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

Alright, Alexis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Deep down, I have always known that I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally. Growing up, I loved to perform. I was a gymnast and all-star cheerleader for much of my younger years. I remember spending my after school days with my brother mostly and we would use our time choreographing, stunting, and doing all types of other creative activities. We would raid my mother’s closet and make-up while she was at work, and he would get me all prepped to strut down our imaginary runways. I used to roll my eyes at the time of course because I was so stubborn, but little did I know that I would later find the most joy in modeling.

Eventually, after my older brothers all finished high school, my mother and I decided to move down south to Florida. This is when my world sort of flipped. I was no longer surrounded by my family and there were no great cheering gyms in my area so it was time for me to hang it up. However, AAU sports were huge and soon I would become a three sport athlete; making decisions on where I wanted to go to college.

I’m very grateful for my athletic career and the places it took me, as well as the lessons it taught me, but there was always something missing. In high school my mother and my trainer used to have to nag and beg for me to put extra time in the gym, but I would always find an excuse and if I did make it to the gym, I’d stall. Of course at the time I didn’t know the route of my procrastination, but I also didn’t need to as I was still getting highly recruited and found myself committing to the University of North Carolina Chapel-Hill on a full ride playing women’s basketball.

Chapel-Hill truly is a special place filled with so much greatness, but again something was always missing for me. I had a blast, don’t get me wrong, but I was never satisfied. I even transferred after my freshman year thinking that would make a difference and all it did was dig me deeper into a depressed state. So, when Covid came around and athletes couldn’t go anywhere besides the gym and their housing, I found myself creating again. Painting, dancing, photographing, etc., and within this time I found my internal spark again.

So after my junior season, without telling anyone in my family, I walked away from basketball and my full scholarship and dropped out. The backlash was exactly what I expected it to be but I knew it was for the best and I realized what I knew deep down all along. I am a creative. I was meant to model, photograph, film, creative direct, and design. Art is my language and creating has helped me find my voice again.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I got into modeling after dropping out of college my junior year. I was in Wisconsin at the time and once my basketball season was over I moved home to Florida for a few months. In August of 2022, I was visiting LA and an old teammate of mine was looking for a roommate. Without question, I called my mom and told her I was moving to Los Angeles. I went back home for a weekend and pack a suitcase and that was that.

For the first six months, I worked a 9-5 restaurant job while trying to get signed with an agency. During this time because of my lack of experience and portfolio, I was having trouble finding photographers to shoot with me so instead I invested in a camera and started shooting myself. This is when my family started to realize how serious I was about this profession. After a few rejects from other agencies, I was still determined to be a signed model. I just knew it would happen eventually.

In February of 2023, I took a trip to New York and stayed with my Aunt for about three weeks to try my chances with NYFW. As a freelancer, it can be very difficult to find castings for the event but I was able to find a few that would at least help me build my portfolio some more and it did. I walked for some shows and took the media images right back to LA with me. I immediately went on most of the agencies websites and submitted all my info. At this point, all that was left to do was wait.

At the end of March, I received an email from an agent named Michelle who wanted to meet in person. We set the appointment up beginning of April and I officially signed with ONE Management LA in the end of April. Since then, I have been booking jobs and shoots and I couldn’t be happier with the rate at which things are moving.

On top of that, I no longer work at the restaurant job. Instead, I have my own social media consulting business as well. As I write this now, 2023 is wrapping up so I almost feel like I am reflecting and as someone who took a chance and believed in herself, I couldn’t be more proud and grateful for how my first year of modeling and creating went.

I have found my passion & interests and in just a year I went from having my first job mixing salads, to being signed as a model and owning my own business. I have worked with brands like On Cloud, Asics, a variety of other talented artists, and some other companies I am not allowed to share yet until the new year, but there is still so much more I wish to accomplish with my modeling career and my next goal is definitely to make it my full time job.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

My freedom. Freedom to create whatever I want (shoots, film, graphic design). Freedom to travel. This one is especially important to me because as an athlete, no one realizes the sacrifices it really takes (unless you are working in sports). When I was playing, I was missing out on holidays with family because we’d have tournaments. There also were no spring or summer breaks. It just always felt like I was missing out on so much, especially because I value family so much. Now with modeling and my at home business, I can travel when I want to wherever. A little tip: the best way to do so is to plan photoshoots wherever you are going that way you are always building your portfolio even when you are on “vacation”.

I would also say the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or a model is the impact you can have on others. I never realized I was inspiring others by sharing my work and being vulnerable. At first it felt like I was just spamming my social accounts to just get my work out there (as a model, your social accounts are a huge part of your portfolio now). It wasn’t until recently that fellow models and photographers started reaching out to me to ask for advice or to just simply tell me to keep up the good work. It truly makes my day to help others and so to know that I am helping others with the thing I am most passionate about, there is no better feeling than that.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn is that everything has to be perfect. I am such a perfectionist and for the longest it was to a fault. For most of my life, I let the fear of failing or even judgment hold me back. As a naive kid, I used to love being goofy or the center of attention but over time, especially once more eyes were on me, I faded and hid behind my comfort zone. I became the quiet girl, unless you really knew me and for about a year or so I even stopped posting on my socials. I was so concerned with what others were thinking of me or if I was good enough or not.

But my pivotal point came from many different experiences that all hit me last year. Having to walk away from a sport I had put so many years into gave me a chip on my shoulder. Watching my brother get caught up in a working life and not having the time to showcase his true talents showed me a new perspective, and a few other personal losses and trials made me dig deep as a woman. Not to mention, my mother having to raise all of us by herself growing up and still continuing to give her all to make sure we are all set. It’s all bigger than me, and so who am I to let my fears get in the way.

Perfection is unachievable. It simply doesn’t exist and so why let it control you or cripple you I should say. My new saying is “Chaos makes the muse,” and I think that is a beautiful way to look at life.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexiduckett?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexi.duckett.3?mibextid=qWsEUC
• Other: https://www.onemanagement.com/Los-Angeles/Women/Development/Alexis-Victoria

Image Credits
Irvin Rivera Peter Nguyen Aaron Lacy