February 11, 2020

Meet Chelsi La Cour of Chelsimorgan in DFW

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsi La Cour.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Chelsi. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
a. I began modeling in the spring of 2014 after I was invited to participate in a small runway show while I was a freshman at the University of Texas at Dallas. At this point, I had never stepped foot in front of a camera nor a crowd of people with the sole purpose of selling a garment. I decided to accept the invite and fell in love with the process. I gained so much respect and admiration for the work required to produce and participate in a runway show. From that day forward, I participated in numerous shows because I simply wanted to do more. I was introduced to a stylist in 2015 who has grown to become like a brother to me. Through him, I met a photographer who I consistently worked with in order to perfect my craft. About 3 years later I really began recognizing my potential on and off the stage. I continued to participate in shows and numerous photoshoots that would eventually lead to my New York Fashion Week debut in the fall of 2018. I was also given the opportunity to become the face of Walk Fashion Show Atlanta that same winter, as well as Walk Fashion Show Dallas the following summer. I have been a part of multiple clothing, hair, makeup, accessory, shoes, and active-wear campaigns. I have worked with many designers and artists. Just to name a few: Buddy Love clothing, Kavon Frazier’s Built For It Brand of the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas based stylist J.Bolin, Heather’s Art: Guilty, a mental health awareness brand, Makeup Forever x JCPenney, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, I have no clue of the number of photoshoots and runway shows I have participated in, but I do know I attribute my progress and success to remaining consistent. There are 4 words that I constantly reflect on: prayer, patience, productivity, and persistence. Just like anyone else, I have my days that aren’t so great. I have days that I second guess myself and doubt my abilities; but remaining grounded in my faith and those 4 words, I have been able to believe in myself and hold my head high through it all. I have developed a strong sense of self-love and determination to exceed my goals.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The journey of modeling has had its fair share of highs and lows just like any aspect of life. It has been fairly smooth when it comes to expressing my creativity. I have random moments of inspiration and ideas. And when I say random, I mean random! Despite having a 3:30 AM alarm, my creativity comes knocking at about 1:30 AM. When it happens I pull out pen and paper, maybe a pair of headphones every now and then, and escape into what seems like a whirlwind of thoughts and ideas.

Being the first person in my family to step into this industry has been a struggle. The older generation doesn’t necessarily take it as serious nor view it as a profession. Being the first, I also don’t have anyone who “knows the industry” in my family to show me the ropes. So every step along the way has been a step of faith. Luckily, with time, I have become connected with talented photographers, makeup artists, stylist, designers, producers, managers, etc. that surround me and have taught me so much about the industry.

While I am committed to modeling, I am also completing my final semester of nursing school, which is a big, if not bigger commitment. Neither of these two major aspects of my life have anything in common. So, as you could imagine it is somewhat intense balancing and succeeding in both. The importance of school was engraved in me at a young age, so of course I take it very serious. Despite not knowing what sleep is, I have learned to embrace the challenge of managing and succeeding in both nursing and modeling.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Of course I model! Many people may or may not know there’s different categories that are included. There’s commercial, print, runway, editorial/fashion, plus size, parts, etc. I generally do commercial, print, fashion, and runway modeling. I’m versatile, so I don’t necessarily specialize in one over the other. Now, I do have a favorite category…I’ll let you guess what it is! While you’re guessing, I can let you in on what sets me apart. Humbly speaking, it is the fact that I am versatile. I am also very involved in the planning stages of my photoshoots and the creativity they entail. There’s a misconception that models just show up and get hair and makeup done. While that may be true for some, it is not the case for me. I spend time creating concepts for print & fashion as well as study, practice, and scout locations prior to shooting. While I still plan to convey the creative side of the industry, I also want to begin conveying different aspects of being human. Without going into too much detail, I feel as though these upcoming projects will challenge and require me to go beyond a pretty face and strong poses. I am super excited about it as well as everything else to come. Were you able to guess my favorite category?

The proudest moment of my career didn’t occur on a specific day, it wasn’t a specific collaboration, nor a callback. It wasn’t meeting one of the most inspiring models, nor closing a big runway show. You can’t take a picture of it nor find it in my portfolio. In all honesty, it can’t be described as one simple moment. My proudest moment has been a continuum. A continuum of growth, self-discipline, creativity, and transformation. I have grown as a young lady, stepped out of my comfort zone, and fallen in love with everything that makes me who I am. In all honesty, the growth still surprises me at times.

A proud moment that comes in close second is simply hearing that I served as an inspiration to someone. That definitely puts a proud smile on my face.

What were you like growing up?
Let’s just say, I’m grateful for the growth! Growing up, if you would’ve told me I would model one day, I would have probably given you a side-eye and kept walking. Prior to college, modeling didn’t even cross my mind. It wasn’t on my to-do list nor was it my answer to the famous question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” In elementary school, I was the quiet, shy child. I had a small group of friends and got along with everyone. On into high school, I continued making straight A’s and was a well-rounded athlete playing volleyball, basketball, and running track. Being on numerous teams and having the opportunity of being captain started to force me out of my shell and into leadership positions. Even then, my schedule was full and modeling still wasn’t on my mind. After graduation in 2013, I went on to play college volleyball and in the spring of 2014 I gave modeling a try and it has transformed me tremendously. This industry has taken the shy, quiet, laid back girl and transformed me into someone who overcomes fear and has so much potential. I’ve been able to bring garments and creativity to life, serve as an inspiration to others, take multiple leaps of faith, travel, become an advocate for self-love, etc. No, I am not where I want to be, but I don’t see anything I can’t handle standing in the way. There may be road blocks, but there’s road blocks and detours on every journey. I refuse to allow anything to keep me where I am knowing I’m determined to progress forward.

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