Happy New Year

New year and a new semester. Last semester was great. I saw a serious growth in my career with being added to the SVA Modeling family. I am looking forward to strengthen my career relationships in New York as well as Philadelphia.

I am also excited about continuing to develop this blog. I have asked a few of my Facebook connection to contribute questions to my 5 W's on Me. I like supporting people who are doing something. So with each question I will have a link leading to their site.

I have worked out my interview schedule. I plan to have an interview with an artist that I have not worked with once a month. I will showcase artist I have worked with as these events happen.

I am also going to share my learning process of becoming a 'recognized' Freelancer. Meaning sharing the different preparation I need to make to function as a business. From the legal to the financial experience.

Also, I am moving this year. I am still going to work in Philly, so I am looking for something of a mid-point kinda between New York City and Philadelphia. Now that does not mean New Jersey is a shoe in, because I am open to living in New York City should the right opportunity present itself.

I have only lived in Philly and live my new career, I want to try my life in a new city.

So here is to more work, new residence and a continued love of Life.

I just had a thought,

Can you love Life and not yourself?

Namaste 

November 27, 2013 with Artist Nina in Professor Nancy Chunn Evening Class at SVA

  

The preceding are a set of painting for a collage worked by Artist Nina aka GreekChristiana. I was primarily there to model just for her. I hope to see how I fit into the finished project soon.

I pose on purpose

When I chose a pose or poses, it is always with what the professor is telling the students they want to see.

For example, today in class, the point Professor Dona Nelson from Tyler School of Art wanted the students to focus on was relationships. She was not looking for a finished artwork as much as she was looking to see that the students were using relationships to make proper measurements.

I could have chose an easy square pose, because I get paid the same whether I do an easy pose or a difficult pose, but I never like choosing easy poses. Easy poses are as boring for me as they are the artist. There have been times I have taking poses that are down right painful, because of what I wanted to project. Not that any professor would ever have a problem with me changing, it is a personal choice. When I commit to a pose, it has to be very very very painful for me to break it. When I first started, I had a couple that I broke for that reason. It challenged me to get my stamina and strength up.

Back to the pose for the class, I chose my version of a parallelogram. It made my pose interesting and still gave the students makers to relate certain parts of my body to the other. For example, on my right side, I purposely rested my arm midway between my knee and hip but also placing it vertical to my heel.

I take my place in the class very seriously, because education is serious to me. It is important that I am aiding in inspiring the students to take what they are learning seriously in partnership with their professors.

Plethora of Pretty Portraits for Professor Susan Moore's Painting Class Fall 2012

Artist Blake's
inspiration by my pose
was Van Goghish in style
and I love it.

Austin

Ken

Chi

Austin

Maxx

Eunbi

Chi

Maxx

Ashley

Eunbi

Maxx

Austin

Chi

'Extraordinarily Unusual Figure'

Namaste

Today was my first time getting a chance to model for Pratt Institute. This was a complement, for those that are unsure. These were words use to discuss the work student were doing of me.

June 2011 photo shoot in Philadelphia, PA
 for Kim Mintzer Images 

It was a 3 hour class with a number of different types of poses. (I was very grateful, I was not in one pose today. I would have fallen asleep. I was out way to long the night before.) As the professor went on instructing the students how to approach drawing me, she said 'This is an extraordinarily unusual figure you have before you.'

Now I know show of you, because of where you are in your journey, would see that as a diss. It is not. Number One, most art models are not my size. Generally they are athlete and dancer types. So my presence is unusual to a class. Extraordinary, because it is out of the normal that they have to draw and it forces some of them to approach drawing or painting me using the skills that are not normally challenged by smaller models.

I am proud to be an 'Extraordinarily Unusual Figure'. You should be too.

Namaste

I have taking some time to think about what I want this blog to do before starting:

1. Showcase the love of Fine Art that still exist;
2. Share my ongoing growth as a woman;
3. Share important information that may help and encourage others.

A little bit about me:

I started my journey as an Art Model in 2011. I was encouraged to pursue it via a fellow friend and artist, Kim Mintzer. I got my first assignment with The Philadelphia University of the Arts, thank you Lauren. My first time modeling was epic and was a quick learn. I loved it. It of course was not my best showing, but how many first are? I have since become a regular model for Tyler School of Art and SVA NYC. 

I love what I do. I think of the years I spent working to survive and maybe finding time to be happy, because that is what I was led to believe was best for me. NOT ANY MORE! There was a time when I only felt alive during certain times of the day, now my days and nights are full of Life. They are full of Life, because I am freeing myself more and more.

Now how does modeling fit into the above? It has added to my creativity freedom. Although, I am just a tool of inspiration...it is a stage for my own creativity. 

We will talk more about me later. I am very excited to show of the students, I feel are my students as much as they are their professor's students. I almost can not wait until tomorrow.