We recently connected with Ashley Varner-Warren and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Growing in Indiana, my focus was always on school and sports! It was very important for me to finish school and to become the first in my family to receive my Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. It was a huge accomplishment for me and something I am very proud of, but I also felt that I owed it to myself to try something I have always been interested in doing, modeling! I took the risk of moving to California after completing school and giving myself a shot at having a modeling career. The safest thing to do would be to get a job in the field I have been studying at school, but I knew I had to at least try a different path and be uncomfortable for a while. I knew moving to California was a risk because financially I would have to sacrifice by doing a lot of free trade modeling jobs in order to get more exposure. Of course, it was difficult at first but I found myself booking more jobs and getting signed with Sports Lifestyle Unlimited modeling agency! Looking back, I realized that it was worth the risk because I learned a lot about myself and had opportunities that led to improving my confidence, my ability to network and turn it into potential jobs and most importantly be able to adjust to whatever comes my way.

Ashley , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a signed model and modeling coach from South Bend, Indiana. After graduating with my masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, I started modeling in Los Angeles in 2014. I have walked the runway in New York fashion week, LA fashion week and Miami swim week as well as in Guyana and The British Virgin Islands for many designers including Michael Costello, Sergio Hudson, Carmen Steffens, Mister Triple X & Hale Bob. I have also worked with brands such as Nike and Walgreens.

After I became a stay at home mother, I decided that I wanted to give back to my community by helping models improve their runway and posing skills. With my 9 years of industry knowledge & experience, I became a partner in my business called Michiana Modeling Workshop located in my hometown of South Bend, IN. The workshops are designed to focus on model development for aspiring and current models in the community to become industry ready as well as serve as a mentor for upcoming models. A huge reason why we started this business was to help models be as prepared as possible for what they will face in the modeling world! Throughout my own modeling career, I have learned so much from my mistakes and I wish I had a mentor to help me be prepared.

I am most proud of my work during fashion week and landing on the cover of a local bridal magazine in my hometown. I am also proud of my work modeling for Nike which was in stores across the world and Walgreens holiday collection! I think what sets me apart from others is my experience and my passion for creating beautiful art! It truly makes me so happy to create and I’ve gained so much respect for the industry because throughout the years I become more and more confident within myself!

I would like to share how passionate I am with helping our youth! Even though my business is helping models improve their skills in the industry, I also focus on helping the models build confidence and self worth because the modeling industry can be a tough one to handle. Michiana Modeling Workshop is great because even if someone decides, while at the workshop, that modeling is not for them I believe that they will still walk away learning something about themselves! I also believe it is important to have programs and mentors for our youth other than sports to help them decide what their interests are and keep them busy outside of education.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media continues to grow and provide more opportunities for models. I have built my audience on social media by networking at fashion shows, fashion parties, business networking events and outings. My business and career are very important to me and any time that I am able to share it with others I do!

Social media is also a topic for our modeling workshops because it is important for the models to learn how to promote themselves as a model, but also to learn how to be safe on social media. Because models are able to book jobs from social media we encourage the model students who are serious about modeling to start posting more model type photos in order to showcase their work and skills. Many models think that jobs will find them, but the reality is you have to put yourself out there and reach out to brands and designers that you want to work with.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is creating and transforming in to something different each photoshoot, job and fashion show! I love the opportunity to get to wear designs that I would never think about wearing in my normal day to day life and bring them to life.

The most rewarding part about staring a model training program is helping models find their confidence and prepare them for what they will face in the modeling world! What I love and appreciate about our program is that even if someone realizes that modeling is not for them, they will still walk away learning something because we focus on building confidence, life skills and networking.     

Contact Info:

• Website: Modelashleybriana.com
• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/missashleybriana Www.instagram.com/michianamodelingworkshop
• Facebook: Www.facebook.com/Michianamodelingworkshop

Image Credits
Coral Castillo Michael Montiel Stephen Nitz Michiana Modeling Workshop Emily Werner