The Art of Self Promotion

What makes you different from the rest? This can be a confronting question to answer – the curse and lure of SELF PROMOTION (tooting your own horn, in other words.) In my personal experience there are two types of categories that make this topic interesting and controversial. Having discerned these differences – excusing my blatant stereotyping and generalising – there are those that love hearing their own praises and those that love singing their own praises. One does not discriminate over the other – both are valid entry points for the elusive and tricky task of Self Promotion.

Arguably these are times of the maverick – independent thought provokers who are influencing instantly. Viral videos can spell overnight success for innocent and humorous commentators. With celebrities and artists; whether recording, performing or traditional modes, there is a need for clear and direct points of view.

Is it easier to sing your own praises when you have an alter-ego to hold the weight of your accomplishments? Writers can use fake names, designers are under an umbrella of a huge conglomerate company and there are those with different social media profiles (CatFish, though that’s a bark of a different kind).

We know the beauty industry is a competitive business. Models are constantly being weighed – no pun intended – against one another for bookings. It is no surprise in the age of Instagram that models are taking their careers to different heights by promoting their lives. Naomi Campbell is no shrinking violet. Known for her vivacious personality, striking looks and biting tongue, she is never one to back down from a challenge or afraid of telling everyone her attributes. Kate Moss, on the other hand, has never been interested in taking interviews or selling herself – at least verbally – but those close to her are quick to say what a pleasure she is to work with because of her youthful spirit.

Finding pleasure in validation is only half of the equation when choosing to Self-Promote. We are told from an early age speaking about personal accomplishments reeks of arrogance. Having looked into the different ways in which people relate to the world (in true pop psychology), it’s not what you say, but how you say it. It’s not what you do, but how you do it for your own personal circumstances.

There are a few universal rules to Self-Promotion that if adhered to can aid with the pride and pleasure of selling yourself to the right market. Censorship is important; being modest will allow others to transcend your message – life is best when there is mystery and wonder so we can anticipate more from each other and from ourselves. Being obvious in the delivery of your talents (whatever you bring to the table – professional or otherwise) solidifies your objectives, dreams and promises. The most daunting part of the process is perhaps picking a lane of interest and running wild in it. There is definitely a quiet dignity in refining and moulding yourself in the eyes of the public – a lifelong adventure that is not as easy as creating something you love and putting it out there.

No matter which of the two types you may fall into – sometimes it’s a combination of both – there is no denying that it comes down to you. Remember, tooting your own horn is just another way of letting people know you’ve arrived, when done with a healthy dose of humility xxx

What Picture?!

So this week I’m doing something a little different.

I’m not writing a blog, instead I’m creating a vote of some sort. As I need help, your help!

During the past couple of weeks I’ve caught up with some friends who all had one thing in common, they are all doing very well for themselves, in their careers in particular.

Of course I’m happy for them all, they all deserve it, they work hard, they network, they do everything right and yet I can’t help but feel a twinge of jealously.

One friend in particular is doing really well for himself, I met him for drinks last week. I went to meet him at a function room in a hotel in town, he was attending a works do, I hung outside the room for a moment and poked my head in the door looking for him. I spot him laughing and joking with colleagues, as he sees me he says his goodbyes and shakes a few hands.

Naturally the function he attended was an immediate topic, although I don’t quite understand his job (an engineer of some sort) I listen intently try to make sense of what he’s saying, nod and smile. At some point during the conversation he mentions that he met someone that night who would be a good contact for him so they exchange business cards and jokingly gives one to me, I stuff it in my purse and complete forgot about it.

Until earlier today I found it again in my purse and thought to myself why don’t models or actors have them? I mean we have so many varieties of portfolios all over the place, showreels, websites, Instagram, twitter, facebook pages, but no-one really caries around a portfolio book anymore or C.V’s or a physical print of their pictures, but why not? It’s another way to network, social media networking had to expand from it.

In a couple week’s time I am going to the Edinburgh fringe festival, although I’m not going there for business purposes I think it will be a good chance to try out a business card, there are numerous of comedians, musicians and performance artists that will be there. Having something on hand to give to them, it couldn’t hurt, after all it could just take one call?

So here’s where I need your help. The design of the card. I think I will have the wording on one side and a picture on the other. But what picture? I have a few to choose from (you’ve probably noticed). So below I’ve selected a few images that are my personal favs. Any vote, comments or input will be greatly appreciated xxx

Just So You Know, I’m Not Posting for the Likes

I hate the term Instagram Model – as if there were such a thing. No, there are models and there are girls who post pictures on Instagram. Having photos on Instagram does not make you a model, and, if you are a model that posts pictures on Instagram, that doesn’t make you less of a model. They aren’t related. But, somehow when any girl posts pictures on the site, people think it’s all about ego and getting people to like you.

If I wanted people to like the real me, the last thing I’d show them is my picture. Looks can easily cloud other people’s better judgment. So the whole argument that models who use Instagram do so to make themselves feel better is silly. We model on Instagram for the same reason we model anywhere else – for money.

But is it even worth it? I mean every time I snap a picture of myself, I wonder who is actually looking at it. People say it is a way to gain exposure – and in this industry exposure is golden – but does the real money even pay attention to social media?

I’ve heard some stories about amateur models that had some success on Instagram. There they were, posting picture of things they love to do, and the next thing you know, some designer is sending them clothes and flying them to shoots. But I think they were so successful because they were amateurs, fresh faces. The designer wanted someone that hasn’t been seen before, someone that they already knew people would admire. Is it such a surprise they looked to Instagram?

That’s what I would do if I didn’t want to spend money on models with professional experience.

But for some reason, everyone believes Instagram would work for models.. that my posting would convince people that I’m just the ordinary girl, and that I’m beautiful even when I’m being ordinary.

I don’t mind that much. Being camera-ready, even in snapshots, is not hard when you spend so much time in front of a camera.

So, if Instagram did lead to money what would happen after my popularity attracted a client’s attention? The impressed designer would contact my agent and be told the real cost of professional beauty. I guess that works for some girls, but I don’t get why they didn’t just call a modelling agency in the first place, instead of scouring the internet for a girl that can look cute in the bathroom xxx

Just A Walking Number

We are now living in a world where we put numbers, statistics and social media followings on our CVs. It’s no longer a name, but a number that defines us. As you read this on your smartphone, or maybe your laptop, just think, when did our presence on social media and in the digital world become more important than our real lives? We are so consumed with scrolling through the seemingly beautiful but essentially made up scenarios on Instagram or Tumblr, that our online images, whether the same as our real personas or not, are quickly becoming more important than who we actually are and what we can bring to the world. So, it’s not surprising that in the modelling industry, who you are on your social media accounts and how many followers you can reach, is quickly becoming the one box you need to check to achieve success.

Clients are now turning to girls who have this wide social media reach, to front their campaigns and walk in coveted spots in their runway shows. Reason being; it is very likely these models will post a backstage or runway snap on Instagram, where a further million people will see the clothes, which is a huge increase in awareness for a brand. This is perhaps the reason why the second youngest member of the Kardashian clan has found recent success as a high fashion model. Every appearance Kendall makes at a runway show, every cover she poses for, garners not only mass media attention but also the awareness of her 14 million Instagram followers.

The boom of social media has a direct effect on every model, the minute she steps into a casting. A large proportion of models now use apps on Ipads to display their books to clients. Not only do these apps display your portfolio, they now integrate a section to show how many followers you have on several social media platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram. A client can now decide, on the spot, that he or she will use a model based solely on her social media following, and not necessarily on the quality of her portfolio. Some big name models, who previously kept their profiles private, were forced by their agencies to go public, as they were losing out on jobs to lesser famous girls with larger numbers of followers.

Models, like everybody else, can use social media accounts to create a certain and often carefully crafted persona, which in turn can appeal to different clients. If you take a look at models’ Instagram accounts you can see some categories emerging. You have the fitness and wellbeing girls, who make it really known that they love yoga on the beach.

Then you have the ultimate big city cool girl, with impeccable street style and famous musician friends.

Or you have the bombshell swimsuit models….

You get the idea. Models use social media to constantly promote their niche, and the girls who know how to strategically market themselves, are the girls nabbing the jobs.

The importance placed on social media is even further highlighted by the biggest online community for modelling; Models.com. The website’s Model Rankings are famous for carving out the crop of models deemed noteworthy to be considered supermodels, and for discovering the hottest new faces from all over the world. However, in recent times the website has incorporated a new ranking list, named ‘Social,’ which tallies the models with the widest social media reach. As expected, at number one we can see Kendall Jenner, who actually comes in before supermodels Tyra Banks, Miranda Kerr and Gisele Bundchen.

One of the most influential magazines on the planet, American Vogue, dedicated its prestigious September issue cover to ‘The Instagirls': Joan Smalls, Cara Delevingne and Karlie Kloss. Joan has over half a million Instagram followers, Karlie; 1.3 million and Cara; a whopping 7.6 million. Even Candice Swanepoel admitted, in an interview with W Magazine, it is embedded in her Victoria’s Secret contract that she post a certain amount of Tweets and Instagram photos to her millions of followers.

So, from here, what is the future of modelling? Will the supermodels of the next generation be girls with a true talent for morphing into characters in front of the camera, or having a killer walk on the runway, or will they simply be brilliant selfie takers? It seems like the industry is favouring girls not based on how well they model, but based on the amount of people they can reach. Maybe talent doesn’t cut it anymore, but a follow sure will.