Interview: Model Anoush Anou (USA)

Can you tell us a little about you?

I’m a U.S. based Art Model, originally from rural New Zealand. I’ve been modeling for roughly 10 years and loving (almost!) every minute of it. I take photographs as well, although I’ve never pursued photography professionally. Aside from all things creative, I’m also passionate about working to protect animals and the environment, and pretty much anything to do with holistic health and living.

If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?

I’m always trying to change for the better! I hope never to stop growing. Right now one of my (many!) areas of contemplation is self-honesty. I pride myself on being honest with other people, but I’ve recently been thinking a lot about the small ways in which we’re all inclined to lie to ourselves. So, as I feel that lying to another person is a huge waste of everyone’s time and energy, I’m also wondering how much more effective I can be in my life and pursuits if I can learn the habit of being completely honest with myself about what I truly feel and want. I like to think that this will also help me to become a better artist, as the best artists, in my opinion, are usually the ones who are willing to be the most true to themselves.

How did you start modeling?

When I was 17, I studied photography and I guess that’s when the seed was planted; I modeled a lot for the other students, sometimes nude. Once the course finished I started traveling and never really stopped and, at some point, it occurred to me that modeling was a great way to have a creative career without needing to give up travel, so it evolved from this.

What do you think of the work as a model?

I absolutely love it! It has been the greatest blessing to me and has ultimately led to me moving across the world, meeting my husband, making many incredible friends and having countless life-changing experiences. It has it’s challenges as well, of course… the admin is grueling and travel, while exhilarating, can be exhausting. Additionally, being in an aesthetic industry can cause you to spend far too much time thinking about physical appearance, which is pretty unimportant really.

What is your beauty regimen?

To be honest, I had never even applied mascara prior to modeling and, while this line of work has really helped me to grow into my femininity, my regimen is still very minimal. I cleanse my face twice a day; using water only in the morning and a cleanser at night, moisturizing after both. I love to sleep and eat healthily, so this part comes easily to me. Aside from being a generally active person, I’ve only recently begun to formally ‘exercise’, mostly in the form of yoga classes and light resistance work at home. I prefer to wear little to no makeup.

What are your personal qualities which distinguish you from others? Personality-wise, I’m an insanely hardworker! While this is, of course, an attribute in any field, I'd argue that it’s completely indispensable in order to be taken seriously as a freelancer. On a physical level, I think that my face is more classical than commercial, which some artists really like.

What are your plans for the future?

Hopefully to someday be living on a small farm with a couple of kids! Hehe. But really, my husband and I look forward to starting a family sometime soon. The farm, if fated, may be somewhat further off! I hope that I'll have a little more time in coming years to pursue other creative areas that I’m interested in: writing, painting, music, dance. Environmental protection is also very important to me and I'd like to build a career in this field. As much as traveling as a model for so long has been a dream and a privilege, it’s also very all-consuming and so many other passions of mine have been pushed to the side. I will model for as long as anyone wants to photograph me, but I don’t know how much longer I plan to travel in a full-time capacity. Generally, my life goal is to delve deeper and deeper into my art, in whatever medium strikes me at the time, and to be as good of a wife, friend, daughter, sister, and person, as I can be.

What are some of your favorite experiences so far?

Oh, this is always such a hard question! Honestly, this job has been so full of magic and variety that it's impossible to measure individual experiences against one another. One day I may be perched on top of a waterfall at 5 AM, wearing Antlers and 20 meters of chiffon, then the next I’m dressed in a white nightgown, wandering secret passages underneath a city, pretending to be an apparition! (Both have happened.) One of my favorite things about this work though is seeing some of the amazing locations that photographers find! They're often places that most people don’t have access to or just places of natural wonder that I may have never stumbled across otherwise.

Do you have any advice for those who want to start modeling? Your best work will happen when you’re really being ‘you’. When I first began modeling, I experimented with many different genres and spent so much money on costumes and makeup for shoots, because I would see other models posing in lingerie or latex and felt like this was expected of me too. While some people love dressing-up, I’ve now learned that I’m not one of them… I’m usually far more comfortable just posing in my own clothing (or no clothing!), and I think that feeling comfortable is far more vital to creating a meaningful image than props or clothing are.

What do you think of the magazine? I’ve looked through a number of editions over the past few days and I’m really impressed by the quality of work you’re showcasing. I’m honored to be counted amongst them; thank you!

www.anoush-anou.com www.instagram.com/anoushanou www.facebook.com/anoushanou