by Katrina on February 15, 2010
I started modeling for some sketching classes a few weeks ago, after a friend suggested it as a way to make some extra money. My first job was at the cre8ery for a Monday night class. The cre8ery is a beautiful gallery in the Exchange District. I arrived a bit early so I took a walk around the main gallery. There was a showing by a local artist named Ashley Perrier, who graduated from the University of Manitoba. Her work was lovely, full of light colours and soft lines with surreal and poetic imagery. I actually wanted to attend her opening the week before, but didn’t make it, so it was a treat to get to walk around the show with her.
The class was small and friendly and we started with some short thirty-second poses, then a minute and half, five minutes, ten minutes, and then twenty minutes. It was a great class to start with because the shorter poses taught me pretty quickly what kind of positions I could hold for longer time. There artists were also very helpful with pose ideas and very encouraging.
It’s interesting to get to walk around during the breaks and talk to different people about the pictures they’re drawing. Some bring different mediums to work with, some focus on different angles, or parts of the body. Every piece is unique. The atmosphere was comfortable and I’ve lucky to work with such a nice group of artists.
The second class I modeled for was one long pose for about three hours. Every twenty minutes we took a break, but I found it a bit easier to do forty minute sets. Pillows became my best friend! They supported my back and during the break we taped some markers on the ground so I could take the same pose. The showing that day was a juried member show from the Manitoba Craft’s Council.
I wasn’t too nervous my first time, partly due to advice from a local Facebook Group. I came prepared with water, a robe, slippers, and an apple to snack on. I also used the internet to look up pose ideas. Once I got there, I used my surroundings for inspiration. A wall made good support and a spot on the floor helped me to remember how my head was tilted.
The artists told me that yoga practitioners and dancers often made good models because they had better understanding of space and how the body flows. But everyone was different and they liked having a variety of models. I try to think about light and my muscles when I’m posing. Shorter poses give me a chance to experiment and try some positions that flex my muscles. I can save more comfortable positions for longer poses. I’m hoping that with practice I’ll build up stamina to hold some neater poses for longer. No wonder people who do yoga make good models! ♥
by Katrina on February 11, 2010
February is Radical Self Love (RSL) month over at Gala Darling’s. Here are some questions she posted as homework and my answers!
What does Radical Self Love mean to you?
Radical Self Love to me means self love that is strong, vibrant, glowing, a defining part of your everyday life. It’s when self love is a major player in the choices we make and we get a charge from doing things that express self-love.
If you were engaging in RSL on a daily basis, what would that look like?
Delight with my life and the amazing things happening. Balance in the activities I choose to help me be the best I can be. Self-reliance because I know that I’m the only one who can create what I dream of.
What small pieces of that can you bring into your life TODAY?
♥ I can start every day with a fruit smoothie for breakfast. It’s raw, delicious, so so so good for my system, easy to make, and makes me feel great.
♥ Spacing out my daily activities so that I have time to eat, rest, or just enjoy the beauty of the day. I can’t be happy or productive if I’m rushing around worrying all the time.
♥ Continue building my bike. I’m not very good with tools or building things, but this winter I started working on a bike at the Bike Dump and I love it! She’s a lovely dark pink/red colour and I named her Katy-Scarlett. By the time I take her out, I want to know her inside and out and be competent to fix her when something happens.
♥ Dance. Dance. Dance. And hula hooping.
What beliefs do you currently hold that are stifling your regular expression of RSL?
I’m intuitive and sensitive to people’s moods and energy. Combine that with an affinity for healing and I’m prone to making excuses for the people around me when they engage in patterns that I know are unhealthy for me and suspect are unhealthy for them. In the past, I’ve enabled those patterns by not speaking my mind, calling people on it, or forgiving without expressing how I felt. I can empathize with why someone does something, but that doesn’t mean I have to play the fear&insecurity game. Surrounding myself with supportive individuals who are more compatible with what I want is a greater act of love, both self-love and a more universal kind.
Who could you use as a RSL role model?
Aphrodite of course! She’s a goddess of love and beauty and freely shared her blessings when and with whom she saw fit. Myth speaks that every year, Aphrodite returned to a sacred space to bathe, renewing her independence and autonomy. She tells us to celebrate the divine in ourselves through sensuality, pleasure, and self-love. She’s the personification of the beauty that is in all of use and the happiness found in celebrating it. Best self-love role model ever. ♥
{You should take part in RSL month because it’s awesome! Go here.}
