You might be wondering why I'm starting today with motivation as the topic? Some of you might have wanted to hear the fine tuned tips of where to find the best agencies, or how to conquer the social media blitz. No.... not yet.
Even an athlete that has talent in his sport has to build upon stages of development, and strengthen his craft if he's going to last the duration of his athletic career. So is the same when one decides to walk the path to modeling. A typical modeling career starts at 18 years of age and lasts until 27. Let's not forget there's models who start out as children, and some who make a career last as long as a full lifetime like Tyra Banks, and many others in the mix.
But, the beginning of the race to success is the discovery of your motive (your reason) why you want to join this journey. I'm sure if I asked a 100 women why they want this, they would mostly express the same answers. Money, fame and free clothes are among the top answers I've hear over the years. Referring back to the title. "You are my everything!", you might not understand what I mean. Let's check the three popular answers I mentioned (Money, Fame, and Free Clothes) against the meaning of "You are my everything!". Money, isn't everything. It's important for living in the world, but it's not your EVERYTHING, no matter how poor you live. Fame, is fickle, and mainly unimportant to survival in life, so that's not your EVERYTHING. Free Clothes, while nice to have, is just a perk, but not essential to live, so that's not your EVERYTHING.
I'll help you find the secret to your EVERYTHING. Let me explain mine. I got into photography for a number of reasons, and I'm sure you'll discover several of your reasons too, over time. In the beginning I didn't think about money, fame, or free stuff. I just enjoyed the visual of what I was photographing, and I didn't have the pleasure of instant gratification like now with digital cameras. I began my hobby when film photography was the only option. I had to enjoy myself in the moment with no understanding of how good or bad I was until the film was developed. That took guts and patience to exert effort with no replenishment of satisfaction. With digital photography, I could critique myself quicker, but I still needed money to live. No one was offering me big money, and sometimes offered no money, OR FREE STUFF, but I trudged on because I knew my core beliefs and motivation for my persistence in the photography industry. When it comes to fame being a motivation, I didn't receive it as an egocentric subject, but as a way to look at my industry and find the people who I admired that became famous for their craft, and kept them in my face when I was struggling to stay the course. You shouldn't copy my motivation or others in the industry, but search inside yourself. Your motive lives within you. What is there in your own heart and soul that screams, "I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT ________!"
It can't be air, food, or happiness because we all need that to live no matter what career we are in. My motive evolved from realizing I'm human and need human contact to live, and that every one I came in contact with was a part of my life to get me to my destiny. Sometimes they're challenging and sometimes they're pleasant, but each encounter is meant for the betterment of my journey. Yes, even the people who are challenging. I realized that everyone was entitled to their own existence, and every one of their experiences needed to be preserved on camera for reflecting upon it in the future. Whether memories of a vacation, a birthday, a job promotion, or a tragedy, all are important to the person who is affected by it and should be entitled to the lasting memory frozen in photography. I care about that segment with the fullness of my being! It's my destiny to capture the moment as it happens, and that's my gift to the recipient of my photography. I have to do it this way, and I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT!
That's my motivation, and I hope you find yours.
Take a moment to leave me comments below about your motivation you've discovered, or whatever else you want to say relating to this topic.
On my next blog post I will be discussing another foundation builder. "Are supporters just polite naysayers?"
