London Life - not that easy

Being back in England has been nice at times when catching up with friends and family, and back working on a regular basis, something that I greatly needed in order to improve my self esteem, which had become very low after a frustrating time on the work front in the US. However, it's still not an easy run of things in this country.

Castings are few and far between for modeling and I have been missing out on quite a few castings because of my knee situation, which is still no closer to being operated on. Speedo casting (need to swim), Mizuno casting (need to run)and others just seem a bit typical for my fortune right now. But I have not been dwelling on this and I am starting to do all I can to increase my opportunities to gain more work away from modelling. I am trying to get representation from a talent agency to help gain me some presenting work, something I firmly believe I am good at and could do very well if I get my opportunity to show people my talents.

Now, I hope people do not think I'm being arrogant by this comment, because this is not the case. I just feel very confident in front of a camera and believe that this is a career that I can do well in. Positive thinking often goes a very long way and it continually helps motivate myself to go after my dream. This is something that on a personal level I need, as it can be very easy sometimes to sit back and settle with what you have and not go after more and more. This is often the case when I get negative responses back from agencies that do not want to represent me. But I should be used to this from all the castings I have been to in my life that I have been told "no" from.

I certainly need to pull my proverbial finger out and be more pro active with my work. I need to stop relying on others to provide the opportunities and go out and grasp them myself. You make your own future and nobody will work harder for you than yourself, and why should they. This is what I am drilling in my head on a regular basis at the moment.



To sum up why London is not easy, just look above at this picture. This was a job I did for Optical Express. The pay was OK, for one days work don't get me wrong. And to be honest and put how much I received for this it was around about £400. A lot you think? Well, when I later found out that the usage for this job was 2 years, and all website, advertising and publications you start to ask yourself, "Are you taking the piss?!" This is absolutely ridiculous, but it is a sign of changing times in the market all over the world, not just London. Companies need to cut their costs as much as possible with the state of the economy, and advertising is the first area, which they look to cut. And as with any structure, the bottom of the pile are the ones that suffer the most. We have seen this so much in society of late and this is the case in my business too. You ask any models about their rates, and every single one will say the same thing. It is nearly impossible to make a living from this business unless you are at the very top of the pile. It is even harder for guys because there are fewer jobs available than there are for women, simple fact.

Times are changing and I need to adapt with it and work harder to achieve all I can in this world.