The 21st Century Model Makes Waves with Nick Sharp
Sailing has and always will be one of the sources of aligning with some of the most interesting folks, and for the purpose of this article, “opportunities,” I have ever been presented. It also happens to be how I landed in the world of professional modeling. And no, it was not from that crisp sun-kissed head shot over the water. Pulling lines one day to raise the sail I was asked if my suit size was a 40R, my pants 32×32 and if I was 6 ‘1. Casually leaning back, no stranger to answering seemingly bizarre questions at any time, I commented that indeed it was, and had been those measurements since college. Turns out, I have the industry standard for a men’s medium. Soon afterward I was being paid to fit model, a segment of modeling where I would have clothing formed and resized on me by designers before they were manufactured. Who knew such a job existed! That interaction jumpstarted what would be a summer packed with daily auditions, rejections, and a whole heck of a lot more sailing in New York City. It was the beginning of my modeling journey, and I was and still am, always ready for adventure.
Keeping things short and sweet, I’ll divulge that I have a background in door-to-door sales. I’m not a stranger to rejection. As a kid in Boy Scouts, I sold mulch throughout my neighborhood, and then to surrounding ones, clawing door knockers to become one of the top sellers in the troop. Summer camp was the destination, and I never missed a year. Fast forward 10 years or so, I was peddling copiers in Downtown DC, trading my scout uniform for a Jos Banks suit, and having to submit 35 business cards daily to prove I was actually cold calling businesses. Potbelly’s “free lunch” fishbowls of cards became a lifeline, security in most buildings knew me by my first name, and I could tell you how many copies per minute any machine could print from across the room. I had roughly 5,000 knocks under my belt, perfected the copier dance (the demonstration of how-to-use these prehistoric machines to new users), and made some decent cash. Several years, and careers later, all that hustle would in no way prepare me for my first modeling auditions in the city.
Imagine multiple first dates, except at the end of the date there is no cab ride home, no awkward walk to the door, or even more devastatingly, no promise of any communication whatsoever after the interaction. All of those postdate phenomena would have been a blessing in the modeling world. That is how it went. A lot of knocking on doors, and a lot of lock bolts staying shut or in this case, no callbacks. My agent, (yes, I picked up one of those on the way,) asked if I’d be curious to try commercial modeling on top of fit, for practice, to which I gleefully replied, “Why not?”, having no experience acting but always willing to hop to grab the bull by the horns, hop on it’s back, and even sometimes ride it into town. After several dozen of these auditions, I finally caught a break for a Halloween brand, and was paid to wear a variety of costumes, including a Shrek-ish mask, the published product I never have I seen to this day, or even mentioned to anyone prior to this article. (I have cash if anyone ever finds it…)
Anyhow, it is fact, all doors in the world are closed, doorbells scarcely work anymore and nobody likes solicitors, so if you want to get inside a closed door, you most certainly need to create a unique knock. For that, I tapped into my observation of the human experience. I felt like I had been knocking my whole life, for one outcome or another, and it was the modeling world that really shone light on the value of diversity in that training. I have been a cactus landscaper, software spend management salesman, youth camp instructor, festival event producer, stable hand, handyman, clothing designer, financial intern on Wall Street, marriage proposal planner, and flipped pizzas in a shop, (rather unsuccessfully I might add,) to name a few. I felt an immense contradiction most of my life that I was compelled to pick a traditional path of employment, HOWEVER had zero interest in doing so. It all sounded really boring. Some mornings, I would wake up and do a task I have never done before. Thank God for YouTube tutorials, coffee, and when those two failed, my safe proof plan of sailing. The latter because I could hop on a boat nearly anywhere and work, find new work, or get worked out.
How does this relate to modeling? I believe these uncanny and often ludacris situations have shifted my ability to improv on my feet but more importantly my perception on process execution: Never stop hustling. I haven’t (yet) taken classes to act, I show up with a pair of gloves and a good attitude and learn firsthand. The gloves I learned would not normally be necessary but that brings me to my motto, always be prepared, if you aren’t prepared, be prepared to be unprepared. That’s the essence of the industry. Practice is pertinent and change is constant. I was, and still am, willing to perform nearly any job that arises. It’s a beautiful thing to challenge yourself but looking outside the internal scope the knowledge only deepened with the people that meet. Be a student of the game! When you hustle for a living you meet and befriend some of the most remarkable characters imaginable. All walks of life, backgrounds, beliefs, skills, and ticks. These individuals all leave an impression, a voice, that can be utilized in an audition. (Unless it’s a fit audition and your thighs are as thick as mine.)
Everyone is a student, and everyone is a teacher. Let me clarify that I by no means feel that I’m a source of sound advice in the field. I don’t think I have ever told anyone when asked about my job, that I’m a model. I simply know that getting my hands dirty has led me to excitement. Excitement that in turn has brought me sailing most of the Carribean, standing in front of a group of women my mother’s age in nothing but underwear (that wasn’t for modeling by the way), hopping planes in the PNW, trains in Mexico and learning more about myself in the process than anyone needs to know. Rejection is reality. Money is a necessity. Having to grind everyday to make a buck is nothing less than stressful. The last several shoots I juggled site selection, styling, hair / makeup, prop selection, art department, and pitching the brands that would ultimately pay for their products to be featured. Talk about full service! Someone had to do it, and if you can, be a la carte, baby.
It never occurred to me to do life halfway. Why show up to the ocean and not swim? Who cares if the water is cold. Most casting directors are that ice cold ocean and if one did give me a smile or a quick conversation, I carried that joy with me into the next week. “No” in modeling, and in sales, or any work for that matter isn’t a “No, never.” It’s a “No, right now.” Let it go. Be different, take a lap, and come back swinging some secret sauce that even the chef has never tasted before. The key is to not stop, and to always leave a positive impression. You want that aisle seat on the airline without paying for the ticket? Smile. When so many interactions aren’t positive, be that sunshine, and that bouquet of flowers, make sure they are lilies so the aroma lasts even long after you are gone. I never believed luck existed, it was much more believable that the more situations we put ourselves into certainly would deliver the possibility of better fortune. It’s a numbers game. Every step is a step closer to the outcome desired. And if you don’t ever get there, hop on a sailboat, I guarantee as a last resort, the wind will carry you away. -NS
