WIN OR LOSE

I have been reading a lot of the message boards and reviewing some of the comments from the Chat box and I am realizing that in the quest to find out who won the show a lot of you are really dissecting my posts to find any clues or hints about the outcome. Truth be told we are all planning major moves in our separate careers so you still wont be able to figure out what is what.

Jordan who got voted off last night is planning on moving to NYC to start modeling there and is extremely excited to work in the main US high fashion market.

As far as I know Amanda is planning on getting into acting with a role in an independent film. I wish her all the luck with that.

Colin is planning on making the move to New York to start modeling, and to calm the rumor mills, no he hasn't been signed but I have a feeling when he finally moves to the city he will be taken up in a quick second. He and I were actually talking with Branden about moving in together but because we will all be moving there at different times This scenario might not work out. 

Laury is modeling all over the world She just recently came back from Milan.

Kerryn just made her rounds at the agencies in NYC so we will know the verdict soon.

Gabe is quickly becoming a top notch Photographer. 

As for the models still left in the game, the truth is win or lose we are all planning on modeling after the show airs, I may be more public about it but that doesn't mean anything. It is still a strong field so you will have to keep watching the show to find out. 

Sandhurst-Tacama

 

FUNNY CLIP

Shawn and I had fun with Willow she really allowed us to take it to all kinds of wrong lol.

EBARRASSING CLIP TAKE 2

Oh yes we had a blast in the house but not enough time to show on air

EMBARRASSING CLIP THAT WASN'T AIRED TAKE 1

I decided to post some of the embarrassing out takes from the show because I had to admit this was pretty funny lol.

Enjoy

NEW YORK IN THE MORNING

Well I am off again to the CITY today. I am supposed to do some shooting with a world famous stylist and a top notch photographer. I am not too sure whether it is for a national ad campaign or for the stylist's portfolio or what but I am going. Sometimes in this industry you take the opportunity first then ask questions later. The reputation of the Stylist and Photographer tells me that it won't be anything pornographic so all I need to do is show up. 

I feel like I am on the show again though, a lot of hurry up and wait. That is what the majority of this industry is. You get to where you're going early, only so you can wait the rest of the day for either make up and hair or to be seen by the client after hundreds of other models have taken their turn. In this case we were to shoot on Wednesday but you know sometimes things don't work out as they should so the date is in limbo but come hell or high water I will be in NYC waiting for that phone call telling me to be at whatever location in ten.  It's amazing how much fun you can have while spending your last dime on a bus ticket from Philly to NYC. These are the stories you remember when you finally make it. 

Anyway I just thought I would share that tidbit with you all as I hadn't written in a while. Hope all is well with everyone else and I hope to show you the pictures from that shoot really soon.

Sandhurst-Tacama

FANART

A Fan emailed this picture to me I thought it was extremely cool so I decided to post it. It's really simple but it still means a lot. I want to thank ...013 for sending it too me. I can tell they used  the Picasa program that my other friends used. I am going to have to download that but I digress lol.

CHAT BOX TOPICS

I was going to respond to some of the questions posed to me via the chat box in a short chat box reply  but I decided to make a full post about some of the topics.

Sexuality. Come on, I get it, male Ballet dancer turned model all indicators point to Gay right but the reality of the situation is just like there are Gay athletes there are also Straight dancer/models. I think on a whole we ask the public to not define who we are by what we do but then we go right ahead and do it others. I was raised in the Caribbean and though I will admit it isn't the most LGBT friendly zone in the world, I was brought up to not care about whatever anyone else thought about me. My parents would always say once you are not doing drugs or stealing then we don't care what you do or who you are. Those kinds of words really opens up a child to a world of experiences and people. 

My father was a jack of all trades. He was in the military, he was an actor, a dancer a painter a fisherman, a farmer, a great soccer goalie, a swimmer, a track star, you see where I am going with this and these are all activities that I have done and enjoyed in my life. My parents just gave me options as a child, options to experience a whole world and yes I found my passion in the arts I am also a lot of other things as well. So to the questions that were raised. What is my sexuality? If it is really that important that I define it then I am straight, but does it change your opinion on me no lol the people who think I am gay will continue to do so or those that think I am Bi and I honestly have no problem with you coming to your own conclusions. Hell I have my own thoughts about other people lol. 

William you asked if I felt the need to prove my manhood and the answer is no. Why should I? I am a guy that knows and can set every classical ballet created and I am proud of that it takes years and a lot of hard work to study ballet and really appreciate it and I am not going to pretend like I don't love dance just so that someone else will feel like I am more of a man. And for those guys out there who feel like they have to live up to some kind of mold in order to be accepted then I have a question for them. Are these really the people that you need to be accepted by?

So now that the sexuality rant is done lol, I move on to the topic of Caribbean Models. The only caribbean models that I have been in contact with so far is Daver Campbell. I will honestly say he is truly an inspirational and motivational figure because I get the impression that he is really about empowering those around him to not only follow their dreams but to really take charge of it and own it. As far as other models from the caribbean Oraine's rise to success in this industry is incredible. I remember reading a caribbean magazine one summer when he had just won a modeling competition in Jamaica and the next thing I knew he was everywhere when I got back to the states. I think his journey into the industry really inspired me to to get off my ass and start going for it. Some people are lucky and get discovered walking down the street but others have to create the opportunity for themselves. 

Anyway I hope this post gives you a little insight into my life. 

A-List Aawards

These are some of the shots that we took at the A List awards in April. We had an amazing time pretending to be famous.

REPRODUCTIONS

Hey All,

I recently received two images from some of the students from my old High School and I thought they were cool so I decided to Show them to the world. They are mostly memebers of the ballet department. GO PC!!!

SCHOOL VS. DREAMS

Hey ALL

As I near the final weeks of school heading into my big graduation date (Not May but June, I have to do Summer school because I took time off to do MMASM) I can not help but reflect on my journey through higher education. If you are an avid viewer of Make Me A Supermodel you would notice the Ballet Dancer label that always pops up when I speak but I am beginning to believe that a lot of you do not realize that my major at Temple University is actually not dance. My major at school is that of Strategic and Organizational Communications with an emphasis on Public Relations. I know say that Ten Times fast. Colin and I were the only two at the time that were actually going to school while the show was being filmed. For two guys in their senior year at college, it's a major decision to make to completely switch gears and change from what you've known for the past 4  or in reality 16 years to something completely new.

This brings me to the subject of my post. How long should you put off school to in order to pursue your dream or how long should you put off your dream to get that degree? I found myself asking this question when I was 18. I had spent the past 18 years realizing that an office was not for me and that in some form or another I was going to make it on a stage of some kind. I was determined to be there. The problem here was that it was 2004 and having a bachelors degree didn't mean as much as it used too. Everyone and their mother had one and now the master's degree was the new standard, so as a young kid going into the real world there was no way I was going to put myself at a disadvantage and not get that degree. This decision delighted my parents but at the same time I knew that if any opportunity came in getting me to my dream I would take that chance without hesitation. I believe that a lot of us who have big dreams spend so much time securing a back up plan that we forget what our passion really is.

So what is the conclusion that I have drawn seeing that in 1 month MMASM will have concluded and in 2 months I will have my degree? My conclusion is that everyone's journey to where they are going is different but the important thing to do is to listen to your own natural instincts, they have a tendency to lead you on a wild crazy path that takes you to mars and back and sometimes you wonder if you made the right decisions but in the end they take you to places you need to go in order to develop the tools you need to achieve your dreams. As I look back on my 5 years of 3 different schools, 3 different states, 3 different majors, 1 dream of going to the Olympics for Track, 1 dream of going to the Olympics for Swimming, 1 deferred year to train only in ballet, 1 impulsive decision to audition for Simba in the Lion King, and countless trips to New York in hopes of being signed, all the while trying to finish school, I realize now that my journey wasn't a sporadic web of inconsistencies. I see now that with each new venture that I have taken in my life I have learned a skill that not only helped in my progression on the show but added to my arsenal of abilities to which I can drawn from in the future.

So for me School coexisted with my dream. It nurtured it and provided a place for me to be while my dream fine tuned itself. School was the cocoon to which my future developed and I personally am glad that I took these years to finish my degree. I feel like I am coming out of it with much more than the average model or average graduate.

Now there are some out there that have found great success in the fashion and entertainment industries without even stepping foot inside of a university and those stories seem to actually be more common than mine but at the same time again I must stress that everyone's journey is different. What was right for me may be completely wrong for you so that is why it is essential that you listen to your instincts. 

Take the chance

I didn't realize that when I got into that line in NYC back in July, that May would come and my life would have changed for ever. It's weird how we can sit in our beds, or classrooms, or offices, or where ever and daydream about doing something bigger.  We wish for that chance to change our lives, but we refuse to because we're too afraid to break what's comfortable or exert that extra effort to just try. We look at others who are fulfilling their goals and we say that "they are lucky," we say that "they have it all," "they were in  the right place at the right time" but I believe that the reality is that they just got FED UP. 

They got fed up with mediocrity, monotony and any other "m" words to describe a state of constant averageness directing their lives. I remember sitting in class listening to a lecture and thinking "this is not what I want." A realization like that can really set the ball rolling for change in your life. This is the acceptance of "No I want more," and if you want it that's when you start thinking of how to get it. 

Now I will admit the road from the realization to the actualization may be bumpy. I remember when I had decided to try modeling I went to all the agencies in NYC and heard varying levels of "NO," most with no reason at all. However, the pure excitement of actually going to each open call and doing something that I was so enthused to do, knowing it was something that I wanted, provided the right medicine to get over the rejection. Simply it was just fun. I was actively pursuing something. 

Finding the courage to say "this is what I want and I have the ability to go for it" is to me the best advice I can give to anyone. I constantly get asked "do you think I have potential?" or "Should I try out for next season?" and the truth is why ask? Give yourself the opportunity by showing up for whatever it is you want, just be prepared that the answer could be either YES or NO. 

By showing up to that casting in July, I met 15 incredible individuals, countless other PA's, Cameramen, Sound guys (I know technical term right), lighting specialists, casting directors, make up artist, trainers,  stylists, designers, supermodels, photographers, scouts, directors, caterers, drivers, producers and cast ranglers. I was allowed to take part in once in a life time activities while learning the other side of an industry that not too many are privileged  to. I was given the most AMAZING experience of my life and to think I could have missed the chance if I had listened to the twinge of doubt, that made me turn away twice from the subway, that morning on the 26th. 

Sandhurst-Tacama