Skip the Interstates

It's embarrassing that I need to be reminded of this, but I do. Unless it is my goal to get from Point A to Point B in the least amount of time (in which case interstates are the clear winner), they are best avoided. Stay on the interstate and you find occasional scenic views, but mostly the same fast food joints and gas stations regardless of where you are. An overabundance of these interstate staples does not a good road trip make.

Venture away from I-XX, and you begin finding the good stuff. The little charismatic towns, the jaw-dropping scenery, and the narrow, windy roads that are just damn fun to drive. I was reminded of this again today by my host in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I was leaving his place for Albuquerque. I'd been planning on taking the easy, obvious route of I-25. He suggested I take NM-14.

The drive was gorgeous, and routed me through Madrid, a town that my host had characterized as "a mining town that was bought by hippies." So far as I can tell, it's a pretty apt description. I paused at a local restaurant for a delightfully tasty and satisfying salad, then proceeded on my way. One could point out that taking the state road put me a few miles and a few minutes out of my way, but that begs the question of exactly what my way was.

To be sure, there are times when I really do just want to get to my destination as quickly as possible. I do not want to be all warm and fuzzy and exploratory. I just want to get there. But other times, the destination is secondary, if it's even known at all. It's the time between Point A and Point B.. Point C... Point D... that matters. Over the next few months, I'll be making my meandering way through the southwest and up the west coast. I know approximately where I'll be when, but still have a fair bit of flexibility. I've also made a point of blocking out several days at a time for losing myself in the desert.

The only way for me to do that is to get off the interstates, and so that is what I'll do. So here's to the meandering one-lane highways and state roads. I can only guess at what I'll find.

Whatever Tomorrow Brings, I'll Be There!

The more I travel and the more people I meet, the more I understand a quote as simple as my title. There are so many people from so many places who if they called and said I need you now, I'd be there. We're not super close, we don't talk every day, but they're like family now. I think it's something that has come from traveling all the time. I meet these people and I have 7 days or less living with them and getting to know them. I'm so open that I just tell them now. My life seems like some sort of open book.

Sure, there are few things that only a few people know, but I spend the most time with them. Those are the people who could be in outerspace and I'd figure out how to help them. This community is stranger. It's one of the strangest I've seen. SoCal is a scene, but this group is so different. We trust so easily, but befriend only a select few. Those grow to know us better than anyone else. They're the ones you call lonely at 12:30 am and say can you come over, I just want someone to be around. And they come, they get it.

Something about the loneliness of this business and the closeness enthralls me. I love that I have these people. I wouldn't trade it for anything. However, in a way I already pay the price of a strange loneliness

You can also view this on my regular blog http://ayd4a.blogspot.com

Relationships for nomads

Being transient forces to you change the ways in which you interact with people. I don’t get the luxury of feeling shy, or taking time to warm up to somebody as we slowly run through the getting-to-know-you dance. If I take my sweet time in growing friendships, I’ll have left town before we even get around to having a real conversation. So I dive in head first. I rarely bother with concealing any aspects of my psychology if they’re relevant to the conversation. I am candid with my thoughts and beliefs, and I’ve found that others often return my openness.

Somehow, I’ve honed the ability to form a genuine connection with people I’ve just met. It is not at all unheard of for somebody that I’ve only known for an hour or two to inspire, challenge, or enlighten me. This isn’t to suggest that this happens with every single person that I meet. It doesn’t. But it happens reliably enough that I rarely am struck by a feeling of loneliness or isolation. I am often in the company of people I enjoy, and the magic of text messages, gchat, and unlimited long distance keeps older friends readily accessible.

People often comment on how open I am, and I believe that it is an accurate perception. My life has been enriched because of it. I’ve had so many wonderful conversations as a result. I’m consistently impressed by the thoughtfulness, the complexity, and how downright amazing the people I meet are. And were it not for my rather unconventional lifestyle, I wouldn’t have had the chance to learn the value of putting myself out there as simply and honestly as possible.

Cookies.

Recently a question was propsed on the MM forums asking what a model required in a photographer.
My first answer: Cookies.

I'm sitting on Titania's desktop, with a pint of Ben&Jerry's Half Baked. I just realized how serious I was.

Chocolate Chip. Snickerdoodles. Peanut Butter. Sugar frosted. Almond. Whatever you've got.

Being a traveling model was one of the hardest and most stressful things I have ever done. I honour every minute of it after. But traveling as a model is different from traveling on vacation. You don't save up and go and relax and see the site. You just go, and hope that everything pans out - and it never does.
I might not have slept in my own bed in a week, a month, 14 months - I might not have slept in any bed lately at all *points at burn on my arm, from sleeping on a floor too close to the radiator*
The art is worth it when I see it, or when I can take some time of and reminisce about it. But at the time of traveling and shooting, its those little things.

Almost everything went wrong during my last trip in NYC. My last shoot before leaving New York was with this very sweet man named Zoltan. He greeted me with a smile as he drove me to his studio and made me fresh Turkish Coffee before ever picking up his camera. Along with being wonderful to talk to, that was exactly what I needed at that moment.
This was only one of several much needed moments to pause, and only one of the people who made me smile along the way.

All the artists (and their wives, lets not forget) who have greeted me with cookies, fruit salad, coffee, lattes, brownies, crackers and hummus, genmai cha, homemade blueberry pancakes, really delicious wine, hot chocolate, boba tea, sandwiches, warm fuzzy blankets or robes, a smile, a good sense of humour, the common sense that Tricky, Massive Attack, and Depeche Mode are the best fucking bands to play during a photoshoot, The option to take a hot shower after our shoot, a big hug . . . They are most often the first people that I ever recommed to anyone, and I will never forget them.

You are beautiful. <3

Cookies. Don't forget the cookies. *makes mental note for when actually hiring models when I get back into figure drawing*



-image on top by fellow Traveling Lovely, Velocity. image on the bottom by BlueRiverDream, life saver that she is.

Titania answers some fan mail!

I got an awesome message today from a beautiful model in Montreal- http://www.modelmayhem.com/phylactere

She wanted to know some things about me and modeling. She had some great questions, so I thought I would answer them here (as well as post them on my solo blog). Bonus- some never before posted by me pictures for each question! YAY!



-Usually photographers, mostly in Montreal where I live, think that it is normal to exchange "time for print", When I say that I just accept paid assignments, they sometimes get very angry! So, do photographers really pay for free-lance models, from your own experience?

Yes, "time for print" is normal in some circles (especially among hobbyists), but they shouldn't be getting angry with you when you tell them that you only accept paid assignments. It took me a while to get a polite wording down as to not irritate anyone. I often respond with something along the lines of "Thank you for contacting me. However, I am not accepting trade work at this time. If you would like, I would be more than happy to work out rates with you."

Photographers do pay freelance models. There are quite a few photographers that will kick and scream saying "I don't pay models- the client pays models!!", but they refuse to accept the fact that sometimes the photographer IS the client, especially for nude work.



-Do you really spend a lot of time answering castings and calls for models? Or do photographers ask for you most of the time?

At first, I spent a lot of time on responding to casting calls. After I started becoming more visible in the internet modeling circles, I started doing more advertising of myself and the locations I was traveling to and less answering casting calls. I still check casting calls on MM everyday. I'll check craigslist on occasion if I don't have much to do that day.

-When you were a semi-pro model, at what moment did you consider yourself as a professional model?

The day I started doing modeling as my only job is when I began to consider myself a "Professional Model", which was about a year into pursuing modeling seriously. However, it was always my goal to behave and conduct myself professionally. Some people will argue that the minute you get paid you're a professional- my first shoot was a paid one, so I do tend to disagree with that. I feel that when you as a model are confident in your skills and ability to go and do what is necessary to get the job done (paid or not) you become a true professional.


-What do you think makes you special? Is it your mind? Creativity? The way you move?

I think my commitment to my work is my strongest trait. It drives me to create new art at every shoot and always seek new inspiration to continue to do so. My body awareness and movement are very much a selling point me as a model as well. Years of dance, gymnastics and cheerleading have given me that. I was blessed with the look I have which is what got me into modeling, however that can only get an art model so far. Drive, passion and commitment will keep you working for the long haul.

Thanks so much for the message, Phyli!

(Photographs by- JP Dawson, J Henry, Wet LTD and Mobius Photo)

The Little Things

To the artists who pick me up and drop me off transit stations or the place I'm staying when I'm traveling carless- thank you. To the artists that feed me after a shoot, or kick in an extra twenty bucks for food- thank you. To the artists that share images with me even if it wasn't negotiated- thank you. To the artists that keep a space heater on hand in the colder months- thank you. To the artists that tell me how much they appreciate and respect what I do- thank you.

I expect none of those, but I am so incredibly appreciative for them. It's the details like those that keep me in love with my job. So thank you, to so many of you, who take care of the little things that make all the difference.

Note to self: Check the weather

Through the magic of social networking sites, blogs, and text messages, I manage to keep tabs on friends and acquaintances scattered across the country. Passe as it might seem, the weather is sometimes worth comment. This past week, it warranted comment from quite a few people as the entire continental United States was simultaneously thrown headlong into autumn. Though I'm sad to see the end of summer, I suppose it's just what comes with living in a region with seasons varying beyond "wet" and "dry."

I had an additional problem with this abrupt seasonal change, though. I had just departed on a tour through Chicago and Detroit, and neglected to pack much in the way of warm clothing. Whoops! This was exacerbated by the fact that the only jeans I had which were loose enough to leave me clothing-mark free are all ripped to hell- there are tears under the back pockets and giant holes in the knees. I'd intended to bring another pair that would be suitable for wearing pre-shoot, but those were forgotten in Indianapolis. Double whoops! Suffice to say, my time exploring Chicago during my downtime was not nearly so pleasant as it might have been otherwise.

So, fine, lesson learned. Even if I'm not going far, I will take the time to check out what the weather will be when I'm on the road. And in the meantime, it's time to start preparing myself for a winter of chilly studios and even chillier outdoor shoots.