Top 10 Things I've Learned as an "Instagram Model"

Hi, hello. My name is Gabrielle - you can call me Gab, Gabby, whatever. I'm not sure that I'll be directly interfacing with anyone anyway. I'm new here so I decided I'd write about something I know a lot about instead of trying to write about blockchain and looking like a complete asshole.

I've spent the past four+ years of my life modeling for professional and amateur photographers in professional and amateur settings. Below are a list of ten things I've learned throughout this walk I've been on.

1. Sometimes you get paid, sometimes you don't. Both sides are fun. You may get product as an exchange for high quality images of you in the garments, like the tank I received below.
   

2. It is unlikely you will get signed to an agency if you are under 5'7".
   I'm 5'3" - and a half - I've been contacted by multiple agencies and am always turned down when height enters the convo. What I've learned? Be upfront. Put it in your bio if you want. Some agencies and many brands will be indifferent if you have the right look.

3. People statistically love photos with a lot of blue: https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/blue-instagram-photos-get-likes-anything-else-according-research/

4. Create seasonally relevant content - fall, christmas, nye, valentines day - you get the picture (hardy har).
   

5. If someone wants to work with you, your schedules align and you love their work, go for it regardless of their follower count. It is just as much (maybe more) worth your time to create and collaborate with artists when you love the end product than when they have 10K more followers than you.

6. Stay active. Even if you aren't spending hours at the gym, the endorphins and knowing that you jogged, danced or hung from sillks a few days out of the week will give you a confidence boost in front of the camera.
   

7. Try new styles - lighting, setting, props, wardrobe (or lack thereof if comfortable). Do so frequently. This will diversify your portfolio and make you more adaptable.
   

8. Do not allow any one person or brand to put you in a box. Find collaborators who support both what you have done and what you believe you're capable of doing!

9. Feeling great? Document that shit. Love the skin you're in and you'll attract others who love what you do.
   

10. Take time to unwind and unplug. Posting full frame photos of yourself on a weekly or daily basis and noticing which do better or worse can be draining. The photos themselves are so much more important than the engagement!

Thanks for reading!
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