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
