We recently connected with Mikaela Smith and have shared our conversation below.
Mikaela, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
Much of what “I do” comes from who I am and my never-ending journey of self-discovering. From a young age, I have always been an observer and now that I’m older, I not only observe but actively participate and understand. I used to believe that the words from haters was my biggest obstacle that stood in my way of joining the creative world – but I realised it was my own fear which prevented me from getting started. For a long time, I didn’t realize that knowledge is power, but self-confidence was key. Without being too cliché, truly believing in myself could have accelerated my learning in any endeavor. Being authentic in your pursuits demands introspection, self-respect, compassion, and bravery. It’s an underrated yet powerful skill, often daunting or envied by others. These attributes are invaluable for mastering any craft, especially one involving people and creativity.
When I decided to take modelling seriously, I immersed myself completely. I followed fellow models, photographers, venues, and vendors. I asked questions, sought collaborations, and spent countless hours devouring content—learning about runway walks, posing techniques, facial expressions, and creating composite cards. I attended meetups, workshops, and even went to my first runway casting a little underprepared. Some lessons were learned through trial and error, others through shared experiences. Despite my background in photography, modelling introduced me to a whole new skill set. Ironically, I’ve probably learned more about photography as a model!
Part of perfecting any craft (but specifically this one) is learning to trust your intuition, especially in discerning whom to trust among fellow creatives. The modelling industry isn’t always known for its inclusivity, yet it’s not as cutthroat as media portrays. Embracing genuine connections opens doors to countless opportunities aligned with your values. Approaching my third year in modelling, I continue to learn daily about this facet of the creative world. I attend workshops, ask questions, and explore new ideas, while also mentoring new models. I share advice based on my experiences, mindful that each model has their unique journey of learning and growth. We learn from each other; we are not each others’ competition!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Like I said before, so much of my experience with a multi-hyphenated title as an Agender-AuDHD-Chinese-American-Creative-Disabled-Model-Photographer-Pansexual-Relationship Anarchist-Poultrapescatarian-Sagittarius-Special Educator-international-Queer-Adoptee+ has shaped what I do, gravitating me towards expressing myself through creative outlets. Regardless of this ever-changing hyphenated title, I know at my core I am an advocate and my passion is for humanness. For everyone’s sake and memory, I (half-jokingly) use the acronym C.H.A.M.P. as my main title focuses on coordinator, human, advocate, model, and photographer.
I have been behind a camera (photographer) since 2012 and began dabbling in front of the camera (model) in 2022. This transition from photographer to model was somewhat accidental, but always a good reminder that ANYBODY* can be a model. This actually happened at a local photo meetup (shout-out to @PortraitMeetDC), where I was in costume for Halloween. I was repeatedly asked if I was a model. I shyly laughed and held up my Nikon3200 and said, “no I’m a photographer, I’m just in costume.” I ended up working with a few photographers and tried my best to imitate what I thought a model had to do. Despite being an awkward, late-diagnosed neurodivergent person, I had fun being in front of the camera. The following month, I attended the photo meetup, not in a costume, and the same thing happened. Again, I was asked if I was a model, but this time I more confidently held up my camera, and told many photographers that I am a photographer. They continued to tell me that didn’t matter and they would be interested in working with me. Many people mentioned how I flowed well and “wasn’t afraid to smile” (something they didn’t often see with models due to “the model face”).
I pride myself on being genuine and true to those around me while also doing my best to showcase the importance of representation and the nuances that hide underneath the term “intersectionality.” Despite having no connection to the creative world to slingshot me ahead, I am extremely proud of myself for not only facing my fears, challenging the idea of what it means to “model” but, sharing myself with fellow creatives through events I coordinate under #mxedsignals. Since 2023, I have hosted over 8 events with themes ranging from from New Year celebrations to Barbiecore and recreation of classic 1990s/2000s movies (Little Mermaid, Mean Girls, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, etc). My most recent event was titled PRIDE Bride which was a thematic celebration of PRIDE 2024 with my favourite dress rental company, @BookALooker! It was amazing how much joy I felt coordinating this event to not only help create content to show off the beautiful dresses but to show the community how beautiful inside and out all of the models are by showing up and being themselves.Despite the strangers and haters for this event, it was a dream to create something with fellow PRIDE creatives.
As many of my multi-hyphenated titles show, I am a marginalized artist in many of my identities, and what sets me apart from so many is, I am aware and I am able to help others digest the not-so-fun topics. I have worked with many new models or creatives and talked about model safety, photographer ownership, and really pushed back on production rights and exploitation of models. Because of my experience, I have spent so much of my time learning to be compassionate, questioning the norm, and advocating when necessary. I am honest about my experience and with each photoshoot, runway, creative experience, or event I coordinate, I continue to learn something new.
*I truly believe anybody can model, but not everyone is a model. You can be fashionable. You can be conventionally attractive. You can be an influencer. You can be an actor or anything else you are, however, it’s the dedication to honing your skills and discovering your true purpose as a model that defines you as one. No amount of runways, instagram publications, being conventionally pretty, makes you something you’re not.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
There. Is. So. Much. Work. that goes into being creative and even more work being a [content] creator. I joke that all creatives are workaholics, because being a Creative and creating have become intertwined due to social media and 24/7 access to content and staying on trend. As a zillennial (a cusper between millennials and gen-zers), I have grown up with the internet and learned firsthand how to navigate the balancing act of the genuine-self and the curated online persona, managing the pressure of instant creating and staying creative (there is no need to make content just to make content), and of course separating myself from my work (learning to leave my ego at the door). It’s what we want to do, but it’s also quite daunting. From the logistics of booking, practicing, working, to staying relevant by doing research, finding trends, and thinking of new ideas and hot takes, to the mental work of introspection, checking your own ego, and asking if this aligns with yourself! If it seems like someone you know is “posting into the void,” “taking pictures just for the gram,” or “curating the perfect setup for their grid,” know that part of being creative is learning what tools are out there and [when intentionally used] these social media platforms are tools for modern day creatives to share stories, connect, and learn. For so many non-creatives, taking a picture is just clicking a button or modelling is just being pretty, but there’s so much that goes into anything and everything that creatives do so you can doom scroll, judge the girl on the cover of a magazine, or even enjoy a bus ad (yes, they still exist).
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
If you want to support your fellow artists and creatives, learn to advocate for laws that protect not just musicians, actors, writers, but ALL creatives, especially those most vulnerable such as young models, models of colour, and of course models with invisible & visible disabilities. It’s human nature to have a desire to create (art, music, photography, conversation, scripts, friendships, movies, etc) but until all of us in whatever creative category the world puts us in can be protected by law, we aren’t in the same ecosystem. Also, it never hurts to do the free things supporting artists by following them, giving a like, a comment, or sharing their creative works.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mxmikaela.wixsite.com/mxedsignals/model
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mxmikaela
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaelalismith/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=Khrbf_gNnJAnYv3MCmcG2Q
Image Credits
@jch_images
@art_trends_llc
@mikaelaliphotography / @bookalooker
@derrick.creative
@trapphonelovemelodies
@sonofsanchez
@graphichi
@shotsbyajc
@the_adobodumpling
@iamendira
@jul_star_photo
@illysava
@esnelldesign
@evnwlysmth