“Are you going to the other castings today?” The question that turned an impromptu morning casting into a frenzy of casting calls with amazing girls I surely will never forget. 

But it actually started a couple of days before that. It was Tuesday night. I had just gotten home, and I was planning the rest of my week. I had a possible casting for a play that was still up in the air, so I didn’t want to commit to anything just yet. 

Then, I got a DM from my Instagram friend, @_lizziebremer (I love how that’s a thing these days), asking me if I was going to go to the Sports Illustrated casting. Despite her persistent encouragement, I had already decided against it. I would have had to be there at 5 am, which meant getting up before 3, to have a chance amongst thousands of ladies of which I knew most of the chosen ones would already be established models. It really wasn’t worth it for me. Then, she mentioned another casting that conveniently had a separate call for plus models, and I thought to myself: if I don’t get the play, I’ll go. 

I didn’t get the play, and I went (this will be an entirely different blog post about saying NO, but I digress). 

There were about 25 girls there, many established models. Some I had seen before on the sites of agencies I have dreamed of working with, others were hopefuls just like me. I was the 6th to audition (is that what you call it? I have no idea). 

Before me, curve powerhouses crossed one leg in front of the other, swaying their hips to a tempo only they could hear. I watched intently, learning, determined to make that 20 foot mock runway mine when my turn came. 

When it did, I was nervous. 

I had the audacity of showing up to a swim week casting without even practicing once. It was a learning opportunity for me. What better way to know what to expect than by doing? 

I got up, and I walked, weaving my legs in a steady pattern. I was sultry and playful; it was swim week after all. Before I could even make a memory out of it, it was over. 

“Do you have a comp card?” 

“No. Sorry. This is my first time doing this, and I wasn’t even sure I would come.” 

“This is your first time? You were born for this girl!”

And just like that I was booked for my first runway show. 

I spent the day at castings and meeting the most incredible and empowering women I could have never dreamed of. And I ended up getting booked for 2 shows. It was a dream come true, but there was so much more I would learn from this experience, both good and bad. 
Stories I’ll continue to tell in the series: A Model Diary.