Today we’d like to introduce you to Thanh Nguyen.
Thanh, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always been fond of the arts ever since I started at a young age. I grew up in a household where it was expected to portray out kindness and love to those around me and the arts helped me convey that. It stuck to me; almost like second nature. From playing the piano, singing at choir concerts, to dancing in different types of styles, I had all my senses driven towards the arts. At the age of 18 towards the end of high school, I took a break from dancing and continued my college education. I got accepted into my Nursing program and started out as an LVN soon after my two years in college. Although the hours were long and took time to manage my schedule though, I still enjoy my job to this day and keeps me driven to get my RN.
With the medical field being intense, I started to lack confidence in myself. I turned over towards modeling and getting back into dance to find a good balance of what I wanted to prove to myself, internally and externally. The aspect of modeling instills a different level of creativity and more focus on what is needed to be seen that hasn’t been seen before. I thoroughly enjoy the atmosphere of creatives all around the DFW area, ranging from the models, photographers, stylists, HMUAS, and editors. The arts help the creative world find something to reveal and I think that is why it’s so addicting to do. It’s way deeper than confidence. It’s almost as if I need to be creative to feel confident and not the other way around. As a model, I have to remind myself it’s not about me. It genuinely isn’t. It’s about the community of people and how we can work together to find an image everyone can agree on or contribute. In the modeling world, it’s much more than just the body and face, and rather about the movement of how you can instill everyone’s work.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As a model, you have to respect everyone’s craft. If it’s a perspective you personally cannot see, it’s a perspective to someone else. So far, I have made countless friends and could not thank enough for the endless support. Everyone has been so genuine and there’s nothing rewarding than to be surrounded with talented people!
Some struggles along the way would have to be the communication barriers. The word “no” is something I personally need to work on just because there were situations that arose where I did not want to participate in and felt uncomfortable. I have to remind myself that what my interpretation of art is has to line up with their interpretation of art. There are countless ways to be creative and not all of them are going to agree with me.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I personally strive towards the editorial photo shoots. I love the closeups of the face and beauty shots! I tend to think that my face is my most favorite part of my body so I tend to work with what I have. I do body shots here and there and incorporate my dancing into it to create a movement I haven’t done already. Incorporating dance has made the shooting process more fluid and natural. When it comes to my feeling comfortable dancing fluidly in the piece that I’m in, I believe the best shots are seen. I am also known for helping out local stylists around me and wearing the pieces they have made for me. I tend to style myself in most shoots, but I have my favorite stylists here and there. Recently, I have been getting booked for shoots where it is more Asian culture inspired and intricate. I’m all for the texturing and fabricating the different styles I am wanted to wear.
I am most proud of my ethnicity, hands down. As an Asian-American, I feel as though I need to be a voice and image towards my community. I am proud of the Vietnamese woman that I am and I love to share my culture to those around me, whether it is talking about it in person or incorporating it into my modeling. I feel as though culture is art and sometimes it’s not about the materialistic objects you purchase for a shoot, but the cultural roots you already have to help you create.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The quality and characteristic that is most important to my success would have to be my dancing and face. I instill most of my dancing in pictures and I believe that is the only way you can get the most raw of a picture. Anybody can look at a camera and look a certain way. Anybody can wear a specific piece and stand and/or sit. There’s a way to model and it’s not about finding the basics as to what you know, but to what you can do. There’s a way to maneuver into the pose and not make it look “posed”. The goal of the image is to capture it as if you can remember that moment again.
My face is most prominent in my editorial photo shoots. I tend to like close-ups more just because it tells a lot more motion than what body can. In today’s generation, anybody can take a photo with their body and call it art. But everyone has a different, unique face that tells their own story. It’s emotion and feeling that takes on more in a photo.
Pricing:
- $50 for new photographers
- $60 for standard/editorial
Contact Info:
- Phone: 469-766-9031
- Email: thanh101018@yahoo.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/t.nguyen1010
Image Credit:
Red lipstick and outfit: @lunakris, @m.inahsa, Gold image: @tunnel_visionzz, Purple image with city: @whoisbetog, Laundry room: @thatgirljacqs, Splits: @imagesbyahmadj, @jaderouillefoto, @facesdlexie, Red Chinese jacket with Green: @maddygreenphotography, @bloodlight_and_bambi, Retro Space glasses: @rp.nyc, Pearls and square hairstyle: @jaderouillefoto, @facesdlexie, Distorted Glass with eyes: @tshotyou
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