Today we’d like to introduce you to Anise Johnson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Anise. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I always wanted to get into modeling, but was always shy and felt like there was a low chance of being successful within the upcoming modeling industry. As I saw friends around me pursuing their dreams, I did not feel happy not pushing myself to do what I desired to do. On social media, I saw a friend promoting his pictures and fashion shows, I decided to reach out to him and ask him how he got started. He told me that he had family friend connections, and has built his experience up from there. He gave me an opportunity to be in his upcoming fashion show, and I accepted. From the beginning of rehearsals, I was very nervous and had no experience at all. The day of the show, as I got ready and dressed, I began to feel more confident. By being able to express myself in any design, look or pose, I began to feel happy that I finally took a leap forward towards my passion.
Soon after, I had a peer reach out to me and tell me he would like me to collaborate with him and his photographer. His photographer was Angie Perez. As I worked with her and incorporated different looks, I began to feel confident and comfortable within my own skin. Being able to see your beauty within an image makes you feel confident within yourself. Angie also excited me because she made a simple location look like something different and unique. From there, I began to post my pictures and follow local Dallas photographers within the area. Many photographers began to reach out to me about collaborating. My second opportunity was an Insta meet with multiple photographers in the Downtown Dallas area. This event gave me an opportunity to network with fellow models and photographers. The key towards expanding my business was social media. With the usage of Instagram, I began to gain a lot of traction from my work. I took the opportunity to collaborate with photographers to build my portfolio up. I am currently in school, so although working in Dallas is limited, I still use multiple weeks to expand my experience with new photographers. I feel confident in this field because I am beginning to be featured on many photography pages and magazine pages, as well as getting many opportunities to expand my brand.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Modeling has not been a smooth road. Many struggles I have had along the way are problems such as photographers trying to destroy my brand or talk down on my name, photographers trying opportunities to make unwanted sexual advances, and many not taking their job serious or canceling. It has been a hard road and is still hard. With my outlet being social media and email, you never know what will happen when meeting a photographer. Many times, I try to reach out to other models for a recommendation, establish trust, and bring a close friend to my shoots.
Please tell us about Anise’s Modeling.
My business is particularly modeling. I am flexible towards many concepts of modeling, but I especially like to participate in street and high fashion modeling. I am most proud of being able to embrace my culture within my modeling. I can embrace my distinctive characteristics, my curls, and my skin, without feeling judged of how I look. What sets me apart from others is the fact that I am unique and growing every day. I take many opportunities to work on my craft and see how I can improve each and every day.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would’ve given myself the confidence to start modeling earlier. If I would have started earlier I would have built a bigger platform as well. I would also take the chance to research into photographers instead of being naive enough to just work with them.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 8169774881
- Email: anise05@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aniseee_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Aniseeej
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aniseee_
Image Credit:
Instagram: @blackkakashi, @imagesbyahmadj, @aangiepaolaa, @carters.captures, @chinoshotme
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
