Hopes and dreams. They inspire us, they drive us, they taunt us and they evade us, but they are always there. The things that really set your heart on fire with a passion, are the things in this world I believe you will always love no matter what. Your passions don’t go away, even when you don’t work on them for awhile, they are always in the background even if they aren’t practiced in your everyday life. Your passions still remain in your core self, always waiting to be rediscovered, nurtured and enjoyed.

Today I will keep it short and sweet and tell you that you CAN follow your dreams and turn them into reality. No matter how far fetched they may seem at times, no matter how unattainable they feel, run after your dreams at full speed ahead and don’t look back.

We were not placed here to be born, pay bills and die. We are here to truly LIVE.

I will tell you a story. As some of you know by now, I also sing. Singing is a love I have always had ever since I can remember. I was in every choir I could be in primary school, every band and singing ensemble I could find or create in high school, then I studied in TAFE and sung every single day but then one day, I stopped. I finished my educations and I got out into ‘the real world’ where I worked an average retail job and did what I thought I was meant to do and I just.. stopped singing. I started to model somewhere along the line part-time before later becoming full-time. I adore it every single time I model, I love to create and it fills up a creative void, but a part of my creativity was still not being released.

For several years I sang on and off and for a long time didn’t learn a new song or push myself and I can tell you, I was miserable for quite awhile in there. Last year, I had enough of not singing much and I set myself little goals to learn new songs again and it helped immensely! Oddly at around the same time, I met Fiona. An amazing dancer with drive and passion and she had a wonderful question for me: ‘Will you be my jazz singer?’. Hell yea, I will be your jazz singer! And the rest is history. I am now in a jazz and burlesque group with her and two other amazing ladies, Emily and Georgia. We are Fafi D’Alour and the Delinquents – and I love it.

I feel so alive singing again! Singing lights me up like modelling does, creativity, freedom, expression, everything my creative temperament loves I receive from following what I truly love. I can truthfully say I feel fulfilled following these two passions and that is such a new and incredible feeling.

So amazing readers, please don’t deny yourself of something that you love. Give yourself every chance in life to follow your dreams wether they are big or small, chase them and live them wherever you humanly can.

Questions or comments, I would love to hear from you!

Amy Heather – Model

or

amy.heather@hotmail.com

❤

Tickets for our next available shows are now on sale here !

 

 

 

I had the question the other week ‘what do you eat before a shoot?’ and the answer will probably surprise you..

It varies, but its normally something healthy and something that I know won’t make me feel or look bloated. But then, theres also the days I have pizza before a shoot.. Hey, I am only human.

Let’s toss the stereotypes out the window first off. Ditch the advice from every movie you have ever seen about modelling, where the models eat an almond or two when they feel like they are going to faint. Eating before a shoot is something wonderful for your body, by no means ever EVER think you need to skip a meal on days you are being photographed. I make sure I have something substantial before I shoot so I don’t get hungry while I am on the job. Being hungry makes your focus awful, your balance worse and you probably feel a bit hangry (hungry angry!). Pretty please, don’t go meal skipping.

Knowing your body is super important for your own health. I can tell you what works for me in this article, but I can’t tell you if the same will work for you. Everybody’s body is different and knowing what works for you personally is the very best way you can nourish yourself with what your body craves.

Being conscious of what makes you feel bloated or sluggish is important. Once you are aware of what makes you feel a bit ‘ugh’ avoid foods that make you feel this way before a photoshoot. For me, gluten makes me feel off so I avoid it completely. Looking bloated isn’t ideal no, but it is also in how you FEEL. Feeling sluggish is a horrible feeing when shooting and moving around, feeling radiant and full of energy makes such a difference to how you move and pose.

If you are shooting over a meal time plan ahead to either eat before hand or take something with you, or both depending how long your job is! I always carry something to nibble on with me and I take a big bottle of water. Even if ‘catering is supplied’ take something with you anyway, just in case theres anything you can’t eat from the food provided or if you are busy when food is available.

Food inspo

Some of my before shoot meals are:

Sweet potato salad

Sweet potato baked in olive oil, cracked pepper, chicken salt, BBQ seasoning. Popped in the oven for 30min at 180 C. Then tossed together with whatever fresh vegetables you can find around the house.

I love sweat potato in a salad! Easy, delicious and potato helps keep you fuller for longer. 

My lunch as I write this; sweat potato, spinach, egg, avocado, carrot.

Fruit salad

Never will a fruit salad go out of fashion. Super easy and jam packed with antioxidants and energy, fruit salads are perfect for a snack before or during a shoot.

Avocado on toast

Zero time? Avocado on toast is a simple solution for something filling and easy to prepare.

Anything with eggs

Scrambled, on toast, sunny side up, with salad, with bacon, however you like your eggs, when in doubt, have some eggs. Full of protein and easy to prep in next to no time, eggies fill you up and give you a wonderful boost of protein and good fats.

Nuts 

Nuts are a ridiculously healthily snack and being bit sized you can eat them even with fancy make-up on without distorting your lipstick! Almonds are high in protein, iron, calcium and vitamin E, cashews are high iron and have a low GI rating, peanuts are full of antioxidants and vitamin E – The list goes on! Nuts are also naturally high in potassium levels which helps to maintain a healthy blood pressure.

Hydrate with..

Water!! Always always always be drinking water. 2L a day is recommend for your health. Not only for your insides, but for your outsides too. Water keeps your skin happy, less likely to breakout, retain elasticity and it also helps to keep away bloating.

Questions or comments, I would love to hear from you!

Amy

xx

 

 

 

Nicole and I went walking.

We took the dirt paths and the winding trails and we found a magical place.

Working in nature is one of my favourite things to do. The sound of the birds, the fresh air wrapping around me, the quite bliss of exploring mother nature. Ahh.

When you are working on location, please be mindful of how you conduct yourself. Be conscious not to damage branches, rock formations, animal burrows or anything else you come across that is meant to be left untouched. You are a visitor in the location, appreciate the landscape as it is.

‘Nomad Tribe’ – By Amy Heather

In a quiet place

Where the wind sings

Hush now, you are safe with me

 

Faded are the days

Spent in quiet

Sit down, you will learn something

 

Earth, wind, air, fire

Connected to me

Deep breath in, now you are set free

 

Rock strong and able

Help me stand tall

Tip toe, tread gently on earth

 

Fire, passion, hot days

Sunlight rains down

Flood me, with your rays of life

 

Let go of all fear

Grasp onto hope

Leap into, the great unknown

 

Do not try and follow

You wont reach me

Gone now, to reach a new dawn

 

All images below photographed by the wondrous: Nicole Luneburg

No make-up, braids and styling by Nicole

 

 

Hello again fellow creatives! Now we all know how hard it is to gain 9-5 work in a creative industry. When its good, its INCREDIBLE to earn money from your craft, but how are we to deal with it when the work is in a lull..? Here’s how I cope.

Staying sane

I don’t know about you, but my creativity is my outlet and without it I get grumpy, at best! In my times of less work I will make sure that I make time for something creative. If my portfolio needs an update or I feel like a shoot, this is a great time for me to tee up a shoot with someone I adore collaborating with.

Other creative activities also help me express myself, I am also a jazz singer, I love to draw and paint and I write this blog! All of these things are a wonderful creative outlet for me.

Remember it’s not you 

Don’t feel rejected or down if you are having a slower point in work. There are so many reasons work fluctuates in this field and none of them have got to do with you!

. Seasons; the rush to shoot something for a new season, the calm in-between when its been shoot to when its been published is often a lull for a model. Photographers, you are probably editing in some of this time, but there is still often a lull in-between the edited images being done and the images being published. Each business beats to their own drum and has scheduled release dates per image to fit in with campaigns and new releases.

. Holidays; when are your clients on holidays? School holidays, long weekends, Christmas break, Easter break. In each of these times your work will no doubt experience lulls with families going on holidays, getting things done around the house or spending time with their family while they are on holidays. When kids are on holidays it often makes parks, beaches and gardens busier, I generally avoid shooting in these places for several weeks over these times or you get too many on-lookers. Be mindful of when school terms are and expect to see a bit of a drop in work over these times.

. Work hours; do you work with people that have 9-5 jobs? I sure do! Some of the photographers I work with photograph full-time, others, have a day job and only shoot on the weekends or night times weekdays. This is something that I am flexible with and understand and I don’t mind having weird work hours.

. Trends; everything goes with the trends. Sometimes black and white is sought after over colour, sometimes colour is the best thing. Sometimes blondes are everywhere, other times no where. Sometimes professional make-up is the only way to go, sometimes raw no make-up faces are ‘the thing’. Colours go in and out of fashion, styles go in and out of fashion, all of this is normal and has nothing to do with your abilities. It is nothing you have done wrong, it is just physically impossible to suit EVERY job. For example, I wouldn’t reply to a “seeking a 5f’ brunette for glamour shoot”. I’m tall. I’m a redhead. I don’t do glamour. You will not fit into every single job available, and thats a good thing! You have your own style, trust in that and the right jobs will come your way.

Managing money

Being good at saving is very important for this one! When you get paid from a job, don’t spend it all at once. Spend the portion you need to, save the rest for a rainy day. Knowing where your money goes and not relying on a weekly income of X amount of dollars. It will vary quite considerably per week, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

Take time to rest 

Dont hate on your not so busy times, enjoy them! Before you know it you will be run off your feet again and begging for some time off. Let yourself rest and enjoy the spare time you have been given. Take a walk, sit and drink some tea in the sunshine, watch that movie you haven’t had time for in months, see a friend, shoot plan for your next adventure. See your spare time as something precious and don’t beat yourself up for not being crazy busy 24/7.

Questions, comments, would love to hear from you!

amy.heather@hotmail.com

@amyheathermodel

Amy

xx