I was dropped on my head as a six month old baby. Most people think it’s a joke when I tell them, but I have a massive dent in the side of my head to prove it. It’s an opening for a good laugh and easy conversation, but it also says so much more about me.
Looking back, my career started at the age of 18. I finished school, planned to go to college, but was offered an internship at an unknown magazine at that time. I had never known exactly what I wanted to do, but when this opportunity came around, I knew it was right.
After six months at the magazine, out of the pile of other interns, I was chosen to come on board full time as an assistant stylist. It’s now one of the most recognized and successful independent fashion magazines around.
Over five years of hard work and dedication, I climbed the proverbial ladder, got myself represented at an agency and scored a gig as the fashion editor for an overseas publication. In between travel and building a career, I began working and styling for some of the leading designers and fashion magazines in Australia. But it wasn’t enough for me. I saw the bigger picture.
So I packed up my life, left my family, my job, my boyfriend and my career behind, and set sight for New York City.
Arriving without a job, a home or a visa, I spent six months at rock bottom trying to work my way into the elusive NY fashion network. Rejection after rejection, unanswered emails and doors slammed repeatedly, it seemed overwhelming trying to keep the dream alive. Not only did I start to doubt myself, but I feared that the competition was just too much for me. Everyone in NY wants to be a somebody. From being the big fish in the small pond, suddenly I was a guppy in the ocean. And yet something deep down told me I just need to keep pushing for it. I had a sincere passion for what I did, and I knew I was capable and talented, so I kept trying.
Finally, I caught a break through an independent yet renowned magazine, who recognized me for my work (rather than who I knew on the social ladder), and the dream slowly lived on…
I suddenly felt at home working with some of the biggest names in the industry, and some seriously talented artists, and I started connecting inside the network of the fashion world again.
Four years down the track, I’m now settled in with an incredibly supportive agency, find myself married to the man I love, and ready to work on something that truly is a product of where I have been and where I am going.
This website, All My Friends Are Models, is a collaboration of the energy of the people around me. My support network and my creative outlet.
I am more excited about this little project than most things I’ve worked on and hopefully the love and inspiration behind it translates to all.
