I always look forward to February. Not just because it’s my birthday month, but also with Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s a great time to celebrate our relationships.
Celebrating relationships don’t always mean our romantic ones -it can mean our friendships too. Friendships are an important part of life and become even more important as we navigate through change, and write the storylines of our lives. Sometimes when writing our storylines our friends, and their roles, change too. A friend who was a main character may step away, take a supporting role, or vice versa. New characters may be introduced into our stories, and in the process, might become new friends.
I kickstarted my February by making some fabulous new friends. I volunteered to model for a Charity Fashion Show for UNITY ONE/The Faces of Change. This group promotes inclusiveness, diversity, and gender equality. They also fundraise for creators who are navigating change and need a helping hand along the way.
When it comes to modeling I am like Schultz on Hogan’s Heroes - I know nothing. If you asked me if I have any modeling experience my answer would be zilch- except in my head of course. That’s because as a child I imagined being Farah Fawcett, modeling holiday dresses for the Sears Christmas Catalogue. In other words, to say I was under-qualified for this assignment would be the understatement of the year.
This show was no loosie goosy event either. There were hairstylists, make-up artists, and owners from local boutiques organized into teams, volunteering their time to make things happen. To complicate matters I arrived late to the rehearsal and missed my catwalk practice -totally my bad. Moreover, the choreographer, who is a very nice person but understandably under a lot of pressure, was at that moment a little like Anna Wintour on steroids. As you can imagine it wasn’t exactly the best time for me to raise my hand and ask for a hall pass. I quickly realized my modeling debut was going to bring “fake it till’ you make it” to a whole new level.
For this the event, I had the pleasure of being on a super awesome team with my new friend at the helm, boutique owner Monika Waszczuk. In a word, Monika is inspirational. Nine months ago, with literally nothing, she started her consignment store Sell it To Wear it Inc. Today she is a successful store owner, making her dreams happen because she believes in herself, her vision, and her community.
