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

Alright, Carly thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

In the acting and modeling industry, I have worked on countless projects over the years. I am extremely thankful for each and every project that I have worked on, and some of them are very meaningful to me. Each project holds a special place in my heart, along with a wonderful memory from that day. Projects can make or break your career, and I think it’s important to have meaningful projects that you can look back on and remember that all of your hard work paid off. One project that is meaningful to me is a short film called Arrogant Boy. This project was written by my best friend who is an aspiring producer and studying film. This film was part of her thesis project which she could choose to write about any topic. She chose to create a short film about me and my modeling career. I was honored to be the subject of this film because as a model, it is often difficult to showcase all of the hard work that goes into a shoot and getting the perfect shot. Most times, people only see the final result of a photoshoot/campaign, and they don’t understand what it takes to be a model. The final shot is just the tip of the iceberg, and there is so much more that goes into a successful shoot. This project showcases the process from start to finish of a model getting ready for a shoot, the assistant preparing the clothing, the photographer shooting the photos, the model posing for the photos, the model changing looks, and most of all the hidden meaning behind the shoot. My friend spent months writing, preparing, and setting up this project with every single detail possible. The jacket I wore was custom made and the posters were all real photos from my previous modeling photoshoots. Doing this shoot gave me so much passion for what I do and why I do it. It allowed me to express my emotions and give 100% because it was so meaningful to me. The final result of this shoot turned out incredible and I could not have asked for a better film to represent me and modeling. I am proud to be a part of this project, and I hope others will be inspired and feel something when they watch it. Even though I filmed it a few years ago, it remains one of my favorite projects to this day, and I rewatch it all the time. Being able to create meaningful projects like this one makes all the difference in the world when you work in such a tough industry.

If you would like to watch the short film, check out the link below:
https://vimeo.com/925275505

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi everyone, my name is Carly Driver! I am a professional actress and a model, and I am excited to share my story. My acting and modeling journey began when I was a child. When I was younger, I always knew that I wanted to work in the modeling and acting industry and I was determined to make my dream come true! I loved being in the spotlight and portraying different characters, so I knew this industry would be perfect for me. I started my journey by taking modeling classes and participating in local plays in my hometown for fun. I learned the ins and outs of modeling and acting, and I loved every minute of being onstage or in front of a camera. As I got older, I started doing photoshoots with photographers, walking in runway shows, and being cast in bigger roles onstage. Once I was in high school, it suddenly hit me that I wanted to take modeling and acting seriously and that it was possible to make a career out of my hobbies. I hit the ground running and started doing as much research as possible on these industries to succeed. I signed with an agent and started working with professional photographers, designers, makeup artists, and casting directors. I then started to book both acting and modeling jobs, and I could not picture myself doing anything else! I had the opportunity to walk in New York Fashion Week, shoot with high-end designers, work with celebrity hairstylists, big TV production companies, and more! One of my favorite moments was when I had the amazing opportunity to attend Coco Rocha Model Camp. This experience changed my life and I would not be who I am today without it. I learned so much about modeling from the queen of pose herself, and those 4 days were nothing short of incredible. I now feel confident in myself as a model in pose, runway, and photoshoots thanks to Coco. Also, I have been insecure about my big ears for my entire life, and I was unsure if I could make it as a model because of them. However, I learned to embrace them and to use them to my advantage in the modeling world. In addition, I have traveled all over the US for acting and modeling jobs, and I enjoy every moment that I have on set. I also recently traveled to England to study film, and I had the opportunity to be behind the camera and learn what acting was like from a different perspective. I tried my hand at directing, lighting, sound, and editing, and I am now well-rounded in the film industry. Being able to learn about the film industry both in front and behind the camera provided me with two very different perspectives that have allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of acting. Currently, I work as a professional actress and model, and I plan to turn both of these into full-time careers, as well as work in the film/ modeling industry. I am planning to move to New York or California in the near future to further pursue my career. I am also planning on getting an agent in a bigger city to help me achieve my goals as an actress and model. I am so grateful that my younger self was so passionate about acting and modeling, and that I was determined to follow my dreams. Every day I wake up and I still can’t believe that I am living the dream… I’ll see you on set!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The number one question I get asked is “What’s your dream job as a model/actress?” I always have a hard time answering this question because it’s a loaded question! I have dream clients and companies I want to work for, and two of my biggest dreams are to be on the cover of Vogue and to be in a Marvel film. While these are some of my dream jobs, instead of focusing all of my time and energy on these goals, I like to focus on multiple goals instead to avoid being overwhelmed. Having goals keeps me motivated and drives my creative journey as a model and actress, and I like to set goals for myself and my career. When I am making goals, I like to start small and then work my way up to bigger goals as I progress through my career. When I first started my journey, my goal was to do a professional photoshoot. I’ll never forget the feeling of receiving those photos and realizing that my journey had just begun. I then started making goals to walk in fashion shows, work with designers, work on commercials, TV shows, and more. I never stopped dreaming and I kept pushing myself to do bigger and better things, and before I knew it, I was living the dream as a model and actress. Recently, I had the opportunity to work on a TV show pilot that was filmed in New York, and an action feature film that will be featured on Amazon Prime. I also had the opportunity to travel to Nashville for a national hair show event. Never in a million years could I have imagined myself in this position, and it’s all thanks to the goals that I set for myself, and that I kept going even if it was difficult. I also like to set goals to remind myself how far I have come in my journey and I can look back on my progress over the years. I constantly tell myself that everyone has to start somewhere and that the small goals are just as important as the big goals. When you get to see yourself in a project in a magazine, on TV, or in photographs, the feeling is truly incredible and sometimes it even feels unreal. My number one goal/motivator in acting and modeling is “Why?”My why in acting and modeling is to be able to see myself in a project that I have worked on and to know that I accomplished something meaningful to me. There is no better feeling than knowing you accomplished something that you have been chasing for so long. Whether that is being on the cover of Vogue or booking that first photo shoot, at the end of the day, I know that I am living my wildest dream and I can’t wait to see what the future holds. I have big dreams and I’m not going to stop until I reach them because I know it will all be worth it in the end. One of my favorite quotes is “Life begins outside of your comfort zone.” This quote motivates me every single day to just go for it! See you soon, Vogue and Marvel!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

As a model and actress working in the creative industry, you will learn many lessons throughout your journey that are vital to your career. Some of those lessons are easier than others, and some take one day to learn, while others can take years. One important lesson I had to unlearn is that failure is a bad thing. As a creative, I have heard the saying “practice makes perfect” countless times over the years. While this saying is true, you can practice something a million times, and it’s still not perfect. Over-practicing often leads to burnout and it can lead to a less than “perfect” performance. When I was younger, I remember practicing my monologues, memorizing lines, my runway walk, and modeling poses. I was determined to perfect these skills because I thought they would make me successful. After a while of practicing, I would get frustrated if something was not perfect, and I would sometimes give up on practicing. For many years I believed that I could not fail at something if I wanted to be successful, but in reality, failure is a good thing. Failing at something teaches you to overcome obstacles and it forces you to become a better version of yourself. For many creatives, failure is seen as a bad thing, but I see it as a good thing because I have become successful after failing at something. One year, I attended a casting for a fashion show and I didn’t make the cut. I was extremely devastated because I had worked really hard at preparing for the casting. However, by failing that year, pushed me to become even better for future castings. The next year, I attended the same casting, and I made the cut for the show! If I had not failed at the previous casting, I probably would not have worked as hard to prepare for the other castings, and I was very proud of myself for overcoming this obstacle. Another example is when I was submitting auditions for acting projects. I had received multiple auditions for various projects, and I did not receive callbacks/bookings for any of them. Again, I was extremely devastated because I had poured my time, effort, and energy into all of these auditions, and I was starting to lose hope. Flash forward a few months later, after many more auditions, I booked a job for a big production company, and I could not believe it! It ended up being one of the best jobs I had ever booked, I met so many incredible people on set, and it led to future jobs in film. After experiencing these failures in both acting and modeling, I learned that failure is an important part of the process of becoming successful. Rather than running away or fearing failure, I realized that I needed to embrace it and accept it. After years of failing and succeeding as a creative, I learned that failure… is a good thing. Here’s to failing, trying new things, and making it one day at a time in this industry. Thank you for listening to my story, and please reach out if you would like to work with me!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @carlydriver
• Facebook: @carlydriver
• Linkedin: @carlydriver
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

AJ Johnson, Robert Rodriguez, Tia Corbin, Leslie Kerrigan, Guillana Socorro, Lauren Gibson