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.

Planning my first real road trip

I'm going to New Orleans for Halloween, to see my fellow redhead on meds (we're an unnofficial club of about 6 fantastic redheads). I'm booking for my way down there, while I'm down there, and my way back.

I have an itinerary. Loosely. I have a travel path:
Des Moines, IA
Davenport, IA
Peoria, IL
Nashville, TN (overnight)
Birmingham, AL
New Orleans, LA
4 days in the beautiful catastrophe that is, so far, my favorite city ever, with the perfect catastrophe Erin, that is, so far, my favorite person ever.
New Orleans, LA
Jackson, MI
St. Louis, MO
Kansas City, MO
Des Moines, IA



So far, I have one shoot booked for sure. Several possible shoots and sessions in New Olreans.

I'll have my piercing gear, and my fancy new boots will arrive Monday, so they'll be broken in by the time I start my drive.

I'm really excited to be going. I hope the trip is profitable, but if nothing else, it will be lots of fun, because I get to stop and see a lot of friends on the way there, while there, and back.

I've travelled to shoot before, but it's never been a multiple city thing. Here's to my first real, on the road, long, modeling trip!

Aubrey

My name is Aubrey and I am an art model from Buffalo. I primarily tour the East Coast, spending two weeks on the road and two weeks in Buffalo. I've been modeling since I was 19 (I am 27) and have been doing this professionally for about two years. Due to touring a very specific geographic pocket consistently and working with many of the same people repeatedly; I've always considered myself to be "under the radar" of anyone outside of the North East (although lately I've found more people may know of me than I realize.)

I can easily say that there is no standard life of a touring model. The way we tour, where we go and how we live varies depending on the model. What works for one model may not work for another model. In this blog, I will be contributing my accounts of what it is like for me on the road.



That's me. Taken by House of Light.

Honey, I'm Home!

This is the first time I've spent a prolonged amount of time at home in a while. To be honest, it feels weird. My room feels smaller than the last time I was here for a while. DC seems smaller and I feel suffocated. In the last three months, I haven't laid in this room longer than 3 days, it's now been 4 days and I don't leave again for another week or two.

Most people wouldn't understand the itchy feeling I get when I'm home, others get it clearly. I've never been one to stick around in one place too long. I like to move, I like to see things, I like to be around different people. Being a traveling model allows me to cater to this habit. I get to see everything I've been dying to see since I was little. I get to meet some of the best people and I get to scratch that itch. I love it. Being home for me equates that I'm not doing anything in my mind. I could have a week of work here and yet I still feel like I don't belong here. The comforts of home are here, but my heart hasn't been here for a long time.

At the same time, this job also has it's repercussions for not allowing me to stay in one place for too long. I have people who constantly worry about me. My family's always calling to check on me. I could be two hours away and they still worry. I hate putting that kind of stress on them. I want to be able to make them worry less, but I can't. There's nothing in the world I can tell them to make them feel at ease. In another way, I've also excluded myself from a lot of friends and "normal" people. When everyone wants me home or to see them on their birthday, I can't sometimes. It gets hard and strained on all my relationships to explain why I'm not around as often. I can't be the shoulder like I used to for my best friend to cry on and I can't always have someone to hold me at night when I have nightmares. These are the sacrifices I make to do what I love and it's ok.

I find myself weighing the pros and cons frequently sometimes of this job. Sometimes the cons outweigh the pros and other times it's flip-flopped. That's just how it goes and I can't change that. I did manage to fit in a family vacation for next weekend. My dad asked and shockingly I had the weekend free, so I agreed. However, those 4 days are rare for the next few months. As soon as I get back I pack back up to o to the west coast. I'm just glad I found a little moment to reconnect and put my family at ease, even if it is short-lived.
Photo by: Keith Allen Phillips, San Diego, CA

Skeezeball in the Coffee Shop

Kari Marie, here, writing from the road.

When I'm living out of my car, I have stretches of time when I don't have private internet access. It might be because I've been sleeping in my car, or it might be because the people with whom I'm staying have really touchy wireless that won't let strangers connect. Either way, there are times when all of my interneting happens in coffee shops, cafes, or libraries. And, when you're me, this poses and interesting problem.

Societal norms dictate that you don't look at nudies on your computer when you're in public. Some establishments offering free wifi specifically block sites where nudity abounds, though many do not. It's just not something reasonable, decent people do. And yet, that's often a big part of what I do on the internet. Whether checking out the work of a photographer who has contacted me, or the work of models and photographers I admire, or just poking around blogs like this one, there are a whole lotta nipples that flash across my screen.

To be fair, this is something I could avoid. I could refrain from viewing images sent to me from recent shoots, and delay actually viewing the work of a photographer requesting a shoot. I could avoid any and all sites aside from those which I know to be "work-safe." But doing that would, at times, throw a big wrench in what I do. Being a nude model but not looking at any nude work simply isn't practical for extended periods of time.

So what do I do? I find a comfy chair in the corner of the coffee shop, plug in my laptop, and hunker down. Sometimes I wonder if the sort of folks who would be offended by art nudes would find it more, or less objectionable when I'm looking at nude images of myself. I haven't decided, and I haven't asked. I try to avoid stepping on others' toes in this regard. I make efforts to keep my computer out of eyeshot of others, and adjust my positioning if necessary. But inevitably, carrying out these precautionary courtesies makes me think, "Ahhh, yes, and now I get to be the skeezeball in the corner, looking at nudies."

This was written, in case you were wondering, at a Starbucks in Colby, Kansas.