- When and how did you get started in modeling?
To be honest, I began with no plans about it. I have never even thought that I can ever be a model. That I am, or ever can become beautiful enough for it.
It’s difficult to say where it all exactly started from. I guess, since my brother and I were little kids, we always liked listening to music, singing and dancing together. When we were four, we were both accepted to take part in the mu-sical theater «Little Country» («Malenkaya Strana») of Ilya Reznik (renowned Russian poet and songwriter). Together with our musical collective under the creative direction of Mr. Reznik we then performed on stage many times: at Crocus City Hall, the Kremlin Palace, the House of Music and other concert halls. I remember seeing myself for the first time on one of the major national TV channels. It felt rather weird and uncomfortable. And somehow my own performance even felt unremarkable to me.
Later on, my brother told us that he liked how the trumpet sounds and that he really wanted to learn how to play it. Mom and Dad found a musical school where he could try himself and got advised by professional musicians. We all went to support him, and it happened that we both passed entrance exams and got enrolled in Music School named after Isaak Dunaevsky together at the age of six. Now I am in the fifth grade and I sing in an academic choir with other kids. I also perform as a member of the Gloria Choir. We practice singing a lot and our choir has been even honored with Russian and international awards.
Musical lessons, practice between classes, daily rehearsals is essential to perfom well in choir and take a lot of time. Last year we moved, so we got transferred to a new school. So I do not really have much free time and I haven’t made many new friends also yet. It was difficult enough to get used to a new program, and fitting in in a new school is not so easy. Sometimes it feels to me that we have too different interests, tastes, likes, and other girls are not so into music. When we first met, I also noticed that they all knew much more about fashion, designers, makeup, cosmetics than me, and they felt not so easily approachable to me.
My Mom works a lot, and she usually is extremely busy, but we like spending time together. And we absolutely love shopping together when we have time. Explore fashion trends, new designers, discover new brands, try out new out-fits. It’s always so much fun. So once we went to a shopping mall, and while browsing through some new clothes in a store, we came across a modeling audition for a teen clothes brand. It looked so cool. I have never thought that I can be among those beautiful girls. Mom inspired me to give it a try. So I went up to a manager and just asked. Still сan-not believe that they approved me actually. But I think I managed to take myself in hands and do it through thanks to all that previous experience I got in the theatre and choir. - When did you get signed with your first agency?
My first modeling session happened when I was 7. I participated as a model in fashion runway shows and photo shoots for different brands, including Gloria Jeans and Cotton.
- What were your initial thoughts about the modeling industry?
I am not even sure that I’ve thought of it as of a business or an industry. More as of a sparkling picture of beautiful life, full of beautiful, interesting, stylish people, who express themselves easily and are not afraid of being criticized. Because they are almost perfect. Outstanding people who are always in the spotlight and are not afraid of it. Who everyone wants to be friends with. It was a picture I wanted to see myself in.
I thought that to get there I have to become more interesting, special, fashionable, that I will have to improve my makeup skills first, experiment with new hairstyles untill I find the best combination of the pieces that will make me more well-put together to fit in eventually.
I also thought that models are the main characters on the runway and are the ones who start and make the fashion show go on. And modeling is all about models mostly.
Also I was a little scared to mingle with models, because I am no near that beautiful as they are, and that they would feel annoyed to be surrounded with someone like me, who doesn’t belong. - What are your current thoughts about the industry and where are you now in it?
What I found out is that it all is other way round.
Modeling is hardly about expressing or presenting your own self. It’s about expressing a brand, an organization, a town, a country. You don’t need to come for an audition with makeup on to present the most beautiful version of yourself. It’s better to be natural with hair styled simply actually. Because model is not a piece of art. It’s a piece of canvas for an artist.
Model is not the main character of the show. Brand is. And there are so many people behind it to make this or that model look according to a brand, look beautiful, outstanding and always different. It’s huge teamwork. Like in a choir.
If you want to express your own self, modeling is not the activity for that. You cannot be your true self here. But the best part it that you can try to become whoever you want to be here. To try different roles. It makes you discover yourself, get to know yourself better.
Also, modeling is a real job. It’s about selling and remaining within a budget. Time management is everything here. You cannot compain if you are hungry, tired or in a cranky mood. You cannot ask for a rest. You have to stay focused, listen attentively, memo-rize, react quick and be accurate. It’s hard. And if you are ineffective and cannot keep up a pace, this is definitely not the right job for you.
Even though it puts everyone under pressure, the most unexpected thing to me was that once I found myself amoung all those extremely beautiful and fashionable ladies, true professionals with their own interests, unsimilar to my schoolmates’, always busy and very hardworking, they were so understanding, patient and supportive to me. And accepting. Giving me valuable advice how to act, how to pose, how to walk, what clothes to choose… And many more. It so far from what I expected from them. And it really impressed me most of all. - What have you accomplished so far as a model for all these years?
I can’t say that I’ve already achieved a lot, but I understand that it’s not a small achievement for someone my age. I’m currently focusing on improving my skills and accepting offers to gain experience and reach the next level.
Prod: @beatrismalahova
Photo: @katerinamedvedeva_photo
Stylist: @katerina_medvedeva_dresses
MUA & Hair: @nataly_muah_lashes
PR Agent: @aleksandra_britan_
Assistant: @anna__romanova_
Assistant: Anastasiia Brytan
Model: Anna Yarigina
Location: @mars_photostudios
Via @officialkavyar
