Living in Abuja, NEPA struggles + New Digitals

Tuesday 8th December 2020
I woke up this morning ready for a productive day. My to-do list was nicely filled out and one of the items on my list was to take new digitals and vlog about it. I specifically wanted to vlog because I just started a new YouTube channel about modeling as well and I thought vloging about how I take my digitals would make a good post. But NEPA( as I still choose to call them) tried to frustrate my efforts. My battery died due to power failure so I didn’t go to the studio, but I won’t let any of that affect how my day goes. I would go ahead and accomplish other important tasks on my list!💪

Wednesday 9th December 2020
Thankfully I’ve gotten my digitals done! 😥Unfortunately vlogging was a fail, the video didn’t come out well so I think I might do a sit through video instead on how to take new polaroids/digitals. As a model, it is important to update your digitals every couple of months because chances are that clients will get tired of seeing the same picture over and over again. You are also expected to take new ones if you change up your look e.g new haircut, piercings, surgery even. And also if you change in body size i.e if you gain or lose weight. That being said:it is important to stay up to date with your body measurements at least once a month so you are not sending out false informations to clients.

So here are my new digitals and ideally these are the kind of poses you want for your digitals: a head shot, a full body shot, a profile shot and a 3/4 shot.

I would leave a link below to my YouTube channel, please be sure to check it out and subscribe if you like it. You can also follow me on IG @aris.alami or Diary of a petite model and leave a comment below if you enjoyed this post.
Thank you and see you in my next post!

Bye!🙋🙋

I took a break from modeling!

I took a break from modeling
Why, if you ask me? Hmmm I wouldn’t be able to put it in words coherently. I think that there comes a time in our lives where things come at a standstill or call it the midlife crisis, which is quite funny because I’m not even up to midlife yet, still in my early 20s.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I felt like I was carrying this weight and I couldn’t shake it off. There didn’t seem to be any pressure,but I was under so much that I couldn’t see things clearly for a while. Then life dealt me the biggest blow I have ever received, I lost my friend… It hit me so hard that I still can’t talk about it freely without shedding tears, maybe because writing is the realest form of communication that I have ever experienced so if I don’t write about it, then maybe there’s a tiny chance that it’s not real right?

Even I know at this point that it’s not true and I can’t change what has happened. So I just went off, don’t know if it has done me much good, I think it has because I can breathe freely again. The thought of being in a studio is not as claustrophobic as it was a few weeks ago. So here’s to healing, courage and strength to go on!🥂

In the coming weeks, I would resume sharing my journey on modeling, finding an agency, shoots, booking jobs and the rest. I hope you stay tuned.

Much love🤍🖤

Aris✍️

Of New year, goals, getting signed…

Opting for a fruitful 2021!

Tuesday 5th January 2021
Today, as I keep working on my goals for the year 2021, I choose to remain strong and deliberate about my life and future. I know 2020 was pretty tough for most people, but as the saying goes, ‘tought times don’t last, tough people do!’ Thankfully I came out of 2020 stronger and better than before so I have decided to have a better 2021 taking it one day at a time😊
Yesterday I applied to an agency online casting call for new faces and I got a rejection letter.😔 Does that move me? God yes! Definitely LOL! No one said it was going to be easy, but one of my modeling goals for the year is to get signed so I’ll keep trying. There are many benefits to being under an agency especially a mother agency( I think I’ll make a post on this very soon).
Just because I want to get signed to an agency doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep working on myself. If anything, I’m going to put in more work than I’ve ever done before, because we are going to make the best out of me!( Who’s we?🤔 Lol) So we move!
Last year, one of my goals was to do 10 shows, but unfortunately due to Covid19 I could only do 6 shows. I’m glad I was still able to work amidst everything that happened and for a petite model, a 5’3″ one at that! I am thankful 🙏 . Nevertheless I’m raising the bar this year and aiming for 15 shows, fingers crossed.🤞
I don’t want this post to be long so as not to bore you,but I’ll have my goals clearly written down and how I’ll achieve them. I hope you do the same. If you want me to share my full 2021 modeling goals on the blog, kindly leave a comment down in the comments section . Thank you so much for reading. Much love!🥰

Of Christmas, birthdays and more!

Today is 26th December 2020 and I just turned 23 two days ago so Happy Birthday to me! This year I had a lot planned as to how I expected my year to be and end. By December I still had some of those expectations, but as my birthday drew closer I decided to take a chill pill and be thankful first for what I’ve got.
I’m thankful for the safety of my loved ones, they are alive and healthy and I can’t thank God enough for that. A lot of people lost their lives this year such that you can’t help but wonder what could have been.

I know this may seem like the norm, but I am truly grateful to see the beginning of another birth year. I look forward to the coming days with a lot of hope!
Cheers to a new life!🥂

Lessons I’ve learnt as a petite model!

Dear model,
This may sound like a cliche, but you have to keep pushing and be persistent to get to where you want.Sitting at home doing nothing is not pushing, wishing that a scout would discover you on the streets is not pushing.
Have you submitted that digitals, have you even taken them? Have you reached out to photographers, designers and makeup artists around you? If you haven’t done these and more, then you are wasting valuable time. Don’t let this year run out without making an attainable plan.
Yours sincerely
Aris

LESSONS I LEARNT AS A PETITE MODEL IN NIGERIA

1. You’re going to get rejected more times than you can count.
   Rejection? Bring it on!🤷
   To succeed in this industry you will learn to love the word ‘NO’ because you’ll be told so over and over again. The average model of 5’8” upwards faces rejection so why not you? I know this sounds tough, but the sooner you accept this, the stronger you become. I have cried after being rejected at an audition but I told myself to not let it get to me because if you do, it will trifle with your emotions and self esteem.
2. It’s not so much about passion as it is about the skill and intelligence
   When you understand the competition in this industry, you will know that you need more that passion to succeed. Yes passion should be a driving force but without wisdom you will not know the right steps to take. There are a lot of beautiful faces out there so you need something to make you stand out! Invest in yourself, your looks and attitude will take you farther than you expected. Casting directors search out for that something extra,not just a pretty face. Get that and you will be one step ahead of others around you.
3. You are not the only one who has faced this challenge.
   Whatever it is you are going through right now, chances are that someone else has faced it and possibly worse! Chanel that energy into your career, nothing good comes easy. You can choose to complain and give up or refuse to fail. I’m not saying it’s going to be a walk in the park, trust me it won’t be easy. As we go on in this blog, I will share some of the challenges I’ve faced, but I chose not to give up. You can do the same too, just remember! You’re not in this alone!

That’s it beauts, thank you for reading. If you like this please click the like button, subscribe and share to other models for more juicy tips.
Thank you!

First Post: Welcome to my blog!

Hi! You’re welcome to my blog!

My name is Charis and I’m a petite model currently based in Abuja, Nigeria. If you stumbled upon this blog then it means you are somewhat interested in the modeling industry.
In this blog, I will be sharing on my experiences as a petite model, basic terms you need to know about modeling, tips on beauty, fitness and fashion as regards this industry and a general review of my life as a model so I’ve got you covered!
If you have any questions or just want to chat, you can leave a comment on my recent post or follow me on Instagram @aris.alami and send me a message there.

Thank you!