We recently connected with Savanna Thompson and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Savanna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you have an agent or someone (or a team) that helps you secure opportunities and compensation for your creative work? How did you meet you, why did you decide to work with them, why do you think they decided to work with you?

Somewhere deep in me I always knew I wanted to pursue a creative career. It just took courage and timing for me to make that leap. I moved to New York City on leave from my university; with hopes of figuring myself out more and working on my mental health. Not even two weeks after I had moved to the City, I was scouted by a boutique modeling talent agency on my birthday (Jan 10)! I was coming out of the subway station at 34th after my birthday dinner, and the agent stopped me in the middle of the sidewalk because she loved my hair. After a brief conversation and some pictures, she invited me to a small shoot a few days later. I was terrified and excited – and although I was afraid I pushed myself to go. I had a great time that day – and that small positive experience gave me the courage to start putting my time and effort into growing as a model. Almost a year of hard work and hundreds of emails later, here I am!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a professional plus size model and content creator on Instagram. I’m signed with Onyx Unity and Collective Casting and Mgmt. I’m a member of the Extended Plus Network, the InfluenceHer Collective, and have had the pleasure of working with several beauty, hair, skin, fashion, lingerie, and lifestyle brands in my first year as a creator. I want my work to inspire plus size, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ people to stand in their truth and to increase representation for ‘petite’ (under 5’7″) plus size mixed race models. I am also very passionate about mental health advocacy and share a lot of resources on mental health, healthy relationships, and personal growth education on my social media.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is when I receive messages from acquaintances and people I knew growing up telling me their happy for me, proud to see my growth, and believe in my message and the work I’m trying to do.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

As a model or a content creator – in the beginning it’s a lot like an unpaid internship. People in the industry want you to prove that you’re worth something, but the opportunities for someone new to do so are limited. It can also be hard to make connections and introduce yourself into a pre-existing environment where a lot of models/creators already know each other. It can be so frustrating and I know a lot of people give up within their first year of trying. My advice is to stay determined and use your uniqueness to your advantage. Time and determination will get you pretty far if this is the work you truly want to do.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vana.thom/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savanna-thompson-10/

Image Credits
Photographs by Meg Mcconville, Rene Vega, Jude (DivineBrujeria), Lærke Rose Xin Xin Møllegaard, and Jazzmine Beaulieu