Today we’d like to introduce you to Micah Russell.
Hi Micah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Ever since I was five years old, I always knew that I wanted to be a model. I was born and raised in Texas and got scouted as a model at the age of five. I always had in the back of my head that that was what I would do when I get older. As I got into middle school, I start looking up requirements to be a model, then in 2017 I started taking it seriously. I use Instagram/influencer work to help bring awareness to me as a model & hopefully get scouted. Through that, I gained a large following on Instagram and sealed a few brand deals. After I graduated from Texas Tech University, I made the big move to LA in December 2019. Through the tough times of the pandemic, I still found a way to get signed to a high fashion modeling agency here in LA and a talent agency. My very first gig as a model was for fenty beauty! It has been a long and hard journey that I’m still going through, I’m still climbing up the ladder as a professional model, but I know all the struggles to get there will be worth it!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There has been nothing smooth about this road, I have faced so much rejection, the hardest thing that I had to learn was that just because I was signed to a big agency doesn’t mean that I will be booked and busy. I thought the hard part was getting signed and that everything would just go up from there, but I face more rejection being signed. The modeling industry is tough because brands look for very specific qualities and you are competing against 50 other beautiful models for one spot. You never know when the next time you’re going to work, everything is so last-minute and inconsistent. You definitely have to have tough skin especially when you’re starting out in the industry.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a professional model and a content creator! So therefore, I am the product. I specialize in bringing a creative vision to the table or executing a brand’s creative vision. What I’m most proud of is that I took the hard route and stuck to it and followed my dreams. Most people thought my dreams were way too far-fetched but I prove them wrong that anybody’s dreams are achievable if you just keep striving and working hard. What sets me apart from others is that I have this passion that won’t burn out even if I get broken down along the process. I just know since I was a little girl that my dreams can & will come true. Most people don’t even try because society normalized a 9-5 but I know traditional ways isn’t the only option.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
You cannot grow without risk. Risk is getting outside of your comfort zone which forces you to grow. I’ve taken so many risks being a model. I’ve turned down corporate positions, I’ve been broke for months living in LA trying to make away in the industry but I knew it would all be worth it. If I would make money, I would use it for outfits or photo shoots to build up a portfolio. Being a professional model in the beginning is a huge risk because work is so inconsistent and you never know when the next time you’ll get paid or if you will even get booked. But I know that this is just the beginning and then I’ve already invested so much time and money into it that there’s no way I won’t reach my goals. I know that God would not have gave me this dream at a young age if it wouldn’t come true. So I take a risk every day being a model. Especially when I’m not the typical 6 foot stick thin model. I am a curve model within normal natural body and still made a way.
Contact Info:
Image Credits:
@36neex, @bonnienicholads, @jasminexbaeza, @savnakasone
