We were lucky to catch up with Tracy Dias recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tracy, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I would say moving to NYC without a plan or job was one of the biggest risks I’ve taken but leaving a secure financially stable job to pursue my passion during a pandemic might top that.

It was the summer of 2020, a year I think we all will never forget. I had been furloughed from my corporate job I started back in July 2019 when I first moved to NYC. I was an assistant/receptionist for a fashion company. I absolutely dreaded my job never feeling like I contributed to anything they did. It all felt so meaningless to me. I learned very quickly a 9-5 life was not for me so when covid hit and I was furloughed I was not upset at all. I was one of the lucky ones that received unemployment so I was making more than I ever had working that job. I never wanted to go back. In between all of this I always wanted to pursue modeling full time. When I was working my job I filled my weekends with photoshoots to build my portfolio and networking with as many people as I possibly could. Then, when my job asked for me back in August 2020 I made the hard decision to officially quit. I wanted to take a chance on myself and see where I could really take modeling. It was hard at first because we were still in a pandemic. I was living below my means for quite awhile and surviving off of the savings I had built from my job and unemployment. But I’m so happy I made that decision and have never regretted it. Even though I wasn’t making as much as my old job at first, I didn’t care. I rather make less and be happy then to go to a job every day I hate. I’ve always heard “do what you love and the money will follow”. I may not ever know when my next paycheck is coming as a freelancer but I always trust in the process and that next job always comes. I’m now making more than the job I was working at.

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

Nice to meet you my name is Tracy Dias! I’m a full-time model/model coach/content creator here in NYC and LA. I’m signed to MMG here in NYC, Reinhard in Philly and Element Talent agency in LA. I’ve been modeling for over 5 years now. I specialize in commercial/lifestyle and beauty modeling but I have experience in all types. I’ve modeled for brands like Macy’s, Walmart, Kiss Cosmetics, Nike, Grande Cosmetics etc. I’ve walked NYFW as well as NYSW and have been on shows like Power Book lll: Raising Kanan, Wendy Williams show, TODAY show etc. I can’t say growing up I dreamed of becoming a model. I was a VERY shy kid and never stepped out of my comfort zone. I also watched a lot of America’s Next Top Model and none of those models looked like me. While I am on the smaller side I thought I was way too short to be a model. I never knew there were other types of modeling like commercial where size and height doesn’t matter much. My dad once even brought me to a modeling agency when I was 9 and all I had to do was walk down a runway and I just couldn’t do it.
It wasn’t until my junior year of college and a guy named Bryan (now one of my closest friends) reached out to me on Instagram asking if I could model for him and his cousin’s brand called Zappy. I wrote back saying I wasn’t a model and had no experience. He reassured me that it would be a chill environment and that no experience was required. I was at a point in my life where I was tired of sheltering myself from experiences. I wanted to finally put myself out there and try new things/meet new people. I agreed to do it. The day of I remember feeling so nervous I almost made up an excuse to not go. I hated being in spaces where I knew no one (if you know me now you wouldn’t even believe that statement). I forced myself to go and when I say I had the best time ever! I made so many close friends that day that I’m still friends with till this day. I gained confidence in myself that I could actually step out of my comfort zone. From there, things just started to naturally happen. When the photos released I started getting more messages from photographers to work together. It wasn’t until the end of my senior year of college where I really thought I could do this as a career. I then moved to NYC June 2019 and the rest is history. I’ve built a life where I get to get up everyday and do what I love.
Something I learned over the years of doing this is that I love helping people which is what brought me to starting my model coaching business. Once I really started working in this industry more and more people began to reach out and ask a lot of questions about how to get into modeling or how to actually make money from it. This was never just a short answer from me because it’s more than just “oh get signed to an agency” it takes a lot of hard work and commitment to do this for a living. I never wanted to leave people hanging with a vague answer which prompted my model coaching course. I wanted to provide all models at any level with the knowledge you need to be successful in this industry. I noticed a lot of modeling classes only provided the basics such as posing and runway walking. While yes that is important to know how to do the real power comes in knowledge in the business side of things. This industry is a business and I always say models are a literal walking business and you must treat yourself as such. I created a 4 part course where we cover business info, do a casting exercise, posing, walking, and get your digitals taken. It goes beyond my class as well as you have me for life to ask any questions you may have in the future. Again, I love what I do and to be able to share that with other people and be a part of their journey in some way is the most fulfilling feeling.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Books I found helpful are The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and The Actor’s Life by Jenna Fischer. The Power of Now is about learning how to let go and live in the present moment. This has helped guide me to let go of either living too much in the past or worrying about the future. I think it’s a great first self help book if you’re just getting into that sort of thing. It was my first one and I felt it was easy to follow along with. The Actor’s Life is such an amazing book to get an insight of what a successful journey can look like in this industry. It’s written by Jenna Fischer better known as Pam from the TV show The Office. She tells her story in such a fun and comedic way all while giving great advice for new comers. A lot of people think success and fame come easy or that it’s just an overnight success but it took her 7 years to land the role that would change her life. A podcast I love for motivation is The Mindset Mentor with Rob Dial. It’s designed for anyone desiring motivation, direction, and focus in life. The episodes are short and very digestible. I usually listen to them every morning and they really help me want to strive for more and better in my life.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I don’t have the biggest following in the world but what I do have is a very supportive community that I’m so proud I built. My audience has my back and I know I have a support system that is really rooting for me. I started out in college doing curly hair tutorials. I went through the whole process of my curly hair journey and decided to share parts of that on Instagram. That is initially what started my content creating. I partnered with tons of curly brands and began to grow a following from that. I started to pivot a year after I moved to NYC when I really started taking modeling seriously. I wanted to share my journey on trying to make it in this industry and started sharing day to day things that I do. I realized I was starting to gain an audience that really enjoyed and engaged in watching my journey. So now I just try to create more educational content on modeling while keeping it entertaining.

The biggest advice I can give is don’t be afraid to show your personality. A big part of my success comes from embracing who I am and putting that energy out into the world unapologetically. You are such a unique individual, only you can be you. Show that. It really shows when people are being unauthentic and living a “pretend” life. I think that also can lead to unhappiness because you’re constantly living a life of trying to please people with someone you aren’t. Be you and I promise eventually you will find your community of people who relate to you.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_tracydias
• Other: Email: tracydias07@gmail.com

Image Credits
1st pic: @shootsbyammar_ 3rd pic: @shootwithjets 6th & 7th pic: @individualistic