Summary

So I decided to do a summary of the past weeks in NYC. I have been taking some pictures with my iphone so I think it's going to be a nice way of showing and remembering everything I've done.

It all started last week, on tuesday. Went to the agency and met them, they told me they wanted to sign me only if I got released from my agency back home.

On wednesday I received a call from the head of the new faces division telling me that I had booked an editorial for contributing editor... wow.

On thursday nothing happened.

Friday was the day of the shoot for contributing editor. I was kind of overwhelmed to suddenly being in a shoot in NYC with models from big agencies like Wilhelmina and Red doing an editorial for one of my favorite websites... Yeah. Scary.
It was so much fun, though. It was video but there was some stills taken too. The clothes were a little big on all of us but in the end I think that the shoot was a success.
Probably the coolest part was my hair. They put hair extensions on me to do a hairstyle a la Elvis Presley on crack. It was very cool.



































Then the weekend was dead but on monday I went to the agency, and finally got a book. It is a used book that belonged to someone else before so it's all damaged and vintage-y. It had to be that way because the agency can't give me a new one until I sign with them. It's very cool tho. I call it my guerilla book. :)

Tuesday was the first days of go sees and castings. I went to two of them and I already told you the story here. Michelle Filomeno and John Tan.

Wednesday was very busy. I went to four castings. Cornelia Adams and D Magazine were in the morning. Both took my pictures (which I learned after is a kind of good sign). And in the afternoon I went to two of the most exciting castings I've been two. First, I went to Teen Vogue. Hahaha. I really could not believe that I was going on a go see for that magazine... I've seen in so many times in TV in my country, in MTV shows and everywhere... and to suddenly be there, looking at the image I have seen so many times before in TV and stuff. Haha might sound pathetic but it was big for me in a way. Two months ago I was in Colombia, going to school dreaming about being in NY doing anything, and now I was at the door of Teen Vogue magazine, going to a casting to appear on it. haha. Yeah.
























After that, I went to Baron and Baron which I believe is another Advertisement Agency or something, and I had a casting for a YSL fragrance campaign. Wow. Of course I kind of don't expect them to pick me but still. It was an exciting day for me. You get the idea.

Thursday was the first day of the snow storm. It was all pretty snow until then. I went to a casting for a magazine: Dress to Kill I think is the name . There I met Leigh, another model from my agency and we started talking. I liked her instantly. I only had one casting that day, fact I appreciated because the weather in the afternoon was starting to get creepy.


















Finally friday came and with it it three castings more. The weather was awful at that point. The castings were for I don't know what, hehe but I went to one of them and it was an office that had a lot of platinum discs in the wall for successful records. I think it must've been a music label or a music marketing office or something. I have no idea.




















In the afternoon I met Leigh at the closed doors of an office where we were supposed to have another casting, but no one was there. We were pissed of so we decided to have an adventure in the snow.

It was very cold and we just laughed about how "glamorous" the life on NY models really is, just getting soaking wet in the snow running around the city on castings under that miserable weather lol. We then went to a cheap deli and had coffee (me) and hot chocolate (her). Fun.

So that was my last two weeks. Of course I have been working every night still, but the most exciting part have definitely been the castings and this sudden world I'm getting into. So cool. I'm lucky, I really hope it picks up! Cross your fingers!!


And now I let you with two pictures of Leigh and me in the wooooonderful record breaking snow storm that hit NYC last week!

The weather in NYC is SO bad and awesome at the same time. I love the snow and sometimes I forget it is wet so I step into huge mountains and let my feet sink. It is super fun! However, it is very cold and mushy and wet so it's bad too.

Yesterday my cab crashed with the separator on the west highway! It was horrible, he lost control of the car and we started to turn and slide in the way until the separator stopped us. I was so scared. Fortunately it wasn't too bad and at least the card could make it to my house. That's the worst part of the snow. It's dangerous!

Castings are going well, I think, I hope. I don't know, it's very confusing how the clients don't say anything! They just take your pictures and your comp card and then say good bye. I don't know if I should be worried that I have been going to castings and go sees (more of the later) for four days and haven't booked anything. I have to think positive! Everything will come, everything will come!!!

It's really falling down today.

The snow looks so beautiful from my window. Since I don't have a curtain it is the first thing I saw when I woke up today.

I wish I didn't have to move from home in all day but unfortunately I have.

I'm a little bit hung over but I'm SO happy I took the Thiamine before going to bed. Try it people! I really does work!

Coffee time!

Again fun times in NYC.

I was in this party and a girl told me she thought i was beautiful. I was so flattered. I danced with her all night.

Fun times.

The castings today went good. I hope. They were fast. Few questions, few snapshots taken, I smiled and talked to the people that interviewed me as friendly as I could. It was fun. Everyone knows someone from my country, and it is great.

Tomorrow I have only one casting. It's all right because I think there's going to be a snow storm and I'm going to be hang over so I much rather stay home for as much as I can.

I'm going to see Kelly tomorrow, I'm excited. Maybe I'm straight after all.

Josh sucks, btw :p

Cheers is a word I like a lot.

I will try to add it to my regular vocabulary. Have you guys ever done that? Liking a word a lot and trying to add it to the words you commonly say...

I have. lol.

Anyways, I have to run now, wish me luck!

So... LOL.

The meeting with John Tan went really well. He is really humble and really nice. It was so unexpected that I wrote my feelings about the meeting in the train back to work.

It's so cool how someone that humble and nice and HUMAN can be one very important person in the fashion industry.

I may have told him a lot of things about myself and just didn't stop talking. I left the place feeling like I kinda wanted to be his friend. Which is weird, I guess. But cool.

Nice surprise, finding someone big in the industry that humble and cool, who is interested in people as persons and not as meat objects.

I hope he liked me. I liked him a lot.

Then I went to work and smiled and greeted 197 covers. It was a good night for tips.

Tomorrow I have other 4 appointments. One of them is for a really big magazine that *hint hint* has the word "teen" somewhere in it's name.
I'm also going to photographer agencies and other places I'm not sure what they are.

Send good energies.

And coffee ;)

I've read in interviews with really big models that their answer for the question "how do you prepare for a casting?" or "are you very nervous before important meetings" is usually "I don't care"

Which makes me think that the way of being a cool successful model is just to not give a fuck.

How do they do that? Do you think that answer is honest?

In a way I wish I was like that. But in another way I don't see how "not caring" is possible when it is something that you want to do and so many things depend on how well your meetings go.

just a thought.

I dont think I made a proper introduction.

I'm Juan.

I recently got scouted by an agency in NYC. I have just started from scratch.

I've done some modeling in my home country but almost none of my pictures from there work for NYC so my book is just some pictures I did three weeks ago with a photographer that scouted me thru facebook.

That one up there ^ is me.

I decided to open a blog to talk about everything that is going on in my life. Which is a lot.

I also discovered that (even though it's not the best time to do it probably) I want to let all my fears and insecurities get out again. I've been hiding them for years and maybe it's not healthy. I've discovered.

Models can be insecure, right?

New York City made me love coffee. Hence the names.

New York City introduced me to bagels. And one day my roomate ordered bagels and asked me "How was it?"
I answered "the bagel was good"

5 minutes later I was opening this blog and I needed a name. I used the last words I had said. Hence the names.

I tend to give too much explanations. Is that a sign of insecurity?

So funny.

So I go into my first go see in NYC and I happen to be received by I girl I know back from Colombia.

So funny. Michelle Filomeno agency looked so cool. I hope they take me for jobs.

When I realized that I knew the girl it was funny and I smiled and hugged her but was in shock and kinda freaked out after that.

Fuck, I'm so insecure.

I was wearing this, so I think I looked like this in the snapshots the girl took in the office.














I'm sure I was making a funny face that didn't look good. I hope they don't look too bad.

I even texted the girl I knew after that I told her like "I was so in shock after meeting you that I don't know what face I was doing when you took the snapshots, did they look bad?"

Haha. So pathetic, in a way I know I should not have done that but whatever. I will try not to restrain anything I feel.

Then I had a cup of coffee and a croissant on starbucks. New York makes me love coffee.

The agency just called me. I have a casting with John Tan that is supposed to be this HUGE casting director. I'm very nervous.

I don't know what to wear. Should I keep this shirt that makes me look very formal? Or should I just wear a tshirt. Fuck, how do models dress for castings?

Lol, I care too much. Not good.

And coffee.

9:08 AM

Getting ready for the first go see of my life in NYC.

"Michele Filomeno represents photographers, film directors, art directors, stylists + syndication department."

Vogue Covers
Ash Stymest
World Campaings

Very exciting. I will try not to care too much!!!

Tomorrow is my first day of oficially being a model in NYC.
Running around the city with a book in my bag.

A guerrilla book actually.

I hope it goes well. I will try not to care too much. But then again if I'm already thinking about it is because I do care.

We'll see.

Wish me luck.

chao

Fun New York city.

Dinner with 15 people I didnt know.

Then feeling good, feeling awesome. Eating chocolate.

Then going to a bar and playing pool and fighting with all the people inside the bar. And laughing about it.

Beautiful night in New York.

And coffee.