We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ameera Surka a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ameera , we are so deeply grateful to you for opening up about your journey with mental health in the hops that it can help someone who might be going through something similar. Can you talk to us about your mental health journey and how you overcame or persisted despite any issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
Mental health is a very real demon that I fight in my everyday life. Some days it’s easy, some days even getting out of bed feels impossible. For many years I tried to drown out the anxiety and the sadness and triggers, but it only left me feeling exhausted and constantly high strung. That was before I decided to fully understand my mental health and psyche. I learned what triggered me and how to cope effectively. For me, DBT techniques like TIPP, coping ahead, and radical acceptance were game changers.
Self care is also a major contributor to overcoming mental health obstacles. Too often we expect so much of ourselves and don’t take enough time to appreciate all that we do. Buy yourself flowers, take yourself to dinner, appreciate the contributions you make to your life.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a petite model specializing in commercial and editorial work. I have been featured in SHEEN Magazine with Nairobi Hair Professional products, I’ve been on New York Fashion Week runways, and most recently a commercial with the Marriott Hotel! While at one time I was agency represented, I have since decided to become freelance as I wanted to pave my own path for my career, and turned out to be good at doing so!
I was born in India, and adopted at a young age, so growing up, I didn’t see a lot of representation of people that looked like me. My goal with my career, is to show little girls that look like me, and all little girls alike that anything is possible; your representation matters, and so does your voice!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The most beneficial tool in my toolbox has been accepting rejection. In this industry, you get told no plenty of times before you get told yes. My lack of fear of rejection has allowed me to open doors for myself that I never thought possible.
Discretion is also incredibly important. There is a lot of “riffraff“ in this industry, and you must do your due diligence to vet projects, and photographers. Not everyone is out to help you in your career, in fact, many times it’s just about the money.
Lastly, but most importantly, knowledge of light and angles is an absolute must. Being knowledgeable of your angles and light allows you to maximize shoot time, rather than having to accept direction from the photographer in regards to how you look in frame in relation to light. Not to mention the STELLAR photos this turns out!
My advice for people, early in their career, is vet your photographers, vet your projects, shoot content in line with your brand, market yourself, and don’t be afraid to take risks!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am always open and love to collaborate with other creatives, brands, boutiques, designers, real estate agencies, musicians, the list goes on. Behind every successful business or individual is a strong marketing strategy, and many times that marketing strategy includes commercial and advertorial projects. I am always looking for new ways to bring brand’s ideas to life.
Folks wanting to work with me. Should reach out via email to [email protected] or by visiting my website www.akmodels.org. You can also find me on Instagram @AKS.TheModel!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.akmodels.org
- Instagram: @aks.themodel
- Facebook: AKS The Model
Image Credits
Joshua GaffneyCalvin ByrdChas, Keegan Shinall
