We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Darci Clark a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Darci, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?

As a model, having a good agency is key to a successful career. They are the team that helps you secure bookings, get paid for your work, and helps open doors for big opportunities. Finding the right agency for you can be tough, though. I went through a couple different local modeling agencies before finding my current agency and expending to agencies in other markets.

Even though the agency is the one getting you in front of clients and booking you jobs, they can’t make money unless you are making money, so it’s important you sign with an agent that you respect and work well with. I enjoy the agencies I’m currently signed with because they have a great client list, are professional and respectful, communicate well, and always have my best interests top-of-mind. I believe they wanted to sign me to their rosters because I am also professional and respectful, communicate well, and have a strong work ethic. They know they can send me to bookings and I will do my job well and keep their clients happy.

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 began my modeling career at the young age of 16 when I auditioned for and was signed by John Robert Powers, a modeling school and agency in the Kansas City area in 2004. In 2009 I signed with my local agency, Voices And. In 2010, I was signed with The Campbell Agency’s runway division in Dallas and in 2013 I also signed with West Model Management in St. Louis. I have walked the runway not only for local designers, but for notable brands such as Ralph Lauren, Armani, Harbison, and Brunello Cucinelli. Some of my favorite bookings include City Lifestyle magazine covers, Sporting Kansas City’s Sporting Style, and PacSun. I am still an agency signed model, and will continue on this amazing journey as long as I am able to!

In 2018, I created my blog ‘My Model Reality’ to share my experiences and knowledge of the modeling industry. I started this blog because I wanted to be the mentor I wish that I had when I was just getting started. All of the topics I cover in my blog are written with the goal of helping other new and aspiring models gain the knowledge they need to avoid some of the pitfalls I experienced due to lack of resources.

In addition to creating my blog, I have teamed up with The Model Board where I offer model coaching sessions that are individually tailored to my students to help them reach their goals. Covering everything from runway and posing skills, model safety and mental health, and how to build lasting relationships with agents and clients, I am always open and honest about the good and the not-so-good aspects of the modeling industry.

I believe you are never too good to stop learning, and I’m always striving to improve my skills. I have received one-on-one runway coaching from the legendary Jan Strimple as well as attended Coco Rocha Model Camp in NYC. I also greatly enjoy being a part of the local fashion industry, and have served as a board member for Kansas City Fashion Council, Inc. and as the Model Director for Runway Review KC.

What sets me apart from others is I base all of my teachings off of actual experiences I’ve had in the modeling industry. I don’t give any false hopes and I am very honest about the glamourous and dark sides of the industry. I am my student and blog reader’s biggest cheerleader, and I am incredibly proud of them when they achieve their goals!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe my consistency and ability to help models reach their goals has helped me build & maintain my reputation in the modeling industry. I continue to work as a professional model while writing my blog and coaching instead of being a retired model, so I am staying current with the information I am relaying to new models. In an industry where everything changes and moves very quickly, it’s easy to fall behind on what the current trends and protocols are. The models that I coach and mentor have also gone on to achieve many successes in their careers using the knowledge and skills I have given them, which truly makes me so proud.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to get as much information as possible to models so that they can be equipped to navigate the crazy modeling industry with confidence. It can be such a sketchy career to get into. People will be trying their hardest to take advantage of new models, and if they’re unprepared, they could end up in a dangerous situation. I also want to teach them to be true professionals and really elevate the modeling industry as a whole by perfecting their skillsets and setting the standards bar high.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mymodelreality.com
• Instagram: mymodelreality
• Facebook: Darci Clark
• Twitter: mymodelreality
• Other: TikTok- MyModelReality

Image Credits
Photos by Jason Tracy, Neal Troester, and KCFW.