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