We were lucky to catch up with Malu Toro recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Malu thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
Everything started in an unexpected way. I remember that I’ve always had a bad posture and my mom used to tell me to stand up straight all the time, but being the tallest girl in my class was very hard for me. That’s how my mom made me attend a model camp to learn how to have a good posture because she had the same experience at my age. I was hesitant at first, I wasn’t sure I would like it, but anyway I decided to give it a try. At the camp, they didn’t just teach me how to walk, but also photography, acting, and pose classes, I fell in love with modeling. I was totally passionate about modeling; it was just made for me. After three weeks, the owner of one of the biggest agencies in Colombia went to the camp, and she saw me. She told my mom that I should sign with the agency, I was so excited that I couldn’t believe it. I remember that day, when I went back home and started dancing and celebrating. That’s how I started modeling at age 14.
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.
My name is Malu, and I’m a Colombian brave girl following the desire to conquer the world. I have three passions in life: modeling, traveling, and living my dreams, but what I like the most is exploring the world and enjoying each moment to the fullest. I study Business and modeling at the same time. Since I started modeling, my life made a 180 degrees turn and I felt like everything just started to make more sense. Modeling is my happy place. The biggest challenge I faced was planning my schedule between classes and photo shooting. It’s like having a double life, running to get on time for work, then heading to the University with my shooting clothes and makeup to do my exams, and coming back home after a long day to do my homework. I’m really happy, and I had already learned how to handle it, which makes me so proud of myself. Modeling is always viewed as a very glamorous job, but it takes a lot of hard work, long working hours, and most of the time complex shoot schedules. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. As a model, I do my best to connect with the brand I am working with. I do some research about brand identity and the message to their potential customers. On the photoshoot day, I just carry the best energy with me, go with the flow, and start posing. I really enjoy every single work that I have. Finally, to balance my busy life, I practice meditation and spend my free time with the people I love.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding thing for me is helping others and showing them that anything you want in life can be done if you work hard for it. It doesn’t matter if you don’t get the support you were expecting, because we face a lot of NO that make things harder, but there’s no better feeling than watching how all your efforts and sacrifices were worth it. When you are passionate you become a superhero who is even capable of using time in your favor and making the most of it daily, you just need to believe it. I’m not going to lie to you, sometimes it’s very tough, and you think of quitting, but you need to know that all the hard tests that you face, make you grow and learn. I really like to say this because once you believe it, you become unstoppable. Nowadays, I do what I love every day which is modeling and also study my business career. I never thought I could make it at the beginning because it was like playing against time and I literally had to dedicate my entire life to work and study but trust me, it was worth it and I really love to tell my story and prove that it’s possible, no matter how hard it seems.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I’m a very active person, I love to have a lot of hobbies and to have my own independence. That’s why I’m planning to have three companies, a marketing and model agency, a real estate company, and an Italian restaurant, to mix my three passions in life: modeling, business, and food. I know it sounds like I’m crazy because they have nothing in common, but it’s my dream. For modeling, I have learned how it is possible to monetize my passions, and that will be my goal in the future. In the meantime, I will keep working hard to reach my goal of opening a Dior Couture Runway one day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://caracalmanagement.mediaslide.com/package/view/59/2915fa5a#book-27
- Instagram: @malutoroo
- TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@marialuisatoroo
Image Credits
Arley Vélez