Interview: Cover Girl Paulina Brzezińska (Poland)

Can you tell us a little about you?

“The head is creating, the soul is diving, the heart is dancing, and the body is posing”. I can say without any hesitation that I am an artist who has enormous sources of creativity. On everyday basics I find the outlet for my inspiration in working as a model, dancing, music, making projects and painting. I am constantly looking for the new experiences and challenges, which thrive my personality and give my life a deeper meaning, but in particular they are driving force to achieve my goals. However, do not be fooled by my artistic soul. In my everyday life, I work as a management and marketing specialist. During my life I have been gaining education and knowledge in this field by participating in training courses, as well as by getting professional work experience. My enthusiasm for action does not allow me to do only one thing at the time. That is the reason why I have created a project of three clothing brands, which I have been working on for two months. What will be my next step? The time will show.

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

Recently, I have spent some time to work on myself and on the self-acceptance. We live in the world which feeds us with stereotypes and paths to follow, it tells us what is good and what is bad. I have done some digging with the help of specialists and you know what I have discovered? I love myself the way I am. Everyone is different, with their own set of flaws and assets. The only healthy way is to accept them, and in that moment the live will start to look way better. To answer your question - there is nothing I would like to change about myself. I am the way I am. My energy will never change, and I would like to share and teach it to the people I meet - to love themselves as they are. Maybe just the aspect of my apartment cleaning skills and motivation would be a good element for a change.

How did you start modelling?

Everything started with my family, especially my aunt, who never stopped telling about me wasting my potential, about my photogenic power and how amazing I would be as a model. Unfortunately, due to my low self-esteem I did not have a faith in myself and in her words.

With the time passing, I came to the realization that we should give anything a try, regardless of our fears. Soon after this, I got my first proposal of photoshoot in lingerie. I remember it to be an extremely terrifying and stressful experience, due to the fact that I was not fully confident and comfortable with my body, hence I was afraid of others’ opinions about it.

However, after seeing the results of the photoshoot and effect of this hard work I just had made, I was astonished and amazed. I could not believe my own eyes that it was me on those pictures, that I could and that I do look like this. This first experience before the professional camera was the initial step into building my today’s confidence and acceptance.

What do you think of the work as a model?

The modelling job is not always easy and entertaining as most people think. Looking pretty, standing in from of camera, and smiling is not enough. To be fair, that used to be my view on modelling, but it has changed quickly. There are many shooting plans which take 1-2 days (where one day of work indicated from 8 up to 12 hours of work), for which preparation and organization can take a month. Starting from choosing the right make-up and outfit, which can take around 3-4 hours, after shooting plan discussion (another hour), setting up the lighting and finally the work begins. Here is where the fun starts, although as a model you cannot forget about posing, moving your body and tightening the muscles the right way, face expression, showing emotions of the project. It does not look like much work, but you could not be more wrong. It requires a lot of energy, exercises and hours spent of TFP shoots, in order to gain experience needed for more professional, paid contracts. The next day, your sore muscles tell you “great job”, especially after seeing the results.

What is your beauty regimen?

I believe that healthy body from within, means beautiful body from outside. I have converted to the unconventional medicine, mostly after 2-years-long struggle with disease. In that moment I understood that we only get one body, which needs to be cherished and cared for. When we are young, we do not give much thought into the trashy food impact on us, as well as the chemicals put in processed food we consumed. But I can promise you that in 10 years, our bodies will remind us about this. The fastest we take care of our health, the better for us. I pay a lot of attention to labels and ingredients of the products I buy. It might see tiring and challenging at the beginning, but after a while it becomes a force of habit. I recommend this to everyone. Secondly, the exercises and physical activity is a tool for healthy life, especially significant element for me.

What are your personal qualities which distinguish you from others?

You can call me a crazy individual but definitely in a positive way. I have at least 1000 ideas per minute, great amount of energy which is ready to be spread among other people. I love to motivate others, support and help them. It is highly significant for me to live according to my values and fight for what is right: save the planet, save the ocean, wear the nature, be the change, better naked than fake - these mottos are the fundaments of my main live values.

What are your plans for the future?

As I have mention before, I am currently working on development of three clothing brands. As the work is still in process, I cannot release much just yet. I can only tell you this - it is going to be natural, in harmony with the planet, as well as very much creative. In addition to this, I am planning to continue my modelling career and extend my horizons in this area, by going for a few trips around the Europe, once the COVID situation is under control.

What are some of your favorite experiences so far?

I have had over 100 photoshoots done, which sometimes feels unreal. I am enjoying being a part of hairdressing campaigns. They give me the opportunity to change my appearance and looks to discover myself in a new, different version. You can call my behaviors and decisions quite controversial since they do not suit most of the people. I do not mind the change of colors from brown to coral pink with shades of yellow - because why not?

I have cooperated and worked with many well-known hair stylists and brands, such as Maciej Wróblewski, Maciej Maniewski - Farmagan, Kemon Wella and Gold Hair Care for Scandinavian countries and many more. Products shoots and campaigns I was engaged with, in the last 2 years include: Brolly, Bludshop, Hair Care Panda, White Hare, Ladybuq Art Studio and many more.

Do you have any advice for those who want to start modelling?

Do not hesitate to try, even if you do not have faith in yourself, cross the boundaries of your comfort zone and put yourself out there. Modelling gave me something really important - I started work on myself, my femininity and confidence. Due to the fact that this one time I made a decision to go beyond my limits, there is nobody who could stop me now. It feels necessary to say for the future models - be aware and careful of fake contracts and people who might contact you on social media platforms. Do not send any personal information and or pictures before verifying somebody’s identity or company background and data. Remember anything that is placed and shared on Internet, stays there forever.

What do you think of the magazine?

It was a great pleasure to be able to be a part of it. I believe that these are the kind of opportunities and chances we are aiming to get and collaborate with as models. With our bodies and expressions, we can forward a message. But it is incredible to be given a possibility to speak up and tell the story about our work, experiences and share them with others who are thinking of starting their own modelling careers, it shows that this industry has a deeper sense and goal. I am truly grateful to the entire editorial office for the wonderful cover and I hope that this interview will help with getting more insights about this job. What is more, I want to remind everyone to love themselves the way they are, because everyone is unique in their own way and that is the real beauty of this world.

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