Katherine Comet's Blog

I left off yesterday with the first day of my modeling class and as promised, here is the remainder of the time line on what was to be the beginning of a very interesting career choice.

12:35 PM I have scanned over the curriculum, found I will be spending a lot of money on poses and huds and clothes…OH MY!  Seriously, I have no issue spending lindens if it is to improve myself.

12:45 PM The instructor begins to go over the basics of modeling, an overview per say.  Not about walking down the runway or how to look pretty, but how to make a lasting and permanent excellent first impression.

The teacher talks about what should and shouldn’t be revealed in a profile, attitude during photo shoots, cooperation with fellow models and designers and how important it is to be on time so as not to keep others waiting.  AHEM!  EXCUSE ME?? If anyone could have seen my RL face at that moment they would have watched my eyebrows go up, my eyes go wide and my body become rigid.  Yes, I am irritated with that rule, this instructor was 15 minutes late to our class without any notification to any of us she was running behind.  That rule either needs to be taken out of the instructors overview, or the should be rewritten to accommodate the teachers SL.

12:55 PM As the class begins to wind down I find myself wondering if modeling is for me.  I am a stickler with time, I am professional, I work hard at everything I do and I love being creative.  Isn’t that what modeling is all about?  Can I deal with all these women and the various attitudes I have met in SL for almost 3 years now?  A lot of women I have met in SL are caddy and remind me of my days in junior high school; mean girls don’t stop being mean, they just become more mean!

I look at the instructor and know that I cannot look like her nor will I even try because she is not attractive to me.  My eyes  begin to wander around the classroom and I see some very appealing and friendly people I would like to get to know.  We are all here to become models.  Some of us will say, YES, this is what I want to do, others will never come back and then some of us will give the next class a try and see what it holds in store.

1:00 PM The class has ended now and I have made my decision; I don’t know if modeling is for me at that moment, but I do know I am willing to come back and give it another try.  My first impression wasn’t positive, but the content was very intriguing.

I have modeled now since June 09, and I can honestly say I love what I have added to my SL talents.  I have met more people than I thought possible in an online venue; many of whom I consider wonderful friends and would enjoy meeting in person some day.

Remember, first impressions leave a lasting imprint in ones memory.  How you look, act and portray yourself whether through your visual appearance or your written words, will always be the first thing people will remember about you!

Live and Learn!

Katherine Comet

~Kat~

My first day of modeling school was one of excitement and curiosity.  I have been a model in real life, how is this going to differ from Second Life?  Let me answer that at the end of this 2 day blog post, after you’ve had the opportunity to read what my experience was.

Noon: Dig through my clothes folder of my inventory, trying to figure out what to wear.  What does one wear to the first day of class and am I the only one dealing with not having clue what I am supposed to look like?  Ah, found it.  Nice pants, blouse and simple high heels.  Now for the hair and makeup, big bouncy hair with 20 gazillion prims and makeup that is meant for an evening gown, but hey, I look fabulous!

12:45PM Arrive 15 minutes early, I don’t want to be late and I want to see who is going to be there.  I’ve never been to a modeling class before, let alone been around models in SL.  I’ve been cooped up on my build platform for two years, building up a storm for my store.  The only people I have met lately are those who are in building classes.  I watch the students stream in one by one… camming and zooming around to see how out of place I will be.  To my surprise, I really look pretty good.  I don’t have the tattoo’s plastered all over my body, piercings in every available attachment point, no talking tummy and no titler announcing to everyone “give me a new title.”  We all exchange our hello’s and how are you’s and choose a place to sit that best represents where we want to be in the pack of avatar’s.

1:00PM It’s gone quiet, anticipation of the instructor arriving at any moment.  Wow, can cut the tension in the air with a knife.

1:05PM It’s still quiet, everyone is either in IM or is just sitting there waiting for the instructor.

1:10PM Am I in the right place?  I look around the room, we all seem to be students.  So I ask, “is everyone here for the beginner’s modeling class?”  Everyone who cared to look at their screen answers, “yes.”  I ask, “it was today, right?”  Again, “yes.”

1:15PM Finally, our instructor arrives.  Everyone says hello to her and she apologizes about being late and something to do with a casting while everyone says, “oh, that’s ok, we’re just glad you made it.”  My thoughts at that moment are, “I paid for a full class, I better get one and why didn’t anyone tell us she was going to be late so we could be productive in other parts of our SL lives?”

1:16PM I take a good look at the instructor and am shocked to see someone who is not attractive in my eyes, has huge lips, funky hair, eye makeup that extends in a line from above her brow to just above her cheek and clothes that are so loud in not only their color but their appearance that I truly wonder if this is the instructor.  OMG, I don’t have to look like that do I?  My classmates seem to know who she is, I just can’t get past the overall appearance of her to read what everyone is saying.

1:20PM Still totally mesmerized by the instructor and her appearance.  We have received several notecards outlining our curriculum for the next several weeks.  I see assignments galore to take up my time that I am not in class.  Ok, I am all about learning, but when am I goning to have time to build and be with my friends and have some fun like I’ve been doing the last couple of years?  Can’t you just tell me really quick what I need to do to get modeling jobs, show me what a runway looks like and let me go on my merry way so I can make some money?

1:30PM Shock has now set in.  Modeling in SL is not going to be a piece o’ cake.  It seems there are so many things I need to learn and OMG, the money I will have to invest just to become a model.

Come back tomorrow, for the remainder of my first day of modeling school.  First impressions aren’t always what they seem to be, whether it be in SL or RL.

Live for today…

Katherine Comet

~Kat~

Competing for a title like Miss Refined,  it occurred to me I probably needed an idea of what refined means in this particular venue.  So, I challenged myself to write down as many single words which are synonymous to being “refined.”  Here they are:

Alter

Change

Modify

Fine-tune

Polish

Tweak

These words reflect who I have become over the last several months of my modeling career.  Not that I wasn’t these words before, I am just much more refined in how I have chosen to portray myself.

Until tomorrow… live for today, like there is no tomorrow!

Katherine Comet

~Kat~

Yesterday I spoke about getting into schools and how they all teach something a little different, but usually learn something new to add to the repertoire of modeling talents.

Several topics seem to come up in each of the different schools I have chosen to attend; always be on time, do what the designer/photographer asks of you and DON’T be a DIVA.

The first two topics are rather obvious to most.  No matter what you do in your modeling career, don’t keep people waiting and when the designer/photographer says to you, “make your hips wider, your butt bigger and legs skinnier,” just do it!  There should never be an argument or even a hint of displeasure about anything being asked of you.  The model is there to be the billboard/hanger for the clothing, never to be the center of attention.

In my observations, this is usually where the diva starts to surface, when asked to change a body shape or particular look to fit the vision of the designer.  Here is the definition of diva:

“The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent…the meaning of diva is closely related to that of “prima donna.”

So had to look up prima donna, oh boy, I had to laugh:

“Legendarily, these “prima donnas” (prime donne in Italian) were often regarded as egotistical, unreasonable and irritable, with a rather high opinion of themselves not shared by others.”

Now ask yourself, how long do you really want to be a model in Second Life?  If your answer is more than a day, then be on time and do what the designer/photographer asks of you.  Don’t be a Diva/Prima Donna, it’s not becoming of someone who needs all the support and kindness needed in a very tough, sometimes unfriendly environment.

Remember, you aren’t irreplaceable, there is always someone who would love to have the opportunity you’ve been given.

In my next post I will give a brief overview of what my first days of trying to become an SL model were really like.  Some will get a kick out of it…others will definitely see themselves and remember how much time and effort they have put into this challenging career!

Until tomorrow…model and live for today!

Katherine Comet

~ Kat~

Day 2

I am sooo not a blogger, but then again, I do like to talk a lot!

One of the suggestions added in the notecard provided by Jason Grant, (the founder of Miss Refined), regarding the daily blogging,  “You may include the new people you have met or shared activities with another contestant…”  The only people I have met through this particular venue are those who walked the runway at the same time I did to qualify for these challenges and the chance to be crowned “Miss Refined.”

As I stood backstage awaiting my turn, I looked around the room and noticed all the new names I had never seen before.  Wondering who is going to place and who is going to be disappointed.  My competition is stiff and feel that same feeling come over me again…there are so many gorgeous and talented women here…how am I ever going to make myself stand out?  So I do my straight as an arrow runway walk, pose my heart out, then do the perfect turn to head backstage.  Now I know I did the best I could, had the perfect poses, etc.,  but did I stand out?

Now comes the finale with all the models.  We are asked to walk out one by one in a straight line but not told what to do once we get out toward the front.  We are only told to line up backstage, walk out and stay there until the judges say thank you.  When models are given no direction about what to do once they have walked out, they will do what they can to make themselves noticed.  In this case, no one stayed in that straight line, lined up perfectly on the runway, doing their carefully chosen poses in their perfectly styled outfit.  Noooooo…. everyone of the models crammed onto that front circular stage and tried to be in the front.

OK, since this isn’t the way I’m used to doing finales, which are usually very orderly and precise, I find myself standing in the back getting somewhat lost in the group of 15 or so women.  I see a small opening to my left, just enough room to cram into the front as well without knocking everyone over and put myself smack dab in front of Jason. I never planned on doing that, I just saw an opportunity to be in the front, so I took it!

I will never know if that move harmed or helped my modeling career, but I am doing a blog because I am one of the finalists.  I would like to think I was chosen because I am excellent at what I do and stand out because of the hard work and thought I put into everything I do in both my modeling and building talents.

Until next time…live for today!

Katherine Comet

~Kat~

I honestly thought when I chose to pursue the modeling world in Second Life (SL) it would be a piece of cake….WRONG!

To become a successful model in SL one must be willing to put a lot of hard earned linden dollars into training academies.  One does not become a model on a whim.  As for myself, I chose to model in SL for two reasons:

1)  I was a RL model when I was younger (we’re talking waaaaaay younger here) and thought I could apply some of my fashion sense to this new endeavor.

2) I wanted to make some money at something other than building and selling my creations in my store.

Let’s just say… the only one that really applies here is #1.

I have since found out to become a model… I had a lot of hard work ahead of me.  The first thing I had to do was find someone to teach me what to do and what the modeling world is all about in SL.  There are many schools in SL to teach you these things…but they all have a different way of instructing…and they don’t all teach the same things.  Yes, the basics are covered… how to do resume’s, getting quality pictures taken, portfolio’s… the things that are required to apply for different opportunities that will arise.  BUT, there are many, many tricks of the trade and what one school may teach you, another one teaches you something different or just adds to what is already been learned previously.

In my next post, I will go over a few very basic DO’s and one very big DON’T.

Until then…enjoy life for today!

Katherine Comet

~ Kat ~