Scary Challenges

This post isn't going to have any pretty pictures so here is a funny picture of my dog, just to keep you all entertained.

Frank often sleeps with his nose all squished like this :)

So May is upon us and how quickly it has come around!  A lot has been happening at Blue's HQ which has panicked me into a frenzy of productivity.  The reason?  Because I have booked myself a photo shoot.

I have booked a session with the fabulous photographer/make up artist/model/creative genius that is known as Morgana.  The model is to be no other than little old me.  The thought totally petrifies me but I have decided to do it for a number of reasons which I will now list to try and convince myself and you that I am doing the right thing.

1)  As a brand on a crowded "Retro Repro Scene" it can be difficult to set oneself apart from others.  There are several pin up models that do the rounds so to speak and you see them being used from company to company.  This is because it is hard to find a really good model that is easy to work with and delivers a version of your vision, so when you find one you tend to use them over and over as you know they won't waste time and money.  Good models are like gold dust!  I ummed and ahhed over model choice and who to use, who hasn't been used by my competitors, a blond, a brunette all that sort of thing but really everyone has been used.  I need a new face, someone who hasn't been used and can crawl inside my brain and know what I want without me having to tell them. I need a mind reader!  At the same time I have had several people tell me I should try doing pin up modelling.  I have been told this by a few people now so I'm starting to think maybe there is something in it, and apparently I have a "vintage" face.  So I had a light bulb moment.  Which leads me to my next point:

2)  In life it is good to scare yourself.  I was once told that it is a good exercise to scare yourself by pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.  By pushing yourself you can achieve bigger and better things than you ever imagined.  My first pant wettingly scary thing was to start my own business.  Scary in lots and lots of ways but I did it, and here I am with my own clothing brand.  The though of modelling is a wee bit scary to me.  I have always been a quiet person and would rather sit in the background than be the centre of attention, but that kind of doesn't work when you have a business that involves selling your product to people.  I have had to get over my quietness and approach people and engage with them in order to convince them to part with their hard earned cash.  It also scares me because modelling is actually very hard - well at least modelling well is hard.  Not everyone can do it effortlessly.  It may sound easy to just stand there and look pretty, but there are lots and lots of things to think about.  This leads me on to my third reason to model.

3) As the designer of my garments, I know what I want the images to look like.  Product images can make or break a company.  If you have dodgy models or photography, no matter how good your product is, it can come across as amateur or just plain wrong.  Especially in the lingerie industry there is a very fine line between classy and sleazy.  So it would be perfect for me to model because I know what the garments should look like and I know which design details I want to highlight.

4) The last reason I convinced myself I should be the model is for financial reasons.  I don't have to pay myself if I do it!  Instead I can spend the money on frivolous things like cake and cocktails :-) or sensible things like fabric or manufacturing..........I know which I'll be going with ;-)

The only drawback in my grand master plan is, what if I am really shit?!  I'm hoping this isn't the case as I have looked at lots of inspirational images to prepare myself, observed others in action and done a little bit of practise.  I'm approaching it as I might if I was playing a character in a play.  If I take on another personality of someone confident and pin up like, then I may just pull it off.  If in doubt, fake it!  And I am in good hands.  Morgana has been doing a series of make over shoots and without exception she has made EVERYONE look amazing.  Take a look at her blog for the before and after shots.  And at worse it will just be a fun day dressing up in pretty clothes and having my hair and make up done.  In the words of Dr Pepper, what's the worst that could happen?!

Over to you lot!  Any hints, tips and so forth would be much appreciated :)

And to finish another fun picture of no relevance just because

Kitty did not want me to do a jigsaw, also can I just point out the cheeses of France plate in the background AMAZING!

Love
Betty xxx