One from the Vaults: Proper Care and Feeding of a Figure Model

This is a repost of one of my earlier writings. As most of you know, before my makeup career took off, modeling was the main source of my income for several years, and was one of the most rewarding jobs I have done. It also provided me with a supplemental arts education. I had the joy of working with many amazing and talented artists, some of whom I saw develop their art over years. Luckily, I have been fortunate to find that most of the artists who employ me are wonderfully respectful people, although I've had my own share of more difficult ones. After the incident in #2 a handful of years ago, I was inspired to write this. I repost it because it addresses many of the questions I get from models and from artists.

The only models that never have their legs fall asleep.

Proper Care and Feeding of a Figure Model

1. Remember that they are human.

Do not, through word or action treat them as though they are a piece of furniture or a ragdoll.

One of my jobs had a hard focal point for me to look at over the course of eight weeks. One eye would be focused in deep shadow and the other in bright light, which caused eyestrain. The solution to this was to close my eyes for a few moments and let my eyes readjust before opening them again, otherwise tension around the eyes would show in the paintings, making them look squinty, and I'd end up with a migraine. An instructor walked in to critique the paintings. She didn't say hello, and assuming I was falling asleep, made a comment to the artists that they needed to keep a cattle prod to keep me awake...very rude.

2. Respect the model's personal space.

I had a woman try to point out to a student the subtle variations in color on my face. Fair enough, it's a useful and important lesson. However, she was pointing with a paintbrush millimeters from my face, including near the eye area. It took a great deal of willpower not to slap it away. Don't poke things at somebody's eye, ever, without a bit of warning. Likewise, if the model's clothing, drapery, position, etc need to be adjusted, ask permission first, especially if the model is nude. Permission will almost always be granted, but it is a courtesy.

3. Entertain them.

I may sound like a diva with this one, but really, it is for your own benefit. Talking, playing music with a beat or interesting lyrics (blues and soul music are great, classical and jazz can be a bit too soothing) or putting on Public Radio will make the difference between a technically good figure study that you wouldn't want to hang on your wall and a figure study with a spark of life. Don't be afraid to talk to each other and laugh, not only does it give us something to listen to, but helps them to know more about you so you can better work together. There is a reason why many figure studies have their eyes closed. It is because the model has become so bored that the brain has decided to shut down and take them to dreamland. On the other hand, if the model has had things to keep their brain focused on, there is a twinkle in the eye, the face doesn't appear quite so slack, and the posture will be better. You're more likely to be happy with your work.

4. Feeding them is a big plus.

Most of the models I know do not eat large meals before going into a job, as they don't want to be bloated or standing up there digesting. It's awkward enough being in a room full of people when you are the only one naked, they don't want to have to worry about feeling fat or gassy as well. That's a great way to kill the glamour. However, the jobs are usually a few hours long, and they can get a bit hungry or even a bit wonky from hunger toward the end. Something small and light to snack on is always appreciated. My favorite groups to work for paid well and always broke for food and wine halfway through the job; they got priority booking when I was arranging my schedule. Not only did it give a small boost to the blood-sugar, but it gave me a chance to actually know and like the people who were hiring me.

5. Most models are not Yogis.

Chances are, the more interesting the pose, the shorter period of time the model will be able to hold it. To give you an idea, here is a yoga pose for you. Sit down, stretch your arms out to the side, forming a "T" with your palms flat and facing toward the ceiling. Hold it. Do not move. Try to hold it for three minutes, just three. Notice how your arms feel. Then consider that the average length of a pose for us is twenty-two minutes before an 8 minute break and back on. If you want a 45 minute pose, you can expect it to be a boring one, or if it isn't, you can expect the model to be hurting for it. It is better to break it up into two sessions.

6. If a model is good, reward them.

This doesn't have to be, nor should it be, a regular or expected thing. It is not a matter of entitlement. However, if a model has worked hard to help your art, and has done an exceptional job, this is a nice touch. Artists happy with my work have given me gifts of art, the potted plants from still-lifes, clothing that I modeled in, a mug of cocoa or milky ginger tea on a cold day, jewelry, thank you cards, and a cute little blue vase from a local ceramics place. It is not the dollar amount that counts, everyone likes to feel appreciated.

7. Keep the temperature stable.

Unless the studio is really warm, space heaters are a must. Cold muscles cramp up and you will have a sore and cranky model and the grimace will show. I modeled at a location in winter that had the model stand under a drafty and leaky skylight that dripped on me for three hours a night, three days a week, for fifteen weeks. It was miserable. I eventually made that location a spring through early-autumn only booking.

On the other extreme, if someone is on an elevated stand on a hot day, in a standing pose, under lights, it gets hot. No matter how lovely the model, they will feel awkward if sweat is running down their legs and they have to remain perfectly still. It is also important to make sure they don't overheat and faint. More than one figure model has toppled ass-over-teakettle from this, and it is enough of a danger that many figure-drawing groups do not schedule in the summer.

8. Have a private place for the model to change.

Yes you will be seeing them naked later, but there is an entirely different feeling to being nude on the stand, and stripping down in front of people. It is a psychological boundary, a chance to take a breath or stretch, a symbol of the beginning and end of work. This clear start and stop point is important to both the artists and the models to ensure professional boundaries.

9. Never. Never ever ever try to pick a model up or hit on them while they are working.

Just don't. This includes when they are packing up to leave the studio, or when they are anywhere near the studio. If you bump into each other outside of work, it may be another story...but at work is completely inappropriate. Even if you are perfectly nice, it will still come across as creepy due to the fact that someone is in a more physically vulnerable state and it will make future bookings uncomfortable for them as they will wonder what your real motives are.

10. If more than one model will be posing together for a piece, please let them know in advance.

I was once surprised to find that I would be posing with two other models on a tiny stand. They were also professionals, so I was fine. I didn't mind working with others who are mature and respectful. It's just nice to know in advance what is expected of the job. Most of the poses were laborer or shipwreck scenes. However, had I arrived to find that one of the other models was sleazy, or that the artists were expecting something erotic (sexual as opposed to sensual, a fine line), I would have walked off the job.

11. Models don't bite.

Don't be afraid to speak to models on their breaks (once we are robed, of course). Most of the figure models I have worked with are artists in their own right, and do have interesting things to say. They are not just a pretty face and body.

12. Do not piss off the model.

Most of the figure models I know are pretty level-headed, so I don't mean you have to walk on eggshells around them. I simply mean that some are very well-connected in the arts community though our work. They also talk to each other. This is great if you are a legitimate and professional artist, as they can promote you to no end, but if you are a slimebag out to scam models, it will be known and other models will be warned. I myself have turned down people who wanted to work with me because of how they acted with other models. I have likewise gotten the reference calls and warned models away from people who were unethical or dangerous. As wonderful as work in the arts can be, it can have a dark side as well. Every industry has bad seeds. Luckily, they also have people willing to look out for others.

13. If your work is not turning out the way you would like it to, do not blame the model and start complaining to everyone in earshot about it. It's possible that you just screwed up.

This one also comes from personal experience. models who work professionally (by this I mean regular work as a main source of income) can develop good muscle memory, much like martial artists. As both a model and dancer, my muscle memory is better than average. There was a class I was modeling for on a long-term basis. Same pose a few days a week for 15 weeks. My muscles knew it. Surrounded by a circle of 18 students, every one of them would measure and say that I was right where I needed to be. There was one woman, however, who every day, without fail, would loudly tsk-tsk at her drawing and say "She must have moved". She would ask me to move my hand a couple of inches over. Knowing I was where I needed to be, I'd exaggerate it and move it WAY over. She'd say "move it back". I'd put it back in the exact same spot it was before and she would say "that's it." I did this for months, and managed not to openly chuckle.

14. Figure models generally don't come with an airbrushing crew.

Yes, you will see freckles, sunburn, stretchmarks, tanlines, cellulite and pimples, and there is only so much makeup can do. You're the artist, you can figure out how to minimize the appearance of these.

15. Know the difference between a professional figure model and someone seeking a thrill/ego boost.

A professional will work with you to ensure the best possible work.

A professional has learned through trial and error what will and will not work out as expected.

A professional has learned their body's limitations and will tell you right away if that fabulous pose you chose is actually feasible over an extended period of time rather than try and hold it and have to back out halfway through.

A professional is not there for ego-validation or sexual kicks. I have been called in to replace models like this when their motivation became clear.

Oftentimes a professional has undergone their own art training as well (or has been around long enough to pick it up) and can figure out which poses will look best in which lighting and from what angle.

A professional has the experience to sense what the job needs.

A professional has gained a measure of control over their body.

A professional will give you your money's worth and then some.

16. If you like working with a model, recommend them to other artists.

Not only is it flattering, but it helps ensure that they can keep working. Easily 80% of my work over the last thirteen years has been through recommendations.

Definitions and Pronunciation in the Image Industries

These should come in handy for anyone interested in working in the industry. It always helps to speak the language, and it makes a difference when you present yourself in a professional setting. It makes you appear more polished and knowledgeable.

Makeup artist Barry M Robinson put together a wonderful PDF of industry definitions that are commonly confused or misused. "Glossary for Photographers, Models, Makeup Artists, and Stylists"

Paula's Choice "Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary". The "Cosmetics Cop" explains not only what the ingredients are and what they do, but evaluates them for safety.

Glamazon Diaries presents their "Lesson in Designer Name Pronunciation". This is very handy. Though there is debate on a couple of the pronunciations, it is a good starting-point. I better not hear anyone I know mispronouncing haute couture after this.

"It's 'La-kwah' sweetie"

Don't worry, stylists and designers I didn't forget about you. Bizchickblogs has two glossaries that are right up your alley. "A Complete Guide to Styles, Cuts, & Fit" and "A complete guide to Fabrics".

For anyone working in film, IMDB has posted their extensive "Movie Terminology Glossary".

These resources are all worth a look. Our studying doesn't stop once we're out of school, and these combined are a wonderful refresher course.

Homemade insecticidal soap

Part of maintaining happiness in any career is maintaining a healthy work-life balance. It's important to see the whole picture and to have a healthy level of outside interests to provide both balance and inspiration. This is why I do write about other aspects of life. One of the things that helps keep me grounded, literally, is to get my hands in the dirt. I love receiving plants and tending for them. If I have a bright window, something will be growing in it. My loft has been home to ficus, cypress, herbs, shamrocks, tomatoes, succulents, and a bizarre spiky giant that reminds me of "Cleopatra", the plant from the Addam's Family.

It is winter in Minnesota. Many of us deal with the melancholy that comes with the weather and shorter days by filling our homes with plants. It's a burst of life and greenery. The reminder of spring is a comfort.  Color is refreshing when the days are grey. However, when we have brought our plants in from outside or purchased them from a store, some of them may come with creepy crawlies. I was given a wonderful gift of plants including some large ficus trees. The gift was wonderful, that is, except for the spider mites, gnats, and scale beetles they were infested with.

Here is how I dealt with that particular sticky menace.

Take a standard spray bottle for diluting cleansers, the larger one that you can find at hardware stores or at beauty supply stores, not the tiny ones from the drugstore. Fill most of the way with water, add a few squirts of dish soap, a splash of cooking oil and 3-4 drops each of clove, cinnamon, citronella and lemon oil. Shake lightly before spraying. Spray the leaves and let sit for an hour. Then spray with water and wipe the leaves with damp paper towels.  If the spray hits the floor, it can get slippery. Put newspapers beneath the plant to help keep you from tumbling ass over teakettle (trust me). Working indoors, this took a long time, but it saved the plants, and my apartment is filled with bursts of greenery. If you're doing it outside, just grab a hose to spray the leaves with good water pressure. I just can't hose out my kitchen.

I live in an 105 year-old warehouse loft, and while it is an interesting space, it does have its quirks. It has drafts, a scary freight elevator, and wasps winter somewhere in the building's walls. Even in November or December we will find one or two in the kitchen. I have taken them out  of the air at a distance with this by turning the nozzle from "spray" to "stream. It may leave a spot of soap and oil to clean up so I find it is best to aim while they are in a window.

There you go. It's easy to make, smells good, and is far more economical and eco-friendly than most of the commercial sprays.

On the Issue of "Issues"

Found: Lost marbles

I debated writing this post for quite some time. I don't often speak about it, but for many years I lived with a monster. I  had a drunken stepfather. Most fourth-graders don't have to contemplate exactly how far they will take things to protect their family. They play with Barbie. I was slinking out of my bedroom to grab an apple cider jug, ready to smash a grown man in the head with it if he didn't stop hitting my mother. He became especially abusive toward me when I reached my young teenage years and it started to show that I was female and that I was "gifted".  The combination was intolerable to him. For many years I was under a kind of modified house arrest, leaving for school or work and only going out if mom stuck her neck out and hustled me out the door if he was out drinking rather than in drinking. During the worst years, his abuse took on a quasi-religious and highly misogynistic flavor. He tried to isolate all of the members of the family because he thought we were plotting against him, and we had to sneak time to talk to each other. I would dash to my brother's room to say "I love you littlebrother". In turn, he would give me stolen art supplies. These clandestine little meetings were instrumental in making me the artist I am today.

I was drawn to Tennyson, Tolkein, folklore, and history. Because I was alone with my books much of the time, I developed a formality based on the language of  the era I was reading from. Because  I was dealing with heavy secrets for an adult to carry, much less a child,  I was shy and had a brittle edge that was too serious for my age. I sometimes still show traces of that anachronism and have a love/hate relationship with solitude. Alone was a prison, but alone was also safe as long as the bedroom door didn't explode open. I was, as Patrick Stewart so eloquently puts it, "an expert on the escalation of violence."  In my older teenage years, I would draw the anger toward me, with all of the arrogance and courage of adolescence, in order to ensure it was focused on me rather than my mother and brother. I thought I was protecting them as my stepfather grew increasingly enraged because I refused to flinch, cry, or look away when I was hit or screamed at. As an adult I was eventually able to scare him away from my family. His legacy followed me in emotionally abusive or simply unhealthy relationships until I learned that just because someone wasn't slapping me around, it didn't mean they were a good match. With that knowledge, I broke that pattern as well. I was a poster-child for PTSD until I learned to deal with it.

Why do I bring this up now and what does it have to do with the image industry?

Firstly, my introductory lesson in camouflage makeup was to hide my own bruises or disguise a swollen lip, before fixing glasses that were struck from my face and checking myself in the mirror so I could go to school. I drag dark memories into the day because I agree with Sir Patrick Stewart on a very important truth. Light must be shown on such abuse to help others and I am not ashamed to speak about what happened.  

Secondly,  I bring it up because in the arts, we tend to be a tribe with a disproportionate amount of people who have scars, who have suffered trauma, or who have a form of mental illness. The arts provide a voice, but it can also be a meat-grinder. We have a lot of people who don't know how to handle their issues in order to be successful.  It is amazing how often I have heard variations of "you don't know me," or "you don't understand,"  when someone has flaked, has completely flipped out on someone, or tries to justify bad behavior. I bring up my own past to say, yes I have scars too, so I am speaking  from a place of understanding when I say...the industry will not be your therapist and frankly, with the amount of people dealing with their own crap, you don't want it to be.

Whatever happens in life, we have a measure of control over our destiny. We are not helpless. We can choose to adapt. We can choose to move forward. We can choose to make use of support systems outside of work. I chose to live well, to persevere, to draw knowledge and strength from my experience. I chose to help others. I chose to examine my weaknesses and make a conscious effort to train myself out of them. For example, thirteen years ago I was so painfully shy that I could not go to a pub without a book of ballads in my pocket as a security blanket. I made myself go out, went to the clubs in outlandish costumes, modeled nude, did public speaking, performed before crowds in spite of my stage fright...I trained myself to become a social chameleon. Now, I am at home in whatever room I occupy from blue collar to black tie. I can work the room and own the space if necessary. Rather than allowing myself to be broken, I sought out new strengths, new skills, and new challenges to overcome. I took it one goal to the next.

People don't know me as Lucinda, the victim of many years of physical and emotional abuse. Because I don't define myself that way. It is only a footnote in my story. They know me as Lucinda, the person who has an inexplicable depth of character and great reserves of strength. They know me as the person they can turn to when they want a mentor for developing that power within themselves. It is a kind of alchemy to turn your pain into gold.

Horrible things happen through chemistry or circumstance. We can choose whether we will perceive ourselves as victims or as survivors. That statement has made some younger artists that have come to me for advice very angry. Often times, they were at a place in their life where they identified themselves as their illness or trauma, as if that was their identity, the thing that made them unique. And how dare I challenge that image that they had of themselves? How dare I suggest that that is only a part of who they are?

There is a difference between having an illness or trauma, and being owned by it. If we're too wrapped up in the idea of sickness or trauma as self, it becomes our own special snowflake syndrome. It's healthier to focus on what else makes you unique and valuable, especially if you are wanting to function in the creative and image industries, especially fashion or film. What is your talent? What is your skill? What do you bring to the table? Your clients and coworkers want to know what it is that you can provide them, and they want to know that it is more than baggage (however fashionable) or a chip on the shoulder.

I have even seen people in the arts get competitive over who was the most emotionally shattered. This is not a selling point. Your coworkers or clients did not cause your challenges, nor should they bear your burdens. They shouldn't be expected to handle you with kid gloves. They don't care what you're working though with your therapist  They want to know that you can do the job  by showing up on set, while conducting yourself in a  professional manner. Whatever sympathy they may have over your fight with your boyfriend, fades  quickly when you show up to set late, drunk, and surly...repeatedly. This is a field that is fast-paced and requires teamwork while also being highly competitive. Social skills are vital. If you haven't the coping skills to manage, then go acquire them or find a better career fit. No matter how close you may be with someone off-work hours, there is no "you poor dear" on-set or backstage.  There simply isn't time for it.

In her book "If You Have to Cry, Go Outside" Kelly Cutrone wrote:

 When my employees make a mistake, I want them to fix the problem as quickly as possible and move on. The last thing I or any other boss wants to hear is, "*Wahhhh*, I was just trying to be helpful, *wahhhh*!" That's why I officially banished crying to the sidewalk outside. You think I'm a bitch? Fine. Go sit on the street and call your friend and talk shit about me all day. Just get out of my office and stop psychically blowing my vibe and that of the  others who came here to make money and be serious instead of being jokers. We may cultivate a purposefully casual atmosphere in our offices, but that doesn't mean we have a casual attitude about work. If we as women want equal rights in the workplace, it's time for us to start acting like equals. You call yourself a feminist? You say you want to advance the women's movement? Then acknowledge that you're no different than anyone else and deserve no special treatment. Haul those FedEx boxes and don't give me or anyone else the luxury of seeing you lose control of your emotions in a professional setting. Once you enter a workplace, you're surrounded by grown-ups, not friends. Your boss is not your boyfriend, and she's not your therapist. She is a person who is paying you to do a job. If you (or she, for that matter) think otherwise, you will be burned. 

I had a bride who was also a friend who invited my long-term boyfriend and I to her wedding. I did her makeup and then he and I attended the wedding and reception as a happy couple. I made a point of not letting her know we had broken up the night before. She didn't need that on her day. It was not the time or place. We need to be aware of those boundaries between our personal lives and doing the job. That is where reputation is built, and you want it built on your strengths. That same bride has since bought my services as a gift whenever her friends get married. 

I don't talk about my younger years at work because it is not what I am there to do. I am at work to work...and to work at my best. I am never formulating excuses, and phantoms of my past will not define me. In fact, until this moment, most of my associates had no idea of this aspect of my story. Friends and family are there for support and you should contact them if you need them, nobody should have to suffer alone. Coworkers in this industry may empathize, as many have endured their own trials, but they won't necessarily sympathize when there is work to be done. My role is one of the most nurturing and intimate on a crew. People want to talk to me and I am happy to listen and treasure their trust. However, even I have had to tell more than one model, "I'm sorry the designer pissed you off/ you didn't pack a granola bar/your boyfriend caused drama at the event/ whatever...I have five minutes to get you down the runway so get it together and chin up. Be as angry/sad/crazy/hungry as you want, once the event is over and the clothes are back on the hangers. Then we can talk."

The clock doesn't stop, deadlines don't stop looming, and the crew isn't going to hang around all night for one person to have a meltdown. "The show must go on." If Freddie Mercury could perform like a rock god when he knew he was dying of AIDS, you too can pull it together for a few hours on set.

Just after Y2K, when my life in this city was spooling up from the $2.00 in pennies I had to my name, Vas Littlecrow scouted me as a model and told me "All this pain and suffering will be great for your press releases." I can see her point...but it is only great if I live my life as a success story. I hope you can live your lives as one as well.

Why my business dumped Facebook and Embraced Google+

I took the red pill.

I sense that Facebook is on its way out and deleted my account. I have switched to Google+

I would never make a social network my primary point of contact, but it can be a great supplemental form of publicity. I actually determined that the facebook model was bad for my business.

‎"Text friends wherever they are. Reach friends on mobile or chat, and know when they see your messages." Can Facebook go one day without a new anti-privacy tweak? So basically the days of receiving a message, looking at it and saying "meh, I'll get back to it when I have time to think about it, or when I'm done doing real work in the real world, or when I'm off the toilet..." those days are not good enough for Facebook. Now the people you're ignoring or contemplating for a couple of minutes/hours have the luxury of knowing it and you can have all the drama that comes when they're offended.  Facebook tweaks its privacy settings left and right, without warning, and without giving a clear way to opt-out.

They also removed the permissions that once existed to allow you to control who sees when you are commenting on a page, photo, or "liking" a post, making it a free-for-all. Also, despite my repeated denials to allow them to use geolocating (a stalker or home-invader's dream) on my posts or to access my mobile, they kept pushing it.

If you're a business owner, and you are on Facebook to network, consider this scenario. You comment on a link or photo of one of your contacts. Then one of your friends starts chatting with you on the page of this person they've never met, making your client feel awkward. Or your competition starts to follow who you are talking to and what is being said to try and take advantage of the network you have built up and weasel their way into your work. Both of these have actually happened to me. The format is ripe for poachers. I have even had a couple of awkward moments where I had to apologize for Facebook "friends" (people who had added me through shows rather than people I really knew socially) who overstepped and started responding to my clients posts to request work whenever they saw I had reached out to them.



First of all, Google+ is just a superior platform when it comes to streamlining business networking. It makes for a wonderfully seamless integration, because I already use Gmail, Google Calender, Google Bookmarks, etc. I have better control over the social/business circles at G+ . I also like the idea that I can reach a broader audience with invites by not restricting myself to only sending to people who are on the platform, like Facebook does. I can invite anyone with an email address.

Why Google+ Will Kick Facebook's Ass For Business Marketing

For those of us working in a visual field, Google+ has a far better gallery feature  with Picasa integration, larger photos, and “insta-gallery”, to display work with a mouseover that allows you to view an entire gallery easier, rather than having to slog through clicking multiple images one by one, or navigating backwards to the main gallery. Hangouts allows up to 9 people to video chat at once, and has a lot of potential for project collaborations by bringing facial and vocal inflections back into conversing over a distance or to quickly show a group a sketch or color swatches, etc..

One of the reasons I had been staying with Facebook is the idea of networking, but truth be told, Facebook is a *horrible* venue to do business. I have not gotten a single paying gig through the site that I hadn't already met while out in the real world. I find that people are more likely to want my labor for free if their primary point of contact is Facebook. The idea that they "know you" because they are a Facebook friend makes some feel entitled to favors, even if you've only met in person a couple of times. In fact, even when when legitimate contacts did reach me, and did so through Facebook's messages or chat, it was lost under spam and clutter, or in the "hidden" mailbox and garnered nothing but a slower response time and precious business time wasted digging for a message that could have been answered swiftly and kept organized by projects in actual email.  I also couldn't refer back to it after a certain period of time. With Google+ it is sent to my email, where I can keep track of it and file projects accordingly, which is much more efficient.

I find that at least for my own business the labor time spent slogging through posts to find something relevant versus the cut in actual production time isn't worth it (especially with the privacy chiseled away and other people in the industry piggybacking on my own labor for their contacts and overstepping business boundaries) . I would rather produce and market more efficiently...and make in-person connections in a more personal and less time-sucky way. Coffee or beer is good business.

Networking Tips: Why Facebook And LinkedIn May Not Pay Off

I know, I sound like a commercial. But I did my homework before deleting, and I've always been a good trend-spotter. Business is better than ever, despite that fact that I am an early adopter of the platform and the user numbers are not quite up there yet. I'm still getting quality over quantity. More signal and less noise.

THAT SAID...I still don't use G+ as a primary contact. It is a supplemental for my actual site. (which I have to get back to redesigning behind the scenes stay tuned for the rebranding).

Find my Google+ business page.right here.

Markus Klinko on Skinny Models

I was just reading this article and I was struck by how intense Mr Klinko's feelings were on the topic of skinny models.

from the cover of Markus Klinko's book, "Icons"

  "I like to talk about this actually. Maybe we’ve talked about this before, but specifically about the body shape of a girl like Kate Upton. She is a real woman with curves; she’s not a skinny, anorexic, 90-lb 6ft tall girl. Let me be more clear though. I am not against skinny girls. If a girl is naturally skinny, they can be very sexy and very beautiful, but what I don’t like is all these modeling agents and all these designers pushing these poor 14 and 15-year-old girls, who happen to be very tall and very thin already, to become anorexic and be so unattractively skinny. I just don’t understand why and who wants that. I think that this is why celebrities have taken over the covers of fashion magazines because I think that people aren’t interested in skeletons. People want real women.
  I can tell you for sure that women with curves are hotter than women that are sticks. But again, when Kate Moss first started out, she was very skinny and yet attractive. However, when you look at girls who are naturally a little bit curvy and they are forced to become so skinny that they are no longer themselves, then I get very upset.
  To all the designers out there: If girls don’t fit the sample size, just make the sample bigger. That’s it. That’s the solution. Why do the samples have to be so small that no normal woman can fit into it? I just don’t get it. Take the biggest stars of today–none of them are super skinny and they look fantastic in designer clothes. Why do we need girls who model them to be insanely unhealthy? This is another reason why we dedicated our book, Icons, to celebrities and women who are real trendsetters, like Beyonce, Eva Mendes, Lindsay Lohan–those are real women with real bodies.
  I wish that the modeling world would be a bit more diverse. I think that it’s good that Model Mayhem exists. I think at least it gives a chance to girls who are not necessarily 5’11″ and ultra thin to start modeling and they can do different kind of photos and maybe even get discovered. They may end up on the cover of Sports Illustrated, because clearly they are not looking for skeletons and I think Kate Upton is a very good example. I’m sorry for the long answer, but I’m very passionate about this."

Read more of the interview here.



As for myself, I would take his premise a step further than his mention of sizes 4-6 and welcome a return to the golden age of the supermodel, when sizes 6-10 (US) were the norm for models. They were gorgeous, yet still provided a more attainable and healthier influence for women. Cindy Crawford has been wonderfully outspoken about healthy body image and in her heyday she was a 6-8. I find it absurd that she would be considered "plus-sized" in today's industry. You'll never convince me that this is fat. "I would not have become a supermodel in 2009, I look too healthy. A body like mine with big breasts, normal thighs and toned upper arms would not be tailored for today's runways."

Is it always working, always playing, or always processing?

As a kid, I swore I would grow up to work with Jim Henson. As an adult I interned with a puppet theater, making everything from tiny Mexican Wrestler costumes, to gigantic working Jack-in-the boxes. As such, I now see potential puppets everywhere. Probably not the best impulse to have at the gynecologist.

There is something to be said, though, for constantly having the creative mind taking in and filing information away, to challenge oneself with "what could I do with this?"  I say that I am always working, and it is true. While someone may look at a sunset, I am taking in the interplay of the colors and where they meet. When someone goes to the zoo to see the animals, I am taking note of their muscle structure and the patterns of fur and feathers. Even if I don't have a sketchpad, I am taking little snapshots with my brain. Maybe that is why concentration lines are permanently etched into my face.

When you love what you do for a living, you never really stop working. You don't punch a clock and simply go home. However, it doesn't quite feel like work either. You just keep doing it out of passion, or because it is a part of your nature. The times I have been truly sad in life were the times when I did not create something. Sitting down to make art, whether working on-set, or sculpting or painting in studio, is not just a living, but a part of my health, part of the care and feeding of an artist. Really, it's in the user manual.

Just remember to put a lid on it sometimes. Just because a speculum duckie could be created in a few unsupervised seconds, doesn't mean the doctor will be amused.