Monday, July 15, 2013

Cassidy vs. the City: Bring Socks!

I found the end all and be all advice to have for life this week. It’s two words that will change your life…bring socks. Do learn from me and always wear socks with closed toed shoes and never wear your heels for longer than you have to. If you run around in New York sans socks, you might end up with planet sized blisters on your feet like me. So, avoid limping and lagging thirty feet behind everyone by wearing socks and avoiding the devil’s punishment, blisters. Now, besides the foot trauma my first week here has been quite the culture shock. Being from a small town in Florida, I was not prepared for this.  I was picked up from the airport in a nice SUV and that was probably a highlight of my life. Everyone looks at you like you are an important celebrity or the president of something. The traffic was absolutely ridiculous; no one abides by the laws of driving here so it’s each man for himself. When I got dropped off at my apartment in Soho, I was kind of shocked. It was in between a psychic and a Chinese restaurant. It did not look like a suitable place for models to be living but never the less I went in and walked up three flights of stairs. The apartment was actually not that bad when I got inside. There are three bunk beds and one twin size bed. There was only one model living here when I arrived. Now there are four of us in the apartment. The apartment is equipped with a bathroom, couch, television, kitchen, and pet rat. (He’s been hiding since I’ve gotten here)
My first time going to the agency was the same day I arrived. I was forced to ride the almighty subway. Luckily, there’s a station right by the apartment. You enter this set of stairs going underground, like a dungeon. Then there’s a metro card kiosk where you put money on a card that gets you on the subway. It was pretty self-explanatory. Once I got on the subway and waited for my stop, it hit me that I was in New York City about to go to my modeling agency…that doesn’t happen! How did I manage to get this?
Once I got off at 23rd street, I got lost for the first time. It was really awesome having people stare at me while I walked up and down the same street. Finally, some kind woman (they exist!) pointed me in the direction of the office which was right in front of me the whole time! The agency has been great; they took care of all my questions and needs as soon as I got there. They gave me the ins and outs of castings and what my rates will be. I was told to always wear heels (hence my foot problem) to important castings and to the agency itself. Then, they told me my first casting was that same day, ten minutes before it was over. I ran down Madison half- knowing where I was going.

Castings are a much easier task than I thought. You arrive five to ten minutes early and dress pretty simply. You walk to the client with confidence and a bubbly personality, the goal is to make them  like you. You are your own business. They usually take digitals then say “thank you!” I haven’t had a bad experience with clients yet, but I know it will come soon. All in all, my first week has gone pretty well (minus the blisters). I’m looking forward to this journey even more now!
-Cassidy

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