Having the Right Attitude

Can you be a model? - simply register with us and get your free model evaluation!Securing success in the modelling world is dependent on having the right attitude. Having the right attitude can be broken down into three easy pieces: patience, discipline and self-confidence.
Modelling, perhaps more than any other business, is subject to misconceptions. See the Models Connect pages on finding an agency that suits you: many people entering the modelling industry assume that being discovered is about luck. Yes, models do get discovered in unusual ways, but there’s a reason why these stories are told so often – it’s because they happen so little. Disregard these stories, as they’ll do you no favours whatsoever. Modelling is for tough cookies and working hard is the only reliable way to get noticed.

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Patience

You’ve probably been told countless times that patience is a virtue. Well, nowhere is this more applicable than the modelling industry. You may think you have potential, but building a modelling career does not happen overnight.
You may dream of six-figure salaries and walking down the runways of Milan and Paris but those are a long way off. The reality is that you will have to pay your dues. This is the same for anybody, regardless of what sector of the modelling industry they want to break into. There is no shame in doing the small stuff – just don’t sweat it. Working through the less inspiring bookings, while maintaining a professional and polite manner, will pay off. It goes without saying, but be respectful to the client and the product. Not only will it earn brownie points with clients, who will remember you the next time they want to cast someone for a new assignment, but if you’re a delight to work with, the word will spread. The modelling industry is very close-knit, and everybody speaks to everybody else. No matter how demeaning you may think the job is, treat each assignment like you’re working for Italian Vogue. Sounds ridiculous, but it works. People will always remember the easy-to-work-with model, not the pouting prima donna who thinks she’s too good to be there. A polite model is a bookable model.

Self-confidence

Self-confidence is pretty much a given for working in the modelling industry , especially high fashion. If you hit the big time, you’ll be asked to wear some pretty outlandish things, and sell them like they’re the best thing since Armani. Modelling is about selling the aspiration to the consumer, and the client wants the message of their product sold by someone who exudes self-confidence.
For younger models, this can be a tricky point to negotiate. You’re still growing and finding out who you are as a person, let alone as a model. You feel desperately awkward and out of place, and that’s on your good days. But, there is a sneaky way around a lack of confidence: fake it.
It is the one secret that no-one tells you (well, apart from now). When it comes to projecting self-confidence, no-one can tell the difference between the real thing and the fake. You can use this to your advantage: when meeting clients, maintain good posture and eye contact. These are the calling cards of a confident person, and no-one meeting you for the first time will even suspect that you’re bluffing. Above all, be interested in what is going on around you. Listen and participate. A model that is keen and engaged is a busy model. You’ll also find that while you’re busy listening to what is being said; you won’t have time or energy to focus on feeling awkward. See how that works?
Self-confidence also comes in handy when attending castings or go-sees. It is a universally acknowledged fact that you will get rejected for jobs – it comes with the territory. You will receive knock-backs on jobs you thought you should have been perfect for. It’s baffling, yes, but don’t see this as a personal slight. Many casting directors have a very specific brief on what the client is looking for: when you are rejected, don’t take it personally, because it wasn’t personal – it’s just business.

Discipline

This is probably the most crucial asset a model can possess. Modelling routinely involves long hours, exhaustive travelling and working around the clock. To get through this in one piece, you need to be in peak physical and psychological condition. You cannot be in peak condition if you choose to get wasted at wild parties every night. The harsh truth is that being a successful model is about sacrificing good times for a good assignment. If you really want to succeed, you will have to accept those terms.
The first component of being a disciplined model is being on time. For everything – like your life depends on it. When meeting new clients, in particular, nothing creates a worse impression than being late and wasting their valuable time. They won’t thank you for it, and you won’t be invited back. Think of every casting as a job interview, as essentially, that’s what it is. Make that first impression a good one, by respecting that the clients’ time is precious and that you take that fact very, very seriously.
When you are at the stage where you are routinely booking jobs, don’t become complacent. It would be very easy at this point to fall in with the wrong crowd and start partying like it’s going out of fashion. But this would be a mistake. When you are a working model, never party the night before a photo shoot. No matter how skilled the photographer, a tired model will show up immediately on camera. If that’s not bad enough, your lack of energy and focus will create tension between you and the people you are meant to be working with. Not what a client wants at all.
If you’re still not convinced and think that partying all night and working all day is the life for you, consider this. Kate Moss’ exhaustively profiled ‘bad habit’ nearly cost her career, and she is at the very top of her game. In order to recoup contracts from clients such as Burberry, she had to re-think her attitude to win back the trust of her clients. It worked, and she is in more demand than ever before. It is a cautionary tale for all models starting out in the industry: it takes strength and discipline to make it in the modelling industry, but it takes even more to stay there.

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