If someone would ask me what i would do different, i would say ... save all the money i did spend for modeling classes because only a few make it ... if they know your name then u make it otherwise you are just one of the thousands out there.
I went to several model Academy's, not the least i can say that. I spend at least 22000 linden on classes not to mention the poses and the outfits to wear. If you all count it up, trying to be a model costs alot lindens but the cost on your love, your family and friends are way bigger. Being a model makes u a lonely person, u are busy with styling, searching for the best poses, go to auditions, do rehearsels, go to do castings, do interviews with agency's and so on .... sometimes you are lucky to be accepted but most of the times its a slam in your face and it knocks you down on the floor. Being a model is lots falling down and a few times standing up. U can be lifted to the highest place and be pushed back to the ground in just a matter of minutes. Not to mention your rl and your sl love thats suffering from it ... i lost it all.
Like you all know i made it to the finals of Mister Virtual World 2012 and represented my country Belgium. I graduated from the same academy aswell ... but let me tell you this. It is no garantee you will be accepted into agency's. People like you or they don't, they know your name or they don't ... and if you are not an asskisser or not know ... im sorry but you are not accepted. And who is the judge on whether u are "hot, sexy, cool, right" styled or not? I would say ... there is no such thing as being wrongly styled. You might say, what are u saying now. Well its all about taste. A few days ago i did see a live performance on youtube from Whitney Houston, performing with her little daughter. She was wearing, pink pants, with a brown fur long jacket, purple heels and red belt. At first i was saying, what on earth is she wearing ... but then again i said, well if you like to stand out and you like the way you are dressed then why not. When i watch the fashion shows of great designers in rl i sometimes think ... "are u serious u think someone is going to wear this?" or "poor model she has to wear something like this without falling from stage" .. and believe me i am not the only one thinking like this. I did watch some fashion shows in sl and even did a few myself and sometimes i even think when i see an outfit "who is going to wear this?". But i see people wearing some outfits ... so if you would ask me what is a good styling or a bad styling i would say there isn't such thing as bad styling because its all a matter of taste.
My last casting i went for was called : Theme :"Beach party at Acapulco"
What is the first you do when you see something like this? ... right you go on to google and type in "beach party at acapulco" to see if google finds something. And what do you find then ... well all kinds of stuff. But most of the people are in the water or on the beach in swimsuits ... the picture you will see is my outfit i went for to do the casting to be accepted into an agency ... i wanted to look different, wanted to give the impression of acapulco with the colourfull cap on my head and my swimtrousers and with the ripped shirt and the claws earrings to say i am a party animal and here i am ... u want to know the results? They picket everyone that wasn't in beach outfit. So who is to say you are styled perfect? Google for yourself and see the pictures you get .... i was always told dressed like you would be dressed in rl ... I leave the comments all to you about my styling. Because i like to learn and see what people think...
to be continued ...
Hmmm you look like a "beach party at Acapulco" for me!! I'm not sure why you were not picked tho...sadly I wasn't there. :(
ReplyDeleteBut one thing I can say is this. You do NOT need to kiss asses to get ahead. I know some people did do that to get to where they are but those will have their limits to stay there. And one thing I can tell you is...I feel most of the new models are way too impatient. I modeled for only one small agency for a LONG time and when that agency was gone, I had no where. I didn't know anybody when I started to model, had no connections, had no mentor...and I had no titles either. In fact, I didn't have a single crown until last year! lol So I was modeling without any crown title for 2.5 yrs. Of course, I didn't enter many either because basically, I just didn't like contests.
I feel that a lot of models get demotivated if they don't get anywhere after a few months...or maybe 6 months. If you REALLY like what you do, then who really cares about titles? At least it never bothered me. I just did what I liked for a LONG time...just styling and blogging and I was still happy because I totally enjoyed what I was doing :)
So you have to think...what is it that you want? Do you like fashion? Or do you just want a title? Or fame...or whatever. I just liked fashion and was happy to do what I could do at the time, which was to keep blogging (I did have to buy all the items I blogged tho). So I built my career in SL by moving step by step without any connections at all. It was slow but still a lot of fun. :)
Afterall, SL has to be a fun place. Otherwise, why login just to be miserable? So do what your heart tells you and try to make it as fun as possible for you :) And if you are good at what you do and you are patient, people will notice you. :)
Great post, by the way :) And I love your look!
I agree with everything Kay has said. You do not need to kiss anyones ass to be proud of who and what you are. You shouldn't need a title to say here I am and here is my worth.. your worth is what you are proud of. I am not known for kissing anyones ass. In fact i am known for just the oposite. I speak my mind and yes it does get me into trouble at times but I would rather have a designer tell me in all truth and honesty they do not like my look or shape then oooz how beautiful i am and how much they loveeee my styling.
ReplyDeletebe proud of yourself. this is your sl. be yourself not a clone. there is to many clone models in sl who go out buy a shape and then check to see what everyone else is wearing before they dare walk out. Who are afraid to show their own personality their own taste. Always be true to yourself. You wont please all of sl.. You cant and wont please even a half of it but if you have pleased yourself you have won.
I always told my students that no matter what, styling is a personal thing. What one person hates, another may absolutely adore and that you have to beat to your own drum. I truly believe that.
ReplyDeleteYou look like you're going to a very casual Spring break beach party. On the flip side, they probably meant a high class, chic beach party which is probably why you didn't get cast. I think the key word here was "party" and not entirely on "beach". Regardless, what you did was correct in searching for a term or a fashion style that you weren't familiar with.
I remember when I started out and went to numerous castings. Sometimes I'd get picked but most often I didn't. Once I even changed my entire look and shape in hopes that I'd get cast. Even after all that, I still didn't get cast. Finally, I decided to just be myself and if I didn't get picked it was their tough luck for not hiring me. If Kay is who I think she is, she can also attest that she doesn't always get picked or cast for shows either after all this time and with all her experience. It happens! You pick yourself up, learn from it and keep forging ahead.
Kay is also correct when she says that new models are impatient and expect to become famous overnight. Those who do become quickly well-known often burn-out just as fast. Some feel as though they're entitled to win contests because their friends said they should win or that they looked the best at the finals. No one is entitled to win anything. In fact, it almost sounds as if you may feel entitled to be cast for agencies/shows because you were Mr. Belgium. I hate to break this to you but, to many, titles don't mean a damn thing and, albeit a select few titles in SL modeling, many quickly forget who has the title shortly after it's been won.
If you decide to stick with SL modeling, make sure you stick with it because it's what you want to do. Be prepared to spend the money and have a huge inventory of things you may only wear once. Be prepared for many ups and downs at castings and future contests. Most of all be prepared to work hard and be patient because if it's something you love to do, it will show and you'll eventually get the recognition for it.
I did read all your comments and i must say i really feel great hearing what others have to say and i don't think im the only one that is glad on reading the support. I don't care about titles to be honest, i just want to become a model and do some shows. I love blogging as you can see and i love designing, but sometimes when u are like me ... left alone not only sl but also in rl over MVW competition and modeling ... i wonder is it all worth it .. there is no support out there... Unless people show it to eachother...
ReplyDeleteto be continued
Well, I have to say that unlike Kay I did have a mentor in modeling in SL,
ReplyDeleteand everyone knows that mentor is Frolic. Unlike what you may think though, I don´t think that having a famous mentor or a famous name behind you, in the fashion world, is necessarily a good thing nor does it open doors nor
opportunities automatically; It is actually the opposite, because many people think that what you have accomplished is because you have that relationship with that person and not because you earned it by yourself. In my case, Frolic mentoring me has helped me a lot because of his teachings. He can be a cruel critic of my work and that has made me very demanding of myself which I will appreciate a lifetime. But even with his support and critiques, success didn´t come fast or easy. Many doors were closed in my face many times and I understood that only perseverance and hard work would lead me to where I wanted to go. so I did and still do because hard work in modeling never ends, when they know you is even harder because they expect a lot from you and you have to reinvent yourself every day to keep you upgraded.
I always tell my students that modeling is not a fast food restaurant, modeling is about work, sacrifice, patience, humility, self-improvement and
knowledge, putting the pieces together, like links in a chain, is the only
thing that will help you build a career which you can be proud of.
I know many people who have dedicated themselves to kiss asses in the fashion world and believe me they do not get far.
I encourage you to think about what you may have failed or could have done
better when you do not get chosen in a casting, sometimes everything is
perfect with the styling and just one pose wrong may get you disqualified,
and yes, sometimes we see injustices, people who are selected just because
they are friends or related to the owner of the agency, but they don't move
much further than that.
Do not get discouraged and keep trying always. Continue to grow and see that
sooner than later you will arrive! KEEP WALKING!
Ponchituti Boucher
Bonie, I was there with you that day and I wore a bathing suit too. I loved your style. I would totally party it up with you if we were in Acapulco! And you have to be careful with these themes for castings. They can be very tricky and takes some research and asking around from friends to get their opinions beforehand.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I spent a lot on modeling schools (MBMA, MVW, CRS, Avenue), styling, blogging, and of course time put in. Even time spent with old friends gets less each day. You sacrifice a lot to be in this industry. But you really have to enjoy doing this and not just for the fame.
I've seen too many people get burned out quick on here and I will not let myself get like that. I've had so many rejections and "no's", after awhile I just stopped expecting things. If one door closes, another will open. After awhile you learn to develop a thick skin. There will be many more contests and auditions out there. The more you go the better you get at them and know what to expect.
Unlike you, I do not have a title to wear and I haven't won any contest. I haven't even done an official runway show yet. But that hasn't made me give up in trying. Like kay said it will not happen over night. So far I think you are on the right path, just keep doing what you enjoy doing and have fun bonie...if you need anything you know where to find me in SL ;)
~sera
Your styling fits the theme to me. Unless the venue wasn't on the beach, I'm not sure why they picked others who weren't in beach outfit.
ReplyDeleteI can understand how you feel and I agree some of the things you've said. Modeling does cost a lot ... we go to classes, we go shopping for almost all our outfits and we spend so much time on them. We may loose friends, dates or love because we are always busy with the fashion world and we become a lonely person. Yes, there are more downs than ups too.
I agree with everything Kay has said too ... you really do not need to kiss asses to be accepted and no one should make you feel that you should either! As Brittainy also said, you shouldn't let a title determine your worth. Really .... afterall, the title is given by only a small handful of people who has different tastes from the many out there. I have to applaud Kay for her perseverance, this is something we should learn.
Do not loose heart, enjoy the journey and be happy that you are better today than yesterday.
All the best to you!
I'm so glad I read your post and the responses... I'm very new to this and I'm spending a lot of time obsessing about every little thing... what I should be doing or not doing... gathering opinions about my shape and being blown from one side to the other (one loves a very masculine-influenced female shape; another favors something with an almost animal quality about some of the features... I'm beginning to realize everyone I ask will have a different aesthetic opinion! No quick fix or little blue pill.
ReplyDeleteIt's so good to come here and read Kay's and Ponchi's and everyone else's responses (including Dove's final comment). I feel more centered after reading them. I do love the process and while I realize a large part of this work is about making the people we serve happy, in the end we have to be happy and satisfied with our work; we have to be convinced of its beauty and worth. If I do the best I can, and I'm open to learning more ongoing, that goal will surely be attainable.