Two Months Since...

Since my intelligent writing skills started deteriorating with the first coffee I had today (and number two is in my hand), I am going to degrade into list-writing. I have been in Los Angeles for two months now and though I was literally modeling up to the day I left, it no longer feels like a break. I have leads at a lot of different schools now, but I still haven't modeled for anything but headshots for my talented neighbor. And even that has been a while. So I wrote up a list of reasons I miss modeling: 1. Alone time. When I graduated college and moved back to New Hampshire I spent the first month feeling like I had been hit with a sledgehammer of lonely. Instead of living in a house full of my closest friends, seeing others in the dining hall, classes, and around campus, I had about three friends total and absolutely nothing to do. When I started modeling I felt a little cheated. I was in a room full of people, but they were too busy drawing to talk most of the time. What kind of company was that? However, by January I had grown pretty used to being alone and learned to really enjoy it. Now that I live in a studio apartment with two other girls and share a bed, I miss those perfectly silent times where I could be completely wrapped up in my own head.

2. Meditation. There are a million studies, theories, etc. that praise meditation for its effects on the brain and mood. I agree with all of them, and in those periods of silence where all the artists were immersed in their work and I was not permitted to move I would normally daydream. However, even I can't daydream for the entire three hours that was each modeling session. Invariably I would end up in that place between sleep and wakefulness, accidentally enjoying the benefits of meditation as I worked.

3. Making money. I finally have managed to get a job, but I started this list before then, and I think this one still deserves a shout out. Having a job is awesome.

4. Being good at something. I was/hopefully still am a great model. I definitely miss feeling that confident about something that I get to do almost daily. I found something that really clicked with me, and I would love to start doing it again.

5. The people. I met a million amazing people while modeling. I loved discovering the dynamic of each group, learned to cater toward it, and there was a such a variety of personalities that I was never bored. There were sweet people, demanding people, funny people, and they were all interested in making and talking about art. Even though Hollywood has a wonderful creative culture, if one more person tells me the Arnold Schwarzenegger Batman was the worst of all the Batman movies, I might cry. I do love getting high-fives for disliking Shepard Fairey (cue angry discussion of street art theory).

I promise a more interesting, thought out post next week!