Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Hair School Casting

Ever since I started dealing with legitimate modeling agencies I've been told to grow my hair out. I was never a fan of the Abercrombie - Justin Beiber look but complied with my superiors instruction. The shaggy hair style was a constant nuisance at the gym through my rigorous cardio sessions with sweaty bangs whipping my eyes at every thrust plus it was so long that at photo shoots unless the hair stylist was quite talented my hair was endlessly styled in the comb over look which is not my preference. The long hair had shown no true beneficial effect until I found a casting for an instructional hair cutting video for a prestigious hair/make up school.

I was out of the city with my family for Christmas when I had discovered the casting call. Originally I had planned to stay up North a few days past the day of the casting but decided to cut the stay early due to the generous compensation which was offered. It turned out to be a wise decision.

Taking trains through blizzard conditions prompted delays and transfers that I had expected but sincerely wished not to encounter. After about 5 hours on this train and that my bed welcomed me. The next morning I was looking severely exhausted with blood shot eyes, puffy eye lids, and some unflattering facial hair. I figured that since those holding the casting were a make up school as well as a hair school they could look beyond that of which could be concealed with their expertise.

The inevitable tardiness of the persons in charge of the casting was unsurprising yet still annoying though I took this time to scope the competition. The majority of the folks were female models and the men that I saw were with long hair but of a completely different overall aesthetic. One was big like a football player with long curly hair and the other was of some foreign descent with overgrown characteristics like mine. I remained neutral, neither worried nor confident. I acted my normal self, the owner of the school met with me, and I told him that I was beyond due for a cut and that if he wasn't the one to cut my hair I'd soon find someone else.

Days had passed since I had heard any news and my anxious worry pushed me to email the school. I didn't type a message asking if I had been selected no I decided to add some finesse to my inquiry and sent, "I've been holding the dates of the potential shoot and I'd just like to know if I may release them as I haven't heard back from you because I have others who would like to shoot on those days." I got a nearly instant apologetic reply stating that I had been selected and that details were soon to follow.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Dead Mans Free Zone

Ties used to be my thing. My collection consists of over 200 unique, colorful, amazing pieces. The ties are old to new and came from thrift shops, donation, or as gifts. Every one acquires random things such as ties but their method of finding them can lead to some interesting stories.

As I was sitting in my corner at work waiting for the bar patrons to check their belongings I was browsing Craigslists' "Free" section. I found a title to a posting which I could not resist clicking to learn more. "FREE ESTATE", the location listed was Chelsea which anyone familiar with Manhattan real estate knows is a pricey area. My automatic assumption was that there could be something of value so I emailed the address listed to inquire with and got a nearly immediate response.

A tenant in an apartment building had recently died and had no listed family so the landlord created a post on Craigslist to see if anyone would be interested in taking some of the items. I was given an address and time to arrive, the information was added to my calendar. On the day of I went to the gym and then made my way to the apartment.

I entered the large building where I instantly came to the conclusion that this building required some significant financial standings to reside in due to the fact that the front door was one of those automatic sliding doors you see in Grocery stores. There were also desk men and elevators-all further signs that the rent in this building was high. All these signs and the fact that I was headed to an apartment on the top floor at the end of the hallway made me think that this was it, I'm going to find something good here today.

Walking down a dimly lit carpeted hallway I instantly pictured seeing the man who's apartment I was about to pick through wheeling down the hallway on a stretcher in a body bag. I saw the zipper slide down, his body perk up, and him saying that he hopes I find something good as his skin starts to fall off. There was something odd about what I was about to do but let's be honest, that feeling had never stopped me before.

The apartment looked as if it were searched through by the FBI and in rage of a lack of findings they just threw his shit everywhere. As you enter the residence there's a huge living room, one bedroom, a bathroom, and a good sized kitchen. There was even a blood stain on the carpet from where the previous owner had been shot. HaHa come on-just playing.

I was there for clothes so I immediately went for the bedroom. The landlord said that most of his tenants clothes had already been sent to the salvation army and my heart dropped. Fortunately though there were still some items for me to browse.

The jackpot was a few boxes of old watches clearly with no value mixed in with some old school (like 60's-70's) sunglasses. I took 2 watches and 8 pairs of sunglasses. Then I noticed a few unopened closets in the kitchen and I found a suit that fit and a vintage Paul Smith shirt. After concluding that I had covered all areas that required searching I managed to leave with a full body mirror as well.

Some clothes, lots of sunglasses, and a mirror added to my inventory all because I was bored at work and was scanning the free section of Craigslist. This is clear evidence that dead people can still be cool. Thanks dead guy from west 23rd street, may you rest in peace.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Fit Model

New York City does sleep. Usually when the weather is shit or after 3 am on a weeknight before Thursday. The constant here is that your survival instinct is always on and those without financially comfortable careers are always in contemplation of where their next dollar will come from. Those who don't plan their income find themselves on the streets or on some form of cheap public transportation back home.

I've maintained my aggressive pursuit of survival and success in modeling as well as in the general life of a city goer. Since I transitioned from catering work to being a coat check boy at the gay bar I've gotten used to long nights on the weekends with quite an unpredictable guarantee that I'll make a decent income for the evening. Coat check aside, jobs still exude through the sketchy gates of Craigslist and I've some how managed to maintain a constant flow of again an unpredictable guarantee of a decent income.

One new job I've acquired from Craigslist which relates to modeling is "Fit Modeling". A mens shirt designer posted an announcement searching for a fit model and I managed to get the job. Fit modeling is basically acting as an opinionated mannequin for a clothing designer to report any discomfort in size and any other thoughts in regards to the final cut of the piece. I met with the designer 3 times before he permitted the group who would be fabricating the shirts to go ahead with production.

We met in the second floor of a building on west 38th street in Manhattan. The room was long and artificially lit with multiple long fluorescent bulbs, the ones that make you feel like you're in a lab or a stale office building and all of the workers were of Asian descent. Clothes of many varieties were either on hangers or on mannequins and I took from my observation that the people I saw worked with designers to put their art into production to send to the consumers. It was a really neat experience to see a new step in the process of how clothes come to be.

At my first appointment I was measured thoroughly as my body shape was to be the mold for which the shirt would be created. The "work" for the next two meetings itself was effortless as all I was asked to do was merely put on the shirt which was of a low quality fabric the business used to make test runs for the designers to check measurements and use on their fit models. They asked how the piece felt on me, how easily I could move my arms, and if I could recommend any changes.

The section of the shirt in between my shoulder blades was where my only comment was instigated as it was a bit tight. After speaking of my discomfort they said they'd add 3/4 of an inch to the location where it was tight and other than that the shirt was ready to go. The designer added a few minor alterations such as pocket location and collar width but other than that the shirt was good to go.

I got paid in cash and was thanked sincerely for my laid back attitude and professionalism by the designer. He said that he'd like to continue to use me throughout his work and that he'd like to use me for his look book (basically a catalog) which equates to more money I can look forward to also the potential of getting more images to use in my portfolio. Getting paid to have your photo taken is one thing but then when you receive quality photos with potential to be placed in your book its a really nice feeling because most of the time the photographer is the one getting your money or you or your agent has to request a free test, its a win win scenario.

Networking, as I've said before is a large part to the success in modeling so the more designers I work with the more confidence and optimism I get that good things are right around the corner and with fashion week around the corner I need to do as much as possible to get my name out there.

More to Come Soon