We were lucky to catch up with Rosie Graves recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rosie, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Honestly, experimenting with photos of myself went a long way in building my self esteem. Long before I decided to pursue freelance modeling, I played around with different angles, expressions, settings, lighting, filters, outfits, etc. I started to come up with different themes and personas to try out for my photos. I really came to see it as an artform, an expression of creativity. When you include yourself in your own art, it tends to have a positive effect on your self image. After all, here you are creating something you intend to be deemed beautiful in the end, by others sometimes but most importantly by yourself. Whenever I did decide to start sharing my photos with others and was met with so much positivity and support for it, well that certainly helped!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I never in a million years thought I would become a model. In my opinion, I was your classic “Ugly Duckling” story. When I was younger, I desperately wanted to look like and be like the other kids – but I just couldn’t. I was extremely shy, interested in subjects no one else seemed to be, and I realize now that I had OCD and textural issues back then that kept me from wearing anything other than stretchy leggings and way-oversized t-shirts. Long story short; I was the “weird kid”. My self image suffered greatly for it.
Around the time I got into Jr High is when two things happened. One: I stumbled upon gothic fashion online and fell in love with it. Two: I started to care much less about what others thought of me and more about the kind of person I truly wanted to become. I was still awkward and weird, and it would still be quite a while before I overcame my OCD well enough to start dressing the way I wanted to…but it was a start.
Fast forward twenty years or so, and I like to think I’ve built up a solid and pretty realistic self image. I started modeling not out of vanity or a need for external validation about my appearance, but because it’s a way for me to express myself in an artistic manner. I truly love thinking up different themes, messages, or characters in my mind. I love putting the outfits together and experimenting with my makeup to match the setting or idea that I’ m trying to portray. I love picking out props and finding the most fitting setting available. I love bringing concepts to life in a photograph.
It’s for this reason that I highly doubt I will ever become a “professional” model, and I am more than okay with that! I’m not interested in wearing clothes I would not normally wear in front of a camera just for the sake of “making it look good” or “selling” it. Modeling is my art, and the point of going public with it has never been for the sake of making money. I offer options for people to support me and my artform if it happens to resonate with them and they feel moved to, but money is never required of anyone. I’m going to keep doing this regardless.
That being said, I recognize that I am in a rather privileged position. I am a stay-at-home mom with my husband being the more traditional breadwinner of the family. I do have plans to pursue a certification in massage therapy, and I have ideas for eventually putting together a small business alongside my mother, but these are all in-the-works currently. Therefore, I am quite open to the idea of turning my modeling into a source of income if the opportunity were to present itself!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think my observational tendencies helped out a lot when it comes to staging photos and modeling for them. Look at photographs that speak to you and not only admire every detail, but think about it critically: what specifically makes this photo so appealing? What is being conveyed in this image, and how does the particular setting or props involved work to express that message? How is the model’s pose and/or gaze contributing to this message? Once you begin to notice these fine details and unravel how they work together, it becomes easier for you yourself to bring these elements together for your own photographs, and for you to express your own messages through images.
I also think it’s important and helpful (for ANY art) to remain open-minded and flexible as much as you can when creating. Is this shoot not really saying what you intended it to say? Figure out what it IS saying, then run with it. Now you’ve managed to create something while still having the original idea in your back pocket for next time! Things like this really help to keep the momentum going. And if you wind up putting something together that you’re ultimately unsatisfied with, there’s absolutely no shame in reattempting it later. For me at least, keeping the pressure low is crucial.
Another quality that you’ll definitely want to strengthen if you intend to share your work publicly is the ability to accept criticism. Let’s be realistic; not everyone is going to like your artistic choices, or even just plain like how you look. You have to be okay with that fact. Especially online, there are going to be people that try to bring you down or get under your skin in some way. I have found the best way to deal with this is to just ignore it. Avoid engaging, because that is giving them exactly what they want. It’s best if you can even find a sense of humor about it; personally, I have no problem laugh-reacting a particularly creative or funny insult!
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 to working with different photographers! Currently I’m just taking my own photos with my phone, so collaborating with an actual professional with professional-grade equipment would be fantastic! I think that could really take things to the next level, artistically speaking.
As I said before, I am also open to professional opportunities. As long as it agrees with my aesthetic and principles, I am certainly interested in paid photoshoots or being recruited into an agency.
Anyone interested can connect with me via Instagram (www.instagram.com/rosiegravesmodeling) or email me directly at [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosiegravesmodeling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosiegravesmodeling
- Other: [email protected]
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