Modeling New Year's Resolutions

Hi everyone!

I hope that you've all been having a relaxing and fun holiday over this past week.  I certainly have!  It's been nice to have some downtime, and it's also been great to get to hang out with my family.  A nice change of pace from all the hustle and bustle from earlier this month.

Speaking of which, it's crazy to think that tomorrow is the last day of 2018.  I don't know about you, but this year seems to have gone by so quickly.  So much has changed since the start of this year.  I honestly never thought I'd be sitting in my living room, writing a blog post about my job in New York City only days before I head back to it.  But, here we are!  I have to say, I'm glad for it.

I find that the older I get, the more New Year's Eve appeals to me, both as a holiday and as a concept. It's not just that I can stay up past midnight or that I'm old enough to drink now (although both those things definitely have their perks.)  I like the idea of new beginnings, starting fresh, and making plans for a better year ahead.  I know that a lot of people either dread making New Year's Resolutions or don't bother to make any at all.  I, however, really love to make them.  Resolutions inspire me to try to do accomplish as much as I can throughout the coming year, and to try to live as my best self.  Since I've already made my list of personal resolutions, I thought it would be fun to make a list of a few that pertain to modeling.  So, here's my list of Modeling New Year's Resolutions for 2019:

1. Dedicate myself more to my exercise routine

Over the past few months, I've admittedly been slacking in my workouts.  Some of this has been due to my busy schedule, but a lot of it has been due to laziness.  Even if I have time to go to the gym or do a home workout, I haven't been the best about getting up and doing it.  Since staying physical fit is important not only for modeling but for myself as well, I'm making a commit to make my exercise routine a priority.  Not only am I going to go to the gym more often, but I'm also going to look into new exercise classes in the city.  Good for the body, brain, and soul.

2. Take more time for self care

I've tried to stress the importance of self care in previous posts when it comes to art modeling.  But I haven't been the best at practicing this myself.  There have been plenty of times where I've been sore or tired and would have benefited from a massage or a chiropractor appointment.  Instead, I've brushed off my pain, telling myself I either don't have the money or the time to go treat myself.  Well, I think that should change.  Just like prioritizing my fitness routine, I'm going to make sure to rest when I need to, and to do things that make my physical and emotional selves happy.  (Hot baths, anyone?)

3. Be more assertive about what poses don't and do work for me.

When I first started art modeling, I tried very hard to prove to myself and others that I was capable of holding dynamic, crazy poses for a long period of time.  While I still love these kind of poses, I've started to realize that there's only so much my body can take.  Now that I've modeled for almost a year and am getting more steady work, I have a better understanding of what kind of poses feel the best to do.  So if something starts to hurt in a modeling session, or I don't think I'll be able to hold a specific posture for twenty minutes, I'm going to speak up.  Asserting myself has always been something I've struggled with, but I know that it's important for everyone involved that I'm comfortable when I'm working.  I resolve to use my voice like I use my body; to make my job even better!

4. Go to more museums, art shows, lives performances, etc. 

A lot of times when I'm in a modeling session, the instructor will encourage their students to go to museums or art shows.  The reason for this is so the students can see different kinds of art and hopefully be inspired to create some of their own.  I think the same idea applies to art models too.  I'm constantly looking for new ideas for poses, and what better place to look than an art museum?  Being the artsy person I am, I also really love going to museums, plays, musicals, galleries, etc.  You name it, I'm there.  Rest assured, I'll be there even more this year!

5. Create a more consistent blogging schedule

This is actually one of my personal New Year's resolutions.  I've loved getting to write about my job over the past year, and I would like to make it a more regular part of my life come 2019.  Truthfully, I still haven't decided how I want to go about this.  My current goal is to do at least one post biweekly.  That may change in the future, but I think it's a good starting place for now.  Either way, I want to write more posts for "Model Behavior" using a more consistent schedule.  So, keep sending your questions and ideas for blog entries my way.  It helps a great deal, and I always love getting to hear from you!

That's it for this post.  Thank you all so much for your comments and supports all throughout 2018.  It means the world to me, and I'm so glad that I've been able to share this journey.  I hope that you all have a great New Year's Eve tomorrow, and I wish you the best for the coming year!  Until then...

See you soon! <3