Daily Inspiration: Meet Elena Mia A

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elena Mia A.

Elena, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?  Ever since I was a kid, I was always fascinated being in front of the camera. It’s difficult to say how I started to be honest; ever since I was in high school, I knew I wanted to model, however not being 18 and not having support made it difficult. I never gave up the image of me modeling; I knew I hav(d)e a knack for it. As years went by, I was in college everywhere I went wearing slight of makeup, people would compliment me and asked me the popular question, “Ever thought of modeling? Well, you should you have the face that should be in front of the camera”. As months went by the thought of “Should I continue following my dream of being a model?” kept replaying in my head; of course, there have been numerous of times where I just wanted to give up and choose my other profession in Psychology. I eventually took a break from modeling for about 4 years due to work and school, INCLUDING covid was hitting across the globe; never once have I stopped imagining what my life would be. Fast forward to the summer of 2023. I have done tons of reflecting on who I am and what I want to do made my final decision regardless; I don’t have the support except from friends. I’m going to make this happen; it’s not going to be easy since I don’t have any connections, but I am determined to make my way up to the top. I ended up working with one photographer. After I received the final photos from that one photographer, I decided to put myself out there on social media and allow my work to be seen for other models, photographers, etc. My modeling work surprising received a lot of attention from different photographers from different states wanting to collaborate. Unfortunately, I’m unable to travel due to educational commitments. As of now, I try to be local for modeling photoshoots since I’m currently finishing my degree. Nevertheless photographers and I agree to collaborate in the near future if that is a possibility. If someone were to ask me how long would I shoot for? I would say, “I worked on a photoshoot for 3 days in New York City with a budgeting limit for 10 hours with at least 1-hour nap in those 3 days”. From the photos I do with photographers, a lot of people love my work and find it creative. It took a lot of determination and tons of reflecting and thinking on if I really wanted to do this, make a career out of this, and be in a profession that I’m passionate about or work somewhere for 8 hours dreading to work. All I can say is that the more recognition I receive, the more people want to work with me; I have to decide wisely. I might what you say, “I’ve seen this girl in a few places; who is she? I want to work with her”. My life has helped me grow into the person I am today. With limited support, It’s hard, but it encourages me to fight even more for my dream to become a reality. If someone were to ask me who I look up to the most? I would say “Adriana Lima,” her beauty exotic features. To me, It’s all about personality and women empowerment regarding your size, shape, etc. If you want to model, go for it. it’s not going to be easy with all the competition I see every day, but doesn’t mean you should give up if you truly want to do it, HOWEVER also work on your education so you can have something you have an interest in studying, I’m currently finishing my studies, while working and balancing modeling which is a challenge I’m currently teaching myself. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a Model that is unsigned is VERY hard, especially with no connections. As someone who is currently studying and working in a regular job as well as modeling, it’s very hard. Scheduling, rescheduling, cancelations of any kind is hard as well because you have to work your schedule around everyone else’s to make it work. There have been a couple of photographers who have canceled on me, and I couldn’t wait much longer and had to move on to the next. I try to be lenient as much as possible because I know that life happens and you don’t have much control over things like that. It hasn’t been a smooth road at all; it’s preparing me in case for the future things, and I know how to approach it. Challenges, I would say, would have to be weather conditions, traveling, timing, personal emergencies, life, but you just have to know how to Handle it take care of it, and move on. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m honestly just someone who has a passion for modeling, studying to finish my degree, and to do what I love to do. Modeling, I find having two professions can benefit me for having more opportunities. I’m known for having such an energetic energy, dedication to my profession, determination to get things done and make creativity happen. I am very creative, my personality? I would say very much artistic. I let my work show what I do; I believe my work shows what kind of person I am and what I can do. I’m proud of how I’m not letting anyone stop me, and seeing how many people see my work, are interested, and want to collaborate and work with me; in the end, I always remind myself it’s just me, myself, and I, and my personality. The fact that I’ve done an International New York Fashion Show would be one of my accomplishments. What sets me apart from others? I definitely wouldn’t say I’m better than anyone else because there is always going to be someone who is better but will encourage and inspire us to be better and different. I’m all about finding inspiration and creativity; I ALWAYS let the photographer give their input and ideas out; I never know what they could have; I may find their idea way better than mine. It’s all about being open-minded and letting ideas combine into something creative and amazing. I let my side of creativity come out and say hello in shoots because that is a side that I don’t let out often. 

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Never giving up because you never know how close you are to being in the next level of your journey. There have been numerous of times where I thought about giving up; I’ve been modeling for about 7 years; when I’m modeling, I’m in my element because It’s what I’m good at; I learned to keep pursuing what I love. To not stop and even reach higher. There have been times when the models are so shy to the camera that their friends, parents, relative come to me and ask me to help them get comfortable. At the end of shoots, they thank me for guiding them to be comfortable and confident more. I’ve learned a lot about who I am when it comes to modeling; I’ve ended up guiding new models who are new to this open-up, in the end, they ended up having a blast. In the end, I’m going to have many lessons that I’ll be taught and learning that I can share with others, and I think that’s the best lesson anyone can have. Determination, motivation, creativity, and learning. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elenamaa27/
• Other: https://www.modelmayhem.com/4282879

Image Credits
Dasha F Photography
Tiral Viwans
Tanya Deslauriers Photographe