Monday, May 11, 2009

My thoughts by: Josh Leo Petry

How I got into this mess called Modeling...
Well I was discovered when i was 14 years old by an LA Agency at my High School in San Diego. But I had no interest in modeling and signing with them at the time.
When I was 15 years old my little sister and I were walking to the store and we were playing around with her camera. She took one picture of me when i wasn't looking and posted it on www.models.com.
I found out about her posting it on www.models.com about 2 months after. Once I checked the account she had made, I saw that I had about 4 messages from different agencies. Ford Models in LA, Why Not Models in Milan, NY Models in NYC and my old Mother Agent.
I ended up signing with the Mother Agent once I turned 16 years old and he had me signed with my agency in NYC. and then it all started from there.
The Shows (Fashion Week...)
Once I realized that I actually wanted to model. (only because I found out that I could move away from home at a young age and how I could party all the time, and I get payed from pretty much doing nothing.) I called my agent in NYC and told him that I wanted to do Fashion Week in NYC. So I did fashion week.

My first show was Duckie Brown. During the shows, when you come out your acting. You become this character that this designer has in visioned and you can feel it when it comes together. You've put the clothes on, you have the hair and makeup done and you look around and look at everyone and how amazing it looks and how cool the other models look. You walk out there and there's lights and there's music, it's an adrenaline rush and you come back stage and everyone is crying, you know that so much time and effort has been put into this. It's nice. These people work really hard and there really passionate about what they do and you can feel that.
It is pretty much a fantasy life. Living in NYC at 16 by myself doing whatever I please and traveling where ever. I honestly don't think i can ask for anything more (maybe internal youth because it wont last forever. hahahaha) Currently I have been in LA for the past 8-9 months working like a mad man. And I'm heading back to NYC in June with my new agency there and I am super pump. I'm mainly pumped because I can't wait to see my amazing friends and I wouldn't have these amazing friends if it weren't for modeling.
What I think about being a Model...

I think the more you do it, the less you become a model. As much as it becomes you. You know, your life because you work so much. you really start accepting. I've accepting being a model this year. This season it's about enjoying it and not thinking about it to much and getting caught up in the stresses of it. Of not being concerned about what you look like everyday and all those insecurities that all people have. So I think it's important to just accept it and enjoy it. It happens once in your life and you've kinda got to ride the chocolate melt while it's there.
And in society today vanity is a really big deal. It's really hard to get away from it so I don't think it's being a model or being a lawyer or any of those things, it's everywhere. It's present everywhere, so you feel a little more pressure because your in an industry where fashion and style and looking good is the most important thing.
So you do get caught up in it a little bit and you start thinking, should I be wearing this or should I be doing this? So I find that the more you let go and the more that you just accept yourself and accept the things that you like personally, the more your going to shine as an individual and that's what it's about right now. It's about being individual and finding your own style.
-Josh Petry

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