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 all 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: professional bore.

As you could read in the previous diary entries, not so long ago I was still in the plane, standing on a boat and giving people hugs. That all feels so unreal and far away now. I get startled when I see people shaking hands in TV shows and have reduced my social circle to my friend and roommate. Meanwhile, I am a pro at Houseparty and Zoom and have even managed to reach my grandmother via FaceTime. It is a very uncertain and strange time for everyone. Therefore, I just want to briefly complain about the terrible impact this virus has and then virtually inspire you, give hope, and send a hug your way.

For the vast majority of Dutch people, working from home is now mandatory. That can be incredibly frustrating. Due to the distance from your colleagues, it is difficult to help or inspire each other. Additionally, it is of course a huge challenge to motivate and concentrate yourself.

For models (and people with many other professions), there is currently no work. Nothing, nada, zip. And without a contract, that means nothing, nada, zip comes in. Fortunately, we live in the Netherlands and every effort is being made to ‘save’ everyone.

Now, modeling work is not a normal nine-to-five job anyway, and you are constantly in uncertainty about whether or not work will come in. It happens more often that girls go three months without booking a single job and have to wait in frustration for the moment they finally receive that relieving email. That has trained many models to be the epitome of patience and has taught us what to do in times when you are basically just sitting around doing nothing (snot is low in calories).

Models are thus trained to be professional annoyers. And I will give you a crash course on this.

• Find a morning routine. Make sure you set your alarm at around the same time during the week.
• For me, that is between 8:00 and 8:30 AM. After that, you start your morning routine. This varies per person, but give yourself enough time to wake up so you can start your day stress-free. Maybe that’s with a cup of coffee and the newspaper, a twenty-minute meditation session, or a skincare routine from your favorite vlogger, but make sure you take the time for this. There is so little to do and experience that you certainly don’t need to rush.
• Stay active. Sitting inside doesn’t mean you can’t exercise anymore. Grab your yoga mat or towel and turn on YouTube. There are endless ab workouts, yoga sessions, and strength training (without weights and machines) available. My favorites are Alo Yoga, Mad Fit, Yoga with Adriene, and Sanne Vloet. It can also be motivating to join a challenge with friends. The 3000 burpees challenge, for example: 30 days long, 100 burpees every day. Burpees might be a bit less fun for the neighbors below, but there are always other options. Think of crunches, squats, push-ups, or a split. Having a common goal keeps you motivated; after all, you don’t want to disappoint yourself or your friends. As an extra incentive, you can agree to do the workout at the same time and turn on FaceTime, so no one can cheat.
• Dive into something. Delving can happen in various ways. Maybe you finally pick up that cookbook from the shelf that has been gathering dust for at least a year. Refine your cooking skills and become a master chef in some dishes, so that after (hopefully) June 1, you can surprise your friends or family with a semi-professional six-course dinner. Or look for a writer whose work you admire and read their books in chronological order to discover the development of their writing style. Discover that you are a talented handyman/singer/artist, or if you have no idea what you want, you can find lists of hobbies on Google. Choose ten and try them all out.
• Stay in touch. Fortunately, we live in a time of mobile phones and the internet. Despite the fact that you can’t visit friends or family, there are endless possibilities to stay connected. Everyone feels lonely, bored, and demotivated more often now, but it is precisely now that it is necessary to come together online and support each other. Because the truth is: this is going to last for a while. So call your grandma, your aunt, that friend you haven’t spoken to in a year, or work through everyone in your contact list. You have time for it now.
• Stay indoors, wash your hands, be kind to each other, and eat plenty of garlic so that everyone keeps a safe distance from you.

XX Kisses from Lily