Diary of a model
Lily spends her days as a model, rushing from shoot to show and then to another casting. On Amayzine, she tells you everything about what her life is really like. Under a different name, of course, but that means she can share all the juicy details. This week: it's a myth that models travel the world for free.
People often ask me if the agency pays for everything for me. Generally, it is thought that models earn loads of money without ever having to spend a cent (and some girls certainly do), but I will help you out of this dream today.
As a starting model, you mainly need to invest in your future. That means: doing castings in the big fashion cities, having good clothes for those castings, doing test shoots for your book, applying for visas to work abroad, and rushing to Milan because Gucci wants to see you. Often, the agency does advance the flight tickets and a room in one of the glamorous model apartments for you, but unfortunately, these costs ultimately come out of your own pocket. Once you start earning money, you first have to pay back the agency's investments before you really see money appear in your bank account. So it's important to keep a close eye on which costs will ultimately be charged to you and whether you think the investment is worth it. I will list some examples of those secret investments.
Test shoot: these are photo shoots you do to get new images in your portfolio. Often, you have to pay the photographer for this, but some photographers also want to build their own portfolio. Always check in advance whether you are doing each other a favor or if you have to pay for it.
Shopping: super fun! Shopping with your agent for good casting clothes. Woohoo, free designer clothes, because your agent has the credit card in hand. It's a bit of a shame that you later see that five hundred euro pair of pants charged to your own statement.
Request casting: Prada is interested, they want to see you as soon as possible for a casting. The tickets to Milan are quickly booked, and since they want to see you, Prada pays. Right? Nope. Castings are at your own expense, so these tickets will also appear on your statement later.
On stay vs. direct booking: and that brings me to the next battle. What exactly is the difference between being on stay somewhere and flying somewhere for a shoot?
Generally, you can see ‘being on stay’ as an investment, and thus all those costs are for the model themselves. You go live in a city for a longer period to meet clients there and hopefully book some photo shoots. You have to pay for your tickets, your rent, your food, and your travel costs in that city all by yourself. Of course, you hope that by staying somewhere longer, you will earn enough to eventually return home with a profit. Sometimes that works out, but sometimes you end up in the negative after such a trip. Then you hope for a direct booking.
Some clients take a bit longer to find the right shoot for you and still want to work with you later. With direct bookings, the client flies you in for the shoot and pays (hopefully) everything: your ticket, your hotel, your travel costs to and from the studio, and often also your food. I consciously say ‘hopefully’, because sometimes clients only pay a fee and you have to pay for your tickets and stay yourself. Always check in advance what the agreements are so you don't count yourself richer than you actually are.
Sometimes there is a catch. Every model has fallen for this at some point (those poor flattened snakes). But once you've incurred unnecessary costs, you'll pay better attention next time. A donkey generally doesn't bump into the same stone twice, and hopefully future models will check in advance how the costs really work after reading this blog. A warned person counts for two, after all. That's enough proverbs for today. Soon you'll expect models to be not only stunningly beautiful but also smart, and that's just nonsense.
XX Kisses from Lily
