We were lucky to catch up with Shaine Adams recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shaine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

For as long as I could remember I’ve always wanted to model. The idea was put into motion before I could even truly process it. There’s videos of me only days old with my dad whispering to me “ You’re going to be amazing. Watch out Naomi Campbell and Iman because my baby has been born”. So funny to think about now. When I turned 6 my mom took me to my very first photoshoot, and I remember for years my grandmother and I would watch Americas Next Top Model endlessly while role playing.

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 family heavily encouraged me to go & finish college before pursuing my modeling career professionally. And so I did. Once graduating with my Bachelor’s Degree I ventured from NC to California.

Starting completely over in a new place where I had no connections, family or security blanket was a huge challenge but I was determined to venture out and achieve thing’s unimaginable. I began reaching out to other creatives such as photographers, designers, make up artists, stylists and other models to grow connections and potential friends. I’ll be honest it was a slow process and a huge investment. Truly valuing and respecting the work & skills of the creatives I reached out to meant dishing out a lot of money or arranging a collaborative photoshoot to help build my portfolio.

Once I built up my portfolio to display my range of modeling I began applying to SO many agencies. While there were a lot of no’s all it took was one yes!

After being in California for four years I have gotten signed to an agency in LA, walked LAFW, been published in a handful of magazines and have created a life Im proud of.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My sisters are my constant drive. Being the oldest of three sisters I’m very mindful of what I do, what deals I accept, how I’m being portrayed and making sure that I stay true to my morals and values. My goal is to show them what it looks like & what it takes to create the life you desire and deserve.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @bsaa_

Image Credits
Breana Oatey, Kola, Kamerin Lewis, Jamal-Akil Marshall, Jovon Roberts, Mark Gunter