Image is powerful

As a follow up to my previous post I wanted to share with you a females opinion about modelling. In her TED talks she provides a compelling insight further into what a model really is. Thanks to the friend that shared this.

PS. I want to apologize to anyone I may have offended with my previous post.

Models are ugly people (may offend some models obviously)

There is the persona that female models are the most attractive people in the world.  While there are circumstances this could be true, I have found that for myself and the majority of guys I talk to female models are not pretty.  Numerous conversations lately with non-model friends I have received shock for this belief. Models are put on a pedestal, both male and female. Let’s break it down in no particular order of importance:

Attitude. I am speaking broadly here, but the majority of models I have met in the industry have a narcissist, pompous way they go about things.  That my shit don’t stink attitude, is certainly one that most people, myself included don’t understand.  Male models don’t get away from it either, but it is less common. This is probably due to the fact that men don't spend as much time in the limelight as ladies, coupled with the fact that rich men always linger for the attention of female models with bling in hand. 

Social skills. Many who have tried having a conversation with such models will reckon their social skills are that of a brown sloth or brick wall.  Everything goes in the same interview type style conversation that is really not a conversation. It goes like this:

What agency are you with? ________

Where are you from? ________

How long have you been here? _______

When do you leave? _______

Ok. Followed by awkward silence. And... Brick wall. 

Outside of discussing their latest pictures on pg xxx of Vogue, the conversation is pretty much dead in the water. No inquisition, or discussion of topics outside of the first few questions. Then again when everything is handed to you, what’s the point of learning to have intelligent conversation. Well that’s certainly attractive.

They are crazy. While this is obvious as all women are crazy in some capacity (a fellow female model that doesn’t comply to what I am talking about other than the crazy part told me this), there is more twitch in their patterns. Some of this relates back to the attitude part. The primadonna lifestyle gets to them. The ambient temperature outside becomes to hot/cold, not getting enough cigarette breaks, no free insert something that should be given to you just because you are beautiful. 

Sorry but I could snap her arm with a small breeze

Where do I start? Maybe with porridge for breakfast.

Lastly, physically a great majority aren't attractive.  There is no one to blame here, this is a personal opinion but I find many men that share this with me. The industry begs for women that are too skinny and have no shape.  Men beg for women with curves, an ass and maybe some breasts. That is part of it, but I always say the most attractive thing a woman can wear is a smile, smiles are seldom seen in the world of fashion.  Instead a plain as day face with maybe sharp jaw or cheekbones is considered the most attractive. Throw someone onto a pedestal again and before you know it they think they are Miley Cyrus before she became the stacy doll from rugrats.  For a great read on that here is a post I came across: Why fashion models are so skinny

So in honour of finding more beautiful models, “commencer une revolution”.  We need to change the fashion industries idea of what is beautiful. Here are some of my current favourites: Kate Upton above, Miranda Kerr, Salma Hayek, and Maggie Q. While they are all thin by North American standards they all evidently exercise (yes with weights) and still have fat on them. 

                       

I have tried to keep this short for you as I could go on for a days rant on this subject. With all the negatives I have put forth there are plenty diamond in the rough. True gems of beauty and personality are hard to come by. However when you do find these people embrace it, a friendship with friends like these comes naturally. Of course if you are one of those that dreams about dating one of those beautiful gems with a personality better start combing the desert because its not easy. 

Fight shape

The word, I am shape is tossed around a lot. With an ever increasing need to increase our degree of physical activity being in shape reaches a broad spectrum of what it really is. For some of us, it means I walk my dog daily (which is awesome), for others its swimming laps, and for me until this point it meant running and lifting weights. 

However, things change, perceptions change and you begin to realize that the shape you always thought you were doesn’t fit into the puzzle you desire. For me, I always seek a challenge, part of why I left the consulting world.  I seek to confront my query for new tasks on a regular basis. This time of course I am referring to the gym and exercise.

It was 2006 when I completed my Basic Training Theory and Strength training courses and started working as a personal trainer. For the year before that I had discovered this new world of steel and tears of sweat. My body grew and I continued to grow in that area. Seeking a new challenge I began Crossfit, and with that came Olympic lifting, from there I jostled between those and running. For a period I tried to see how muscular I could get (peaking just over 190 lbs), then decided I don’t like walking around like a gorilla and dropped the close to 20 lbs of muscle I used to have on my frame.

Oddly enough my next step was to discover a favourite Canadian pastime, ice hockey. Not that this was new to me, but the skating on ice was something I hadn’t done for 14 years. I fell in love with that activity thanks to my roommate at the time Haley and an eccentric organizer of ice times (http://www.icemanhockey.ca/)

All along the way we rattled off bone crushing smashes of the squash ball and through the good old pigskin around. In Singapore last year you may remember me plugging Insanity workouts and more on topic GSP rushfit. Do you see where I am going with this?

A summer back in Calgary, Todd had recommended 2110 Fitness. A gym I have crazy respect for and an ability to kick me into  “shape”.  All the guys at 2110 love the field and are happy to contribute to your puddle of sweat. Chris who helped me the most also trains an MMA fighter. Hints keep on dropping.  

Last bit of hints are as follows: have you checked my twitter? What about instagram?

Give in? If you haven’t figured out by now you know I have started boxing.  Those around me all know that because it’s all I can talk about…sorry! My head is rampant with double jab, straight, left hook, right hook, left uppercut, and right uppercut also known as Mike Tysons.  That pep in my step has me floating like a butterfly. As I walk down the blog aunties go googly-eyed trying to figure out why my hands are up and my head is bobbing. 

Currently this is my exercise. I have tossed the weights aside for a bit, to work on my feet and hands. This new form of exercise has shown me that maybe my cardio is a little weaker than I expected. I was trying to save face there, my cardio sucks when it comes to boxing.  After 10 of those combos being mentioned earlier I can hardly hold my arms up.

The mind and body aspect of boxing has truly hit that sweet spot for me right now and I hope to continue.  In the week and a half I have been going my body is much more capable of keeping up, while my ass still gets kicked I recover faster and can hit harder more often. This is the ultimate goal to get my body into fight shape.  

And PS. anyone in Bangkok can you try and snap a picture of my billboard on Rama III and send it. Thanks. 

Oh the taxman. Filing your taxes as a model.

After finishing taxes, its nice to knock back one of these.

We are into May now and with the passing of April comes the inevitable taxes (in Canada at least). At this time of year in university you become excited as the income taxes you paid get returned due to tuition tax credits, right at the time you need them most.

However as those tax credits dry up and you age your refund diminishes, credits are fewer and mom stops taking care of taxes for you. After spending 3 years in the professional field of nutrition, I have taken this hiatus. A hiatus that led me to start this blog and ultimately travel to parts of the world I am not so sure I would have seen otherwise. Fill with joy and excitement, as well as heartbreak and adventure, all experiences I will not take for granted. Chock that one up in the life experience and personal development column.

Back to taxes. 2012 was the first year in my life where the majority of my income was as a model. With the exception of a few thousands bones picked up at the bar over the summer there was no other income. For me this created a different circumstance, one of those unknowns. With no T4 from foreign agencies, expenses up the ying yang for transportation and flights I had to go through the journey of filing my taxes as a model. 

I had to do a lot of google searching and running around to figure out how to write what and where on my tax forms. Much thanks to the online software www.turbotax.ca I was able to file relatively quickly once I knew what I was doing.  Alright here is the rundown:

• -       Income is claimed as  Self-Employed
• -       Record Gross income (including pocket money
• -       Deduct commissions paid as Management fees/costs
• -       Deduct plane tickets and applicable transportation as well travel and transportation
• -       Deduct comp cards, cost of printing pictures, etc. as advertising costs
• -       Industry code is 711500 or 711512 (independent artists)
• -       You cannot deduct rent for example 

Those were the major things I noted as necessary. I had my small amounts of other income from bartending and tips with that, which was very self-explanatory. After all is said and done I ended up owing the government about $25. This is my first time filing this way, and while I did get some advice from an accounting buddy about what I can and can’t claim this is all trial and error. In the end I could very well have messed up (and if I did I will revise). Always be prepared for an audit, keep all receipts and necessary documentation as proof of your income.   

Best of luck and May the 4^th be with you, always. 

I like to move it, move it!

To be quite honest I am not exactly sure how this popped up. Close to a month ago now I did a shoot with Mitsubishi Ralliart. Being a car nut, I was naturally excited about the product. I shot a catalog and web page for the Ralliart sportswear collection. While shooting they also created a fun little behind the scenes video.  

Interestingly enough this brought to my attention something that a lot of new models struggle with… movement.  For some movement in front of the lens comes easy, and others it’s like pulling teeth with a pair of vice grip pliers. As you start to work, you start to loosen up and get more comfortable. Simply put, the better you are at moving the happier the photographers are, the better the pictures are and in turn, less time wasted.  

What exactly is movement though? Simply put it’s your ability to change from picture to picture freely. Each click or flash you move. Sometimes its subtle like eyes, but more frequently its head position, or even full body. The purpose would be that if the photographer clicks that shutter 100 times, you get 100 different pictures. It sounds rather easy, by in my experience working with other models it can be more challenging than walking past Nana (in Bangkok) and not having a prostitute hit on you. 

Now I am not perfect either. When I first got to Bangkok this year I worked with the most difficult person I have ever had to deal with. Nothing is good enough, a true asshole of sorts, trashing my confidence and belittling. I came very close to walking off on the job. In my effort to remain professional I belittled him using complex English and just gritted my teeth.  With confidence shot, my mind drew blank and flow disappeared. It happens to the best of us at times. 

Anyway all that aside here are some more shots.