Throwback to my old model-portfolio!

Wayyyy back to the time when…

 

…I was studying and I did some modeling!

I studied Multi-Media Design and Audio Visual Design in Amsterdam, as well as the introduction year of the Art Academy (Rietveld Academie) to become a filmmaker. And on the side, I did some modeling.

I selected a couple of the photo’s from my old portfolio to share with you guys!
This is the 10 to 17 -year younger me.

If you already have a low self-image, don’t start with modeling.

It was exciting, and a lot of the time a harsh world. But it definitely made me more confident and let me have a more positive self-image. Because in modeling, there are lots of people judging you purely on your appearance. And, and  Maybe it sounds crazy, but to me when you hear someone say to you, “ah… you would be the perfect model if you would be taller and have a nose job” WTF It sounds so extremely over-the-top harsh and completely ridiculous, that it made me care less about what others think!

I had my two feet on the ground. I just felt that almost everyone in the business was just putting up an act of some-kind, fitting in, and most of the time extremely insecure and frustrated themselves. I could see through the charade, so it didn’t affect me at all.

Being a model means having to deal with lots of rejections, before getting a YES on a job.
And even though I could handle the people the comments and the attitudes, but the rejections were not much fun at all. But that made the chase only that much more fun, and a WIN that much sweeter!

Getting Inspired
Not everyone is horrible! All dough may look and sound that way, not everyone is horribly unstable and mean… Some of my best friends today are people I met in the field! There are lots of agencies, model colleagues, stylists, makeup and hair stylists, and other people on the set that are just amazingly talented, creative, nice and inspiring to be working with!

Modeling changed my life

Now looking back, this modeling totally formed me and led me to the place I am today.
At the end of the day, I did invest way more time and energy on castings, test shoots and portfolio viewings than I made money to compensate me for it. But I think I got something way more value out of it. The experiences along the road of my modeling career made me the person I am today.

These are the main  life lessons are the things I’ve learned along the way:

People knowledge. Recognizing someone who is insecure and therefore acting a bit tough, braggy and mean. And not feel threatened by it. It’s ok. We all have struggles I guess.
-SOMEONE will Always find you ugly! But someone will always find you beautiful! (Aside from the obvious fact that true beauty comes from within and all that… but we are talking modeling biz here, so we go no deeper than the outer layer here.)
-Not giving up. Yes, you grow a strong backbone by so much rejection, but success is only a matter of time!
Self-confidence, it has to come from within yourself, not by validation of others.
Learning on set, And last but not least: I think that having experience in standing in front of the camera definitely helped me in becoming a better photographer and filmmaker. The compositions, and base camera and lightning techniques of shooting images and production basics in the field.

Today

Sometimes once in a while, there are still little commercial gigs I do. Mostly I get typecast as “the mom” to do a shoot with one of my babies. But mostly we shoot our own stuff for our blog and Instagram for brands. So that’s a kind of commercial “lifestyle” modeling too I guess.

 

Did you know that:

– I am only 5.2 feet tall! (huge disadvantage for a model, I only did beauty, lifestyle, and commercial.

– Being highly emphatic made it easier to feel that all the superficial bitchyness was just an “attitude” and a charade, some sort of coping mechanism. Underneath it all they all where good people struggling with lots of insecurities. 

– As a model, you get to work and meet and be inspired by lots and lots of cool creative and very nice people too!!! 

– I look different through a lens… I may look better on camera than in real life I guess hahaha Once a photographer didn’t reckonize me, but looking through the lens of his camera he said: “aaaah YES now I see you!”  XD

– I started modeling when I was 15 years old, I got a lot less active at the age of 21 as I started my professional career as a Motion graphic designer and presenter for a dutch tv show (that’s a whole other story).

I treasure the pictures from all the shoots I did. So lovely to look back on!

– I never ever starved myself, Ate enough and didn’t over-exhausted myself with working out.

I never spend money on photoshoots or paying an agency! Especially the last one is a big NO they should invest in you if they believe in you.

-I did invest a LOT of time in my portfolio, Collaborating with lots of photographers, stylist, and makeup artists!

– I know nothing of how things in the modeling business are now in 2019.  This is my experience of 15 years ago.

-Most of these photos are in Tiny little resolution! So sad I don’t have the high-res files anymore! I think I’m going to contact the photographers, maybe I can still get them from their archives! (I really hope so!)

I never earned LOTS of money with it! I lived with my parents and went to school! This was just a fun side job. 

 

I guess I combined my skills from my education and my experience in modeling. So there you go! My experience in standing in Front of the camera started right here and led me right to where I am today.

Scroll all the way down to see more photo’s from my old portfolio!

 

Thanks for reading along and if you have any questions, ask me on my Instagram, because I live there hahaha:  https://www.instagram.com/wildandboho/ 

Love,
Jolanda Marti

Blogpost written by: Jolanda Marti

 


Photography in my portfolio selection on this page  is by:

-Nicole patricia malina
-Hanneke van Leeuwen
-Michel zoeter
-Rob l. roos
-Martin wieldraaijer

-Wouter keuris
-Jacomijn Lyppens
-Jan Stijnman
-Richard bakker
-Robert Hart

The copyright of these photos is from the photographer who created the photo.

Don’t copy, use or publish any of these photos without their explicit permission! Want to know more info about a photo, just ask me, I will direct you to the right photographer.

I’m so so grateful for these amazing artist I got to work with!

If I’m forgetting a name (and I am, but I can’t find the names anywhere anymore aaarggg it’s killing me!)
or if anny info is wrong, please please please let me know!!! I Will ad it to the list! I don’t remember everything from 15 years ago! I wish I did do…  Let me know by sending me an email or a dm in my insta!

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VIDEO – Getting My MOM Tatoo

Baby name MOMMY Tattoo

I got my first tattoo a while back and I wrote a BLOGPOST about it!
Now I’ve also made a video of my experience. Check it out and don’t forget to subscribe on my YT channel!

So in this video, you will see me getting my first tattoo! 7 Years ago I came up with the idea of putting all my baby’s names on my forearm in one long stretched line. I’m not someone who gets a tattoo in an impulse, and Maybe we would get more kids in the future, and I wanted to include all of my baby’s names in it… I spend a long time designing a tattoo that was minimalistic and had exactly the look that I had in mind. Like practicing an autograph, The name tattoo design had to have the perfect flow and casual hand-drawn feel to it. 

So now 7 years later with 3 kids in total, I have my mom tattoo with all the names of my kids! It only took 20 minutes and didn’t hurt at all!
—-Miley—Haley—Quinn—  Just Perfect!
And The end result is exactly how I hoped it would be!

I really really love my first tattoo! Happy as can be, with my hand-drawn tattoo line design perfected over the past 7 years. Perfectly put on my arm by Manon from Le Nou Tattoo. 

So once more:  Thanks, Michiel for making the reservation and tanks mom for sponsoring half of it for my B-day! To my three baby girls, Miley, Haley & Quinn, I love you forever, just like this tattoo will be on my arm! 

Would you ever get a dad/  mommy tattoo, name tattoo or do you already have one!? What do you think of mine!? Let me know what you think in the comment section of the video here or on Youtube!

 

Love,
  Jolanda, Michiel,
Miley Haley & Quinn

Music in this video is by:
Meydän – https://soundcloud.com/meydansound/

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Getting my first tattoo

Yes!!! Finally! I Did it!

 

At first, it was a rather simple idea… a thin straight line from my elbow to my wrist within the middle the letters that spelled the name of my one and only baby girl. ____Miley____
But. I was still breastfeeding. And everyone strongly advised against it back then. (this was 7 years ago) Fair enough I thought So after 3 years of breastfeeding It became clear there would be another baby sooner or later. Might as well wait a bit and make it a line with two names.

Patience.

My second baby girl was born and I remember doodling on every piece of paper their names in one long connected line.  ____Miley____&___Haley____  Trying to get the shape and caligraphy just right.

Like practicing an autograph, The line had to have the perfect flow and casual hand-drawn feel to it, styled and still be straight and readable. Not too curly not to dull, but just interesting enough. And certainly not some standard existing Font. Besides that, I still had to wait. Because…still breastfeeding.

Haley became 1,5 and I started searching for the right Tatoo artist. I was prepared to travel If I’d found one further away. As long as the artist could make clean thin lines and I felt “right” about the person behind the needle. As I would wair his or her “mark” for the rest of my days, I was making sure It would be a positive experience.

And then I became pregnant with baby nr.3 The most beautiful little-unexpected surprise of our lives.  And by now, you must know, I had been waiting for 5 years to get this thing on my arm…  So back to the drawing board to add one more name.  ___Miley___Haley___Quinn___   Sometimes I even took a pen and drew it on my arm and took a selfie to see how it would look! Now I’m typing this I realize that this may sound a bit obsessed. Well, maybe I was.

When Quinn was still a newborn we were in a nearby town when we passed by this awesome looking tattoo shop. It wasn’t like any tattoo shop I’d ever seen. It was light, fresh, with a gorgeous mandala-logo on the window. Inside there were plants and beautiful artwork. The whole shop looked welcoming, soft, friendly and creative. So we walked in and we met Manon from Le Nou Tattoo. Her artwork is just amazingly full of feminine shapes and figures, detailed mandalas, Botanics, and subtle shades and razor-sharp fine lines Check out her Instagram here.  She was so friendly, relaxed with a calm confidence that just made me trust her instantly! But Quinn was still a Tiny baby. So I waited just a bit longer.

“The line had to have the perfect flow and casual hand-drawn feel to it.”

When Quinn got one-year-old I became impatient. A few years back my eldest daughter still breastfed occasionally until she was 5 years old. That would mean that it would take another whole four years before I could have my ultimate “mommy Tattoo”.

 

Breastfeeding and getting a Tattoo?

But why isn’t it a good Idea to get a Tattoo while breastfeeding? Mainly, If your tattoo would get infected you maybe would need Antibiotics that don’t go well together with breastfeeding. Some say there is a slightly bigger chance of infection because of a lower immune system and a bit thinner blood. But let’s be honest, I think those last two reasons have as much to do with delivering a baby and recovering from that than breastfeeding. I guess having a tattoo within the first 9 months after having a baby/pregnancy maybe isn’t a good idea either. Anyway, This is What the breastfeeding experts at La Leche League had to say about it. 

 

“I’m Hearing myself say “Michiel, I really think you have to hold my hand””

“Shurley the pain is going to get so much worse. But it wasn’t…

“this is it!?” I asked.”

“I suddenly became really nervous!
There was something I didn’t think of beforehand…
Would this hurt much!?”

The time is now

After 1,5 years of breastfeeding my babies aren’t that dependent on breastfeeding anymore, Its just a nice bonus for all the antibodies and such. But if I would have to skip one week for what reason so ever. She would survive just fine! Besides that, I wasn’t going to let a Tiny little tattoo get infected. A good licensed tattoo shop,  healthy lifestyle, Hygiene and common sense are your friends.

So I decided it was time. I sure as hell wasn’t going to wait until I am 38 to do this thing!
It already had waited for ages (7 years). And then last Oktober Michiel and my Mom surprised me for my 34th birthday with a booked appointment at “Le Nou“. The earliest date available was February the 7th. Wich says something about how good she is I guess.

 

February 7th, 2019

Happy as can be, with my hand-drawn line design perfected over the past 7 years. (being a bit of a neurotic perfectionist about it, but it was done.)  I’d never been more ready for this than for anything in my life!  Even a pregnancy takes less freaking time than it takes me to get a tiny little tattoo! I mean really!?

Only until the very last moment when a sat down and with the sight of the surprisingly friendly looking tattoo machine I suddenly became really nervous! There was something I didn’t think of beforehand…  Would this hurt much!? I had been so busy thinking of the design, artist, timing… and now only seconds to go and my heard was pounding like crazy. I’m Hearing myself say “Michiel, I really think you have to hold my hand”

 

The sound of the buzzing needle and 3..2..1… 

I remember thinking the first 10 seconds, this isn’t IT yet, It can’t be. Shurley the pain is going to get so much worse. But it wasn’t… “this is it!?” I asked.  “Yes, that’s it! Its actually get easier as I move towards your wrist!” WOW, What a relief! Feels a bit like sharp scratching. This didn’t hurt at all! It took no more than 20 minutes and than it was all done. Not a drop of blood or wound fluid had spilled. It looked sharp and dry. Even the redness wasn’t so bad. And I never was happier with a birthday gift!

Now 2 days later I still find myself looking at it and being so completely content with it. So happy I had to wait because now I have all 3 names in it. If I hadn’t had to wait until my breastfeeding days where over I would probably have done just the first name and later two separate tattoos with every new baby name. What I like about this one now is that what I thought would be just a cool design turned out to be a timeline. One continuous line, their names all connected. It’s perfect! Everything came together and I’m loving it!

LOVE it!

Thanks, Michiel for making the reservation and tanks mom for sponsoring half of it for my B-day, and last but not least thanks to Manon from LeNou Tattoo for doing an awesome job!

And to my three baby girls, Miley, Haley & Quinn, I love you forever, just like this tattoo.
Want to see the end result!? scroll down to see the rest of the photo series.

Love,  Jolanda

 

About this Curveball…

Uncertainties are scary yet exciting…

Normally we like to share our highs, but we do hit some low’s along the way, just like everybody else. So let’s get real. So here is one huge bump in the road we are dealing with right now.

The beginning of 2018 brought us stability… Something we haven’t had in quite a while. I didn’t have any pregnancies or newborns this year in our family of 5 (we think our little family is complete now) and we had a stable income through our Wedding photography (If you were wondering… this is what we do). No crazy sh*t happening around us. Just a nice day to day routine and all was good. We finally got into the flow of balancing work and family.

On top of that my Instagram and this blog started to generate some income too! We had some pretty awesome collaborations amazing brands. It’s still not enough to stop doing weddings (not that want to stop doing weddings, weddings are awesome). But it was enough to let all the photo and video editing after we shot the wedding days over to Michiel, so I could focus on investing my time on creating content for this blog, the vlog, and my Instagram!

-“And then came Oktober… Oh my. What a curve ball!”-


The curveball

Things were pretty amazing!

And then came Oktober… Oh my. What a curve ball!
Our stable income was not so stable anymore.
The short version: We don’t have enough weddings in 2019 to keep ourselves afloat! So we need to make some adjustments. We need to push ourselves out of our comfort zone once again.

To fully understand what happened I need to explain it a bit more:
It takes us 2,5 week to process all the photo and video images of just one wedding. We do a maximum of 18 weddings every year. We don’t have room for more. 
The summer month we survive with the income of the weddings, the winter months we survive on the down payments for the upcoming weddings and the orders of wedding albums of the past wedding season.

We reach 90% of our clients through the biggest wedding fair in Holland. We participate two times a year, and then we are fully booked.
No need for online ads, campaigns or another form of advertising.
But this year, the wedding fair of October was a complete fail. Where normally there are on average 5000 visitors, now there were only 1000. We got ZERO bookings from that fair this year. Something that has never happened before in the last 5 years. And on top of that, the fair of March 2019 is canceled. The whole fair stopped. Forever!

-“looking back afterward it always has been exactly the way it should have been. We just didn’t know it yet at the time.”-

So now we have 4 weddings booked for 2019, Wich generates not enough to get us through this winter, or the next summer for that matter. so we need to get familiar with online advertising. But oh’my… its all sooo complicated and time-consuming learning process. And we don’t have the time, we need bookings like yesterday.

 

So Now what!?

I’m positive that we get this online advertising thing down soon, and we’ll get enough bookings for the upcoming summer. But until then, we have a bit of a financial problem. So one of us needs a job somewhere for the upcoming 4 months. On “project base” or for a longer period of time if we like it enough. And with “we”, I mean preferably Michiel. I want to stay focused on creating our content and keep the inspiring Wild&BOHO collabs going! I’m only selectively applying to jobs that I would LOVE to do so much, that I would maybe ditch all other stuff and stay working there forever! And there are not so many vacancies out there that will get my attention. I’ve written 3 so far. Michiel 5 and counting. We’ll see…

-“It’s not a curveball… its a Pusch in the right direction by the universe.”-

I’m stressing a lot about the What If’s.
Our reserves are running dry and something needs to happen soon! The uncertainties are taking its toll. Images of every imaginable scenario are going through my monkey mind. The never-ending chatter of my internal dialogue who sometimes gets stuck in a carousel… Going round and round in circles. Pointless and exhausting. We are doing our best here, there really is nothing more we can do.

One of my goals for 2019 is to just let the universe do its thing.
I’m going to do the best job I can, work my but off, and then I’m going to let it go. No stress. Trusting everything will be fine. Because looking back afterward it always has been exactly the way it should have been. We just didn’t know it yet at the time. This is a chance to grow, evolve, move forward instead of getting stuck in the same pattern over and over again. It’s not a curveball… its a Pusch in the right direction by the universe.

Our glass is half full. We have love, we have each other, we have our creativity, we have a nice home. We’ll pull through. 

-“Because of you this blog and our Instagram has started to become a way to support our family”-

So if you reached all the way to this point in the blog, I want to thank you for reading!
You are here not only for our best moments but apparently also here for our struggles.
Thank you for being there for us, for following our blogs, watching our video’s, checking out our Instagram posts and by leaving a comment now and then. Because of you this blog and our Instagram has started to become a way to support our family a bit! Maybe one day we can fully focus on creating art and cool content full time! We appreciate your support so much. So Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Have a Wonderful New year’s eve! We love you guys!

Love,
Jolanda, Michiel
Miley, Haley & Quinn

 

Blog post: Jolanda Marti
Photography: Michiel Fook

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To the Moony and back

Having small kids, a career, wanting to have a free life and travel a lot, running a household can be a bit much sometimes!
Having extreme happy moments, and then the extreme overwhelming exhaustion kicks in! Feeling so tired at the end of every single day I tend to get a bit frustrated. Will this ever get any easier!? Everything is such a struggle. Never a moment of peace. Always moving, always something or someone to take care of, clean, work, manage.

But at the end of the day, I go through the pictures of the last couple of months and I realize… Years from now I will probably look back and see that these are the happiest years of my life! The childhood of girls, seeing them grow up, and experiencing so much love in our little family is the best thing that ever happened to me!

Our family photo’s always have been so important to me. And as soon as I tend to forget how lucky I am (because all parents know… this parenting thing is HARD and completely exhausting) I Flip open one my photo albums and my heart just opens up, my racing mind just calms down and I get this wave of gratefulness that just washes over me like a Tsunami of LOVE!

Photo’s make me remember what my heart already knows but what my head is to busy to notice. Looking at our photo’s is a tool to help me just stop and be mindful, it helps me realize how many good things are happening right now! And most important, It helps me focus on all the positive, instead of on the few negatives in my life!

Therefore I would say having photo prints and/or albums is improving my quality of life! And it’s so valuable to have as we will grow older and our lives, the world, and the people around us will change too. Photos are little time capsules. Great to have to lay around, amazing to be able to give your children as they grow up.

There are so many advantages to having photo’s in print! It just basically makes me really really really happy whenever I look at them. I got so inspired by that feeling of happiness while flipping through my new Moonylab book that I decided to make this happy little video with our DJI drone!

Moonylab is offering all of my followers a 10% discount using the code Wildandboho10 while placing your order!

Check out our video, and then the backstage Images below that Michiel took from me while I was shooting this video!

Hope you enjoy my outburst of happiness in this little experiment-video.
I put the video on my NEW InstaTV channel for the world to see!
Would you like to see more of these short videos on my Instagram?

Love,
Jolanda Marti

– This Blog post was made in collaboration with Moonylab

Blog and video by: Jolanda Marti
Music in this video is by Derek Clegg
Backstage Photography: Michiel Fook

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To the Moony and back

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