How I Became A Model / GLW Muse

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NOTE: This is an older post that was once combined with my Guide to Beginning Modeling, but I have decided to separate them for the sake of my Q&A Video. If you want to read the first half of the original post, you can find it here:
How to Be A Model
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My Story: How I Became a GLW Muse

Many moons ago, a happy & bouncy man by the name of Chris Van Atta came into a smoothie shop that I worked at. He turned out to be one of the best local photographers in eastern North Carolina. We got to chattin' and he found out that I had an interest in photography. So, our friendship blossomed, and we agreed that he would teach me photography if I would jump in front of his camera even though I didn't have a clue what I was doing. Here is my first photoshoot ever:

I thought I would hate it. I wanted to be a photographer, not a model. I'm shy and weird and awkward as hell. But... I. freaking. loved. it. We ended up shooting a few more times before he (or I? I can't remember) moved away and we couldn't play very often anymore.

More CVA photos from the following months:

We even ended up going to the Bahamas together (to shoot a wedding), and you better believe that we took advantage of that killer scenery and did a little shoot of our own while we were there!!

Fast forward.

A few years ago, I was clicking around Model Mayhem and stumbled upon DayJaVUE Photography. Her work was unbelievable! I was so impressed. We set up a shoot. I got to the shoot a bit early and met Linden Valentine for the first time, who was just wrapping up a shoot with DayJaVUE. At the time, I had no idea who Linden was & I went about my shoot and thought nothing of it. It's not really relevant to my story, just a funny coincidence that we crossed paths so early on & now we have been muses together for years. :3

Here was my first shoot with DayJaVUE Photography & fellow Studio 51 photographer Linda Packard:

We were both so stoked about the results of the shoot that we set up another shoot. On the day of the second shoot, DayJaVUE had just gotten a shipment of wigs in from Gothic Lolita Wigs. You may recognize her name if you are a GLW fan because she has been one of their best photographers for a very long time. I had never heard of GLW, but begged her to shoot me in this amazing wig! 

After this shoot, I just HAD to buy one of their wigs. Once it arrived, I shot it with Sweet Trade Photography (who I also met on Model Mayhem & who became one of my besties 4ever).

These photos caught the eye of GLW designer Charles Reger right around the time they were looking to get an alternative model to represent the company. Somewhere between having great timing, a great photographer, and a great wig, one thing led to another, and I've been a muse for GLW ever since. :') *happy tears for memory lane*

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:')