Different business, same perspective

Okay, those who know me and know me well are aware of my many interests, one of those being fashion and, yes - chuckle - the world of models and modeling. While that entire industry may to some seem incredibly superficial, there are lots of people in that industry that have the same perspective on life and working that musicians and others who have worked quite hard - and for long periods of time - to achieve their success.

Myself, I'm remembering my teachers saying things like "Keep the focus on practicing and take the opportunities that life gives you" and "It took a long time for me to get where I am."

With this, I am thinking of an earlier blog in which I wrote that
"After the rite of passage - whatever that rite-of-passage may be - it's the day-to-day that decides one's fate/destiny, whether or not a marriage will survive, whether or not a new convert will go to heaven, whether or not a competition winner will truly establish himself with a solo/recital career, whether or not an audition winner will KEEP the job. It's all about discipline - dedication to a mission, whatever one chooses it to be."

I have recently rediscovered Stacey McKenzie, a Jamaican-born Canadian who caught the world's attention during the Calvin Klein CKBe Campaign in the 90s. In her interviews, Stacey speaks quite candidly about her career - and the realities of the industry - and recently said this about a young woman who had ">suddenly found herself in the spotlight. These words can most definitely be applied to anyone, and should be taken to heart:

"Just because she won the competition doesn’t mean everything is going to be coming to her on a platter. No, no, my dear. She has to work her butt off to prove she is a top model. A model’s career is usually a short-lived one. There's always another girl waiting to take her place because she is the new trend. There's always another girl waiting to take her place because she's better in her pictures and on the runway. Hell, there's always another girl waiting to take her place because she's the young, fresh version of her! Andrea has to be on top of her game even more now. She has to be able to reinvent herself to keep working."

Time to practice,
Sam