be especially beneficial to female and male freelance models.) Although it isn't uncommon for models and photographers to meet up and shoot on the fly, if you're a bit more of a control freak (like myself!) and prefer to have some kind of game plan to follow, then mood boards are going to be one of your favorite tools to utilize in the course of your modeling career. I  LOVE  putting together mood boards. It helps me visualize what I want and keeps everyone on the same page. I can't stress enough how beneficial it is to learn how to throw one of these together. WHAT IS A MOOD BOARD? A mood board is essentially a collection of reference/inspo images that models and photographers can use for inspiration and serve as a loose guideline of what types of photos they want to capture. Think of it as an illustrative blueprint. You know that little thing called Pinterest? Well, that's basically today's version of a mood board so if you're famil...

When it comes to business, the devil is in the details. This especially applies when it comes to communication. While text and DMs are a popular way to reach out and network, email continues to be a widely and heavily used method. Regardless of your age and whether you have modeling experience or not, it is critical to pay attention to how you're presenting yourself when it comes to email correspondence. The cool thing about technology is that it's always changing and adding features that allow people to personalize and customize the websites, platforms and devices they use frequently. Email signatures have always been around but these days, there are more ways than ever to make your signature stand out. Plan on pursuing the modeling industry? Then that means you'll need to start tailoring yourself to be a professional on all fronts. If that means creating a new email account that's just for agency submissions, communicating with photographers, submitting to...