The second extreme group of individuals share the same excited feelings but are very worried, overwhelmed and even appear to suffer from anxiety attacks just thinking about what pursuing modeling will be like and all the territory that comes with it.
I can totally read it in their words. Emails flooded with questions such as, "What do I do if [x, y, z] happens?" "What if I run out of poses?" "What'll happen if I'm walking down the runway and I bust out laughing?" "What if I don't do a good enough job?" Sometimes I just want to reach out, give them a hug and tell them it's going to be okay. :-)
To all the anxiety-ridden questions I will simply say, "It's not that serious." Seriously! It's normal for newbies to experience bouts of nervousness and self doubt when it comes to getting started in the industry--whether you've only gone as far as researching agencies or are getting ready for your first agency test shoot.
However, I can't stress enough the importance of knowing that in modeling, it's all about going with the flow...letting things happen as you feel them and just getting out there and seeing what happens, good or bad. No one expects you to get it right the first time or even the second or third for that matter. That's how all models know if this is the path that's truly for them.
Want to know a secret? Well, the title of this blog post pretty much puts it right out there in the open: even professional models get nervous. Sure, being on set, shooting on location or appearing on a runway may be just "another day at the office," but rest assured, just about every experienced model still gets the butterflies in his/her stomach or that annoying voice in the back of their head, doubting whether or not they can pull it off. It's completely normal. We don't think of ourselves as untouchable or infallible (at least the ones that aren't divas don't, haha).
It's what you do with those nerves and thoughts that will make or break your success as a model. If you make it a habit to over analyze, doubt yourself or focus on everything but the task at hand, you're sure to bang the nail on the coffin of your career before it's even begun. Hesitation, doubt, fear, worry and over analyzing will not only show up in your pictures, it will read in your body language during a fashion show. Instead of entertaining such thoughts, push them aside and replace them with positive energy and telling yourself that you've got the skills to get the best results. If anything, use your nervousness and doubt to motivate yourself to do even BETTER.
Believe it or not, I still get those little nagging voices in my head from time to time before I do a photoshoot. I still get butterflies in my stomach and shortness of breath before I step foot on the catwalk. What's my secret? Before the camera snaps the first flick or before I take center stage, I take a quick second to close my eyes, raise my chin up and whisper to myself, "Just breathe." Then I put my game face on and let my modeling persona/alter ego, Lola Fox, do the rest.
Whatever method or routine you develop to help you shake the nerves out, do it and stick to it. Despite the tricks of the trade and years of experience, no one is perfect, newbies, not even the pros...always remember that and you'll do just fine.
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