Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cecelia Schaefer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Cecelia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

For modeling, I’d say that the biggest misconception is when people assume that models are always confident 100% of the time, or that it must be such an “easy career” because we’ve just “gotten lucky with good genes.” Both of which couldn’t be farther from the truth! Modeling can actually sometimes tear your confidence down to ground zero, or make you feel not good enough. This is largely because modeling is a “90% No, 10% Yes” type of industry. As in you’ll experience getting turned down and not getting booked for every casting or job more than you’ll ever be experiencing constant success or having every door open for you right away. Always getting booked or chosen at every casting you attend just wouldn’t be realistic – every model knows this, but it still messes with our confidence sometimes. Every agency, casting director, or designer will all have different pre-conceived personal preferences for the type of model that they’re looking for specifically for each different project, and their own preferences can even be constantly changing too. So you just have to develop extremely thick skin, and learn not to take anything personally as a model in the industry. Due to the fact that it is such a saturated industry, whenever you get turned away from a casting or job because you didn’t fit what the director or designer had in their mind for their own creative vision, then you just have to brush it off and remind yourself that’s all okay. And that you keep moving forward, because you could end up being the perfect fit for what someone else is looking for in the next casting or job that you attend or book. Models definitely go through insecurities and fears, but you just can’t let that noise become too loud or get in the way of what you internally know your talents and capabilities are as a model.

And then there’s the stereotype that modeling is an easy career just because we’ve lucked out with “genetic gifts” based on how we look physically, and that’s just complete nonsense to me. Society has often sadly never recognized modeling as a true art form nor as a difficult career, and models themselves have always been categorized as just being a pretty face standing in front of a camera, or that it doesn’t take hard work. But that to me is a huge misconception because: If photography itself is an art form, then the subjects (i.e. the models) of said photographs or photography projects should also therefore be viewed as art forms. And the skills that are required to be a great model are also things that have to be legitimately mastered like a craft: The ability to fluidly photo-pose your body in unique ways and into creative angles for an interesting shot, being able to connect and mesh with a moving camera as art, mastering a confident and strong runway walk that makes spectators hold their breath and physically draws their eye to the designer’s clothing pieces worn on your body in a fashion show, the intense physical fitness regime and exercise discipline that you have to maintain on a regular basis to keep your body sculpted looking like an art form. . . These facets of modeling are all art and they are difficult skill sets that must be learned and sharpened just like in any other career or craft, and they take hours of devoted practice and hard work to master.

Now when it comes to hunting: Where do I even begin with the misconceptions thrown by society! The world of hunting and hunters themselves are so extremely mischaracterized that it’s one of the reasons why I’m so passionate about it and am such an advocate for the hunting tradition and lifestyle. People always assume that hunters don’t care about the environment or wildlife, or that hunters just do it for the thrill to kill things. All of which are some of the most flagrant misconceptions and misunderstandings that I’ve ever experienced in my life. If people would just take the time to truly understand the traditions and foundational environmental purposes behind hunting, their minds would most likely change. Outdoorsmanship and hunting means being a steward of the land to care for everything in the environment: Your main job as a hunter is to fearlessly protect wild things in wild places, and to promote conservation through doing so. A true, respectable, and responsible hunter is not doing it just for “the thrill.” True hunters are hunting to put organic, healthy food on the table, to form a deep and intimate connection with the land and the animals around them, and to educate others about how all of that is intricately connected to conservation. From my experience when speaking with non-hunters, most people are completely unaware of how many serious laws, rules, and regulations are put in place by state governments that hunters are legally and strictly required to follow in order to keep conservation and safety at the forefront of hunting. Most people are completely unaware that in order to hunt, you are legally required to complete and successfully pass the hunting safety and education courses that are necessary before you can even go obtain your license. Most people are completely unaware that whenever you then purchase said hunting and fishing license, 100% of those fees go directly to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for on-the-ground conservation efforts and research. Hunting thus directly funds national conservation, as all-together annually hunters contribute more than $1 billion per year to those conservation programs. Money generated from those license fees, in addition to taxes on guns, ammunition, or fishing equipment, end up providing more than half of the funding for state wildlife agencies. Hunters take this responsibility very seriously and with honor.

Most people are also completely unaware that within these laws and regulations imposed within the hunting tradition, each and every single unique species of wildlife has an annual bag limit, or a quota, that determines how many you are legally allowed to kill and harvest in each season in order to prevent overharvesting or the extinction of any species. And these bag limits or quotas for each species are determined by extensive research from biologists and conservation scientists (that your hunting license has funded and paid for!), and every season these limits will vary within each different individual county in the state based on the health status, breeding cycles, and conditions of the population numbers of each species that year. And it’s all based on the intricacies of environmental science in order to keep native and non-native wildlife population numbers in check each year so as to ensure ecological balance across all local environments. If one species of wildlife becomes overpopulated and dominates a local ecosystem, then everything connected to that species in the food chain – including the physical surroundings such as vegetation health, soil quality, water abundance, etc. – will suffer tremendously. That is where hunters and their legal limits to harvest a species come in: To ensure that certain species’ population numbers are kept in balance and at an optimal level so that the surrounding environment can thrive in ecological harmony together.

So to summarize, true hunters are not just going out whenever we want, with zero qualifications, and carelessly killing whatever we want for “the thrill” and causing species to go extinct. That is a huge misconception and a fallacy. If someone is doing that, then they’re not entitled to call themselves a hunter at all – they’d be nothing more than an ignorant poacher, and they’d definitely belong in jail for violating the laws that responsible hunters follow and respect with honor.

Our woods and waters and wild places are where my heart will always be as a hunter. Hunting is a sacred connection with the natural world that only fellow hunters can understand from experience. It pains me that true hunters are continuously mischaracterized because other people simply cannot open their minds to understanding everything that I’ve mentioned above that goes into hunting and outdoorsmanship. But where we hunters constantly feel the heaviest weight is just in protecting our sacred tradition, as we all know how it directly protects the future and well-being of our beloved wildlife and the surrounding environmental balance. So being an advocate for us real hunters, who are doing it for the right reasons, is where I hope to shatter the constant misunderstandings from society.

Cecelia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

So for those who may not have read about me before, I grew up in an extremely remote area of south-central Texas near a tiny town called Utopia! I was raised on a ranch of about 220 acres in the middle of nowhere, and in my opinion, it’s the most beautiful area of Texas that exists. My sister and I were blessed to have grown up surrounded by and immersed in nature and the wilderness of the ranch at our fingertips – Raising livestock, riding horses, taking care of animals, competing in rodeo, hiking, fishing, and of course, hunting! So experiencing that lifestyle growing up definitely shaped me to the core of who I am and what I value. Living in the middle of nowhere and constantly learning rough lessons from the outdoors is like a different kind of “classroom.” I’d say 90% of life’s most important lessons I learned on the ranch from growing up in the country: Responsibility, respect, community, humbling yourself down, the circle of life and impermanence, self-defense, self-sustainability, and knowing where your food comes from by responsibly hunting and fishing. Everything related to outdoorsmanship encompasses some of the most valuable aspects of life that humans can be skilled in, humbled by, and grounded in. And I will forever be grateful for that type of upbringing and the values it instilled in me, and will forever be grateful for having my parents and sister be excellent examples and teachers of those principles as well. Hunting has also always been very special to me and my family’s traditions across multiple lines and generations, and so I owe it all to those family members who have taught and guided me in the world of hunting. Especially my dad – He has always been my most encouraging, unwavering hunting partner, and he’s constantly teaching me new insights to become the best hunter and outdoorswoman that I can be. Some of my most cherished memories in life are those when I’ve been hunting side-by-side with my dad. That special bond we’ve built through hunting together has truly been one of the biggest pillars in my life that have molded me into the woman I am today.

That being said, when it comes to my modeling passion, the world of the fashion industry wasn’t very pronounced or represented in the remote ranch lifestyle that I experienced, nor in any surrounding communities near where I grew up. As a child, I think that’s what made the fashion and modeling industries seem so enticing to me though. . . It was like this radically different fantasy world of creativity, craftsmanship, and expressive art. So when I later moved to Austin to attend college at the University of Texas, I began doing freelance modeling work with whatever opportunities I could find. After graduation, I knew I wanted to finally pursue my modeling dreams on a professional level. I then spent the next six months every weekend committed to taking photo-posing classes and receiving runway coaching, learning about the more complex inner workings of the fashion industry as a whole, putting together a portfolio, practicing for castings, and really just refining my modeling skills to elevate myself to the level of being seen, respected, and represented professionally. I then discovered and signed with the Neal Hamil Agency in Houston, and I’ve been signed with them for about three years now!

In terms of the creative works that I provide as a model with the agency, I do commercial and fashion print modeling that would be needed for brand campaigns or magazines, I walk runway shows, and am also in the talent division encompassing acting and singing. In terms of the “products” that I provide as a hunter: It’s just an abundance of meat (for my personal eating and not for sale to the public, sorry)! My freezer is always full of meat that I’ve hunted, and it feels so rewarding to be able to nourish my body from the harvests of my hunts. I legitimately cannot remember the last time I purchased meat from any grocery store at all, simply because I refuse to give my money to factory farms. . . When instead, I just hunt for my own food and know exactly where it came from, how the animal lived its life in a paradise of wilderness, how it perished by my hands, and how it was prepared. It feels so much better to get your food that way, I promise.

I think what sets me apart from others is that I unapologetically refuse to be cast into any preconceived molds or put into a box of the status-quo life that most people are living today. I will never be content or satisfied with the idea of a mundane work life that is spent obsessing and slaving over society’s expectations of where you “should be” in life progress-wise, and then one day you die, and then that’s it? Absolutely not for me. That’s why I’ve chosen the path to become so deeply committed to pursuing my true dreams, hobbies, and passions of modeling and hunting, and whether that makes sense to other people I could simply care less.

My background and ranch upbringing are definitely unique from others these days too, as not many people grew up that way, nor are others too keen on embracing a rural lifestyle and the traditions that come with it. And I guess my interests aren’t really considered “normal” for what would be society’s version of a stereotypical model either. . . Usually when people find out that I’m a model, but then I mention that my other biggest passion is hunting and that I actually grew up on a ranch as an outdoor country kid, most people are in disbelief. I guess some people can’t register the fact that having that type of lifestyle or personality is possible: To be able to rock a pair of heels, ace a photoshoot or walk a runway in full glam, but then also have the ability and strength to be hunting, gutting, and eating my own wildlife for food as an outdoorswoman with no makeup, greasy hair, and dirty clothes. But it’s my reality and I wouldn’t want it any other way! My multifaceted lifestyle – and my passions which are basically polar opposites of each other – are what makes life unique and vivid for me.

Contrarily, it’s also important to mention that the darkest periods of my life – which have encompassed events that I still live with now and am healing from on a day-to-day basis – have also set me apart to view life in drastically different ways than people who have maybe just coasted through this world without facing any life-shattering tragedies. Now whether that sets me apart from others as either a blessing or a curse, is what I’m still trying to decipher. But, I always try to have a smile on my face despite what I’ve been through. Above all else in life, the only thing that matters when I leave this earth one day, is that I’ve devoted myself to being the kindest person that I can be. By showing compassion, grace, forgiveness, and understanding to others, even when people have not shown the same to me, is like my guiding North Star principle of how I treat people. It is sometimes to my detriment, but I refuse to let this world or other people’s ill-treatment of me make me hardened, closed off, or unable to show grace.

For modeling, I’d say that I’m most proud of how far I’ve come as a whole – I look back on myself as a little girl in a small town on a remote ranch with a pipe-bomb dream to model in what then seemed like a completely foreign, intimidating, and inaccessible industry to me, as a student who devoted so much time for academics her whole life and barely had time to even take a breath let alone pursue a modeling career on the side, as a trauma victim and survivor of a severely dark period of mental health in my life. . . But then I see where I am today and all that I’ve accomplished while enduring those obstacles. And that I’ve not only already achieved some of my professional modeling goals, but that I’m continuing to check things off of my aspirations list (like walking in Miami Swim Week this summer)! I’m also living the life I had always dreamed of, and I’m proud that I’ve remained strong, kept climbing the ladder, and have never given up, especially in what can often be a cut-throat industry. Having to bravely enter the modeling world and fashion industry originally, with little to no professional experience, was tough and very intimidating in the beginning. But I’m proud of the work that I’ve done to mold myself and develop my skills in order to be taken seriously. I sacrificed a lot to receive the professional training that I knew I needed to attain in order to build and refine my skills as a new model, and there were times when I wanted to give up, or when I felt defeated, or when I thought that I wasn’t good enough to make it in the industry. But your dreams only work if you do, and so I kept working hard and never gave up.

In the hunting realm, I’m most proud of how much newfound expertise and respect I’ve gained as a female hunter and outdoorswoman every year. With each new hunting season, I’m always striving to learn something new in order to polish and refine my skills. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that hunting has obviously been a male-dominated field of space throughout history, and it can be intimidating for females to establish their footing in it. So to be a young woman who can be just as strong and skilled as her male counterparts in the world of outdoorsmanship and hunting – That is something I’ll always be proud of. Being able to amass endless knowledge and facts about the biology, behaviors, and activity patterns of the wildlife that I’m hunting, to continuously improving my own stalking techniques during the pursuit phase of a hunt, to constantly perfecting my shot as a firearms marksman (and yes, I expect nothing less than a perfect shot every time), to becoming more efficient and accurate with my gutting techniques, to learning innovative ways to process and cook all of the meat. . . As a female hunter, these are all elements of hunting and outdoorsmanship that I’ve come to hold myself accountable to the highest standards of growth and improvement in. This is simply so that I can continue to be an example and role model to other young girls that you most definitely can be a strong, tough, knowledgeable, fierce hunter as a woman in a space that is often male-dominated. And that you should confidently hold your ground of expertise while doing so. That is something I’ll constantly be proud of as a female hunter, and it’s something that can never be taken away from me or from other young girls who would like to pursue this passion too.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

For my journey as a hunter, the particular mission that always drives my passion is to establish and maintain a sacred and intimate connection with nature, and to be able to fuel my body with the “field-to-fork” principle of hunting for your own organic food. I’m always committed to growing intellectually and spiritually as a hunter, and keeping hunting as a core tenet of my life allows me to nourish my body from natural wildlife that I will forever hold the utmost awe and respect to. It’s my goal to indefinitely maintain this natural lifestyle of never having to contribute to the horrendous, abusive, and torturous factory farm industry at expensive grocery stores.

Aside from the mission of being able to provide myself with my own sustainable and ethical meat source for food (and to educate others that they too can do the same), what hunting means to me goes far deeper than just that: It’s truly about establishing an intimate connection with nature and the circle of life. My goal through hunting is to always immerse myself into the wilderness in order to maintain that direct relationship with wildlife. It’s an extremely special feeling of being fueled by nature, and it develops a personal connection with your food source and the wilderness around you. That will always be one of the most beautiful, grounding, and invaluable parts about hunting to me that drives my journey forward. . . And it will always be my mission to advocate for hunting so that others can experience that sense of sacredness with their natural world.

I’d also like for my mission as a hunter to encompass shedding light on the fact that hunting is definitely a spiritual experience, and it can be very healing if you’re going through a dark time in life. One of the things I love most about hunting is that even if it was an unfruitful day, you still got to sit in the wilderness for hours, just thinking and observing. It develops a positive relationship with solitude and owning your thoughts, almost like meditation or prayer. You’re there alone, totally silent, hidden, and camouflaged from everything for hours, yet at the same time you’re completely immersed into all of the nature and wildlife that is pulsing and breathing around you. Watching your surroundings of how the interactions between nature and wildlife carry on and unfold just as they normally would on their own daily basis and schedule, as if you didn’t even exist, but meanwhile you’re sitting right there in the middle of it all. It’s truly like you’re invisible, but also intimately connected to everything around you at the same time. It’s such a peaceful, tranquil, surreal, and healing experience, and I’d love for others to know what that feels like when hunting.

Lastly, none of these goals or missions of mine as a hunter would be possible without all of the biologists, conservation officials, and game wardens with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for always maintaining the best hunting, fishing, and nature conservation programs and laws in the country. Their research year after year helps ensure that our beautiful Texas ecosystems and wildlife diversity are kept in ecological balance through responsible hunting and fishing practices, and it will always be my mission to direct people’s attention to their tireless efforts.

For my journey as a model, my main goal that drives my mission forward is to be an example to other young girls that you can absolutely pursue any dream that you want, despite your background or despite other people telling you that your dreams are “unrealistic.” And that as a model, you most definitely can attain it all and be multifaceted: You can be beautiful, you can be confident, you can be unapologetically sexy and proud of your body, you can be intelligent and excel as a scholar in academics, you can be strong, you can be grounded and humble, you can nurture and advocate for your own mental health, you can be a tough hunter or an outdoors expert and immerse yourself into traditionally male-dominated spaces, fields, or passions. . . And that no one else can tell you otherwise, because it is your life and not anyone else’s. And as a model in an industry where it’s so easy to feel the weight and heaviness of other peoples’ constant criticisms, I just want to show other aspiring models that it’s completely within your own power to drown out the noise, keep pushing forward, and never stop believing in yourself to check off every big goal or milestone on your list. And everyone else who doubted you can just sit back and watch.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In terms of resilience, one of the worst chapters of my life hit all at once right when I had just started to gain my footing and journey as a new model. In the summer of 2020 during the pandemic, I experienced being a witness to and first-responder on the scene of a horrific, gruesome, and tragic car accident that has forever changed how I view and live life. The trauma of what I saw and experienced that day was something that no human should ever have to see or endure, and it thrust me into a very dark place emotionally and mentally. I was also at the same time trying to heal from a crippling heartbreak after the end of a tumultuous relationship, plus navigating ongoing medical issues within my family from a disease that kept getting more severe and scary by the day. It just seemed like left and right I was being hit with events of loss, grief, pain, and mourning. I began therapy and was diagnosed with clinical depression, PTSD, and anxiety. I’ve become very open about the dark periods of my life, because I think that mental and emotional health needs to be at the forefront of conversations regarding self-care and self-awareness. Society has conditioned us to be so effective at just pushing down our feelings and ignoring ourselves when we know we need help. So I hope that through being open and vulnerable about my own experiences with trauma, depression, and mental health, it can inspire others to feel like they have the courage to open up themselves and that there are soft places to land to seek healing. I also want to serve as an example that even the people who seem to have it all pulled together the most, probably don’t. We’re all suffering or hurting from something and that’s okay. If it weren’t for the months of therapy that I immersed myself in, or my amazing friends, family, and faith during that period of my life, I honestly don’t know if I would’ve been able to come out on the other side.

Modeling and hunting also became a huge outlet for me during this chapter, and both were extremely integral to my healing. Immersing myself into the beauty and energy of what I loved doing as a model and as a hunter really helped to remind me that I have dreams to live for, accomplishments to be proud of, examples to set, and more experiences to look forward to. And constantly reminding myself to be grateful for every second, to be grateful that we’re all even alive here and got to rise another day with the sun. . . Because that’s never guaranteed. Those thoughts alone, combined with my faith and relationship with God, have always driven my resilience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thenealhamilagency.com/talent/cecelia-schaefer-1?main_portfolio=women-commercial&portfolio=women-commercial
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cecelia_schaef/
• Other: http://voyageaustin.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-cecelia-schaefer/

Image Credits
Luis Pereira Torry Sledge / Quantum Lotus Labs Steven Salazar