Today we’d like to introduce you to Paulina Contreras.
Paulina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I really don’t know when this story starts but I’m sure I would still end up where I am today, I could say it was a hobby back in high school, I loved being in front of the camera anytime a friend would invite me to do a photoshoot. There were ups and downs, but whenever I heard “the camera loves you” from different photographers I said to myself “why not feed this love and see how far I can go”.
While getting my Bachelor’s Degree, with no intention of pursuing professional modeling, I was introduced to this Japanese fashion called “Lolita”. It promotes a very feminine way of dressing, and you can dress as casual or as over the top as you like. It has certain rules but the aesthetic in general is of a doll-like appearance. Why do I need to mention Lolita fashion? Well, because of my short height (5’2″), I was having trouble finding modeling gigs, and this fashion style really opened a door for me. I haven’t stopped learning and growing my modeling career. I was able to do runways thanks to Lolita fashion, my confidence also grew stronger while wearing this out-of-the-ordinary fashion style.
A year later of discovering Lolita I was inspired and made a promise to myself to hone my skills through Lolita. For example: I practiced posing and understood the concept of composition; I was able to work as a commercial print and makeup model. After a couple of years, I wanted to officially become a professional model by signing with a modeling agency, reassert all the knowledge I gained from experience and reaching a point of no turning back.
After getting signed with my first agency, I was hungry for learning more and decided to add dance to my skills. This led me to try ballet at 24 and to this day, I still practice and love it with passion. Now, I’m an intermediate level student and have the opportunity to bring ballet into modeling. I never imagined this kind of journey, it’s twice the work but very rewarding.
Has it been a smooth road?
Not quite, one big challenge to get over was the fact that I started like almost everyone else, practicing it only as a hobby. I had some self-doubt about taking the career seriously, but as I worked and saw the results from different projects, I set my mind to be persistent no matter how few gigs I got, I wanted to be consistent and getting into an agency was a cornerstone to settle into modeling.
My advice would be to be persistent in what you like to do, you can take breaks but never quit what you really love. Signing with an agency actually didn’t get me any big paid job, but it was a step that I felt necessary to progress and keep myself to persistent with my goals.
Also, remember nothing is impossible, the impossible only takes more time.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
My passion is to model and to materialize creative ideas of photographers, directors, Make-Up Artists, and creative people; specializing in ballet modeling is something I wasn’t sure of doing but I really enjoy it, although I like to diversify my portfolio.
What I’m most proud of and I think it sets me apart is that I’ll go above and beyond for a project, the desire to help other people to succeed gives me the motivation to put my all in the job.
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
I would say that all the opportunities I had when modeling as a teenager sparked the flame of curiosity in me, everyone was very supportive of me becoming a model in spite of my height.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulina_petite/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulinapetitemodel/
Image Credit:
IG @designedinlove, @cams_digital_canvas_, @andreafeliu.ig, @dfs_foto, @danielamichel.007
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