Interview with Brittany Mason — Visionary Model Creative Director Writer
Brittany Mason is a model residing in Los Angeles, California.
How would you introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Brittany Mason, I was born in Detroit, MI but raised in a small farm town by the name of Anderson, IN. I am an artist at the core, I enjoy painting, writing, traveling, photography, among many other things and I have luckily been able to allow some of those interests in to influencing my career as a model and creative brand consultant. I do everything from writing product reviews on my blog www.brittanymason.com, come up with the concept, direct, and shoot short viral videos for products and causes, for example this Prostate Cancer Awareness video, run my anti bullying charity iampossible.us, oh and I also model and act… you can find some of my acting work at IMDB.
When, how and why did you first get involved in the modeling industry?
At the age of 16 my life changed within a matter of months. I signed with my first modeling agency and moved to NYC from Indiana to pursue my dream career as a fashion model. Shortly after signing my first modeling contract as a teen, I entered a local beauty competition that led me to capture the national title of Teen Model of the USA, for the World Beauty Organization. At the internationally televised competition Teen Model of the World, I competed against top models from around the globe, and out of 52 countries vying to be named the most beautiful woman in the world, I placed 2nd. In 2008 I was crowned Miss Indiana USA, for Donald Trump’s Miss Universe Organization placing 7th at Miss USA.
What are your personal and professional goals? Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?
5 to 10 years from now I see my charity iampossible.us growing tremendously, the merchandise that I am designing for it right now, BMOXIE also growing into it’s own brand, my acting and modeling career becoming more mainstream, and I also hope by this time I will be juggling my career and a family.
How often are you modeling and what does it usually consist of?
It’s funny, the modeling industry has changed tremendously in the last 10 years, and I have been doing it for a long time!; how I have still stayed in the game is by evolving with the industry, models are no longer just models anymore. You can see that social media has changed the world entirely; you have to be more of a personality, clients are cutting out the agencies and going directly to models on social media, everyone in the industry is sort of trying to find their place again as things are changing so quickly. This is why I have become more of a brand consultant: I come up with creative concepts for brands to help them promote their products, I write reviews about these products, I have the ability to create several different types of content for those brands, and I can still model for those brands as well; I am much more than just a “face” for brands, I can help them develop catchy creative concepts to help them truly be memorable to consumers.
Please tell us about the best and/or worst experiences you’ve had so far in modeling.
This is really a tough question to answer… modeling has allowed me to create an incredible life for myself, a life where I have been able to travel the world, work with some very influential people that I have always admired, and I have had some amazing and unique experiences that I otherwise would have never been exposed to. It has truly opened my eyes and my mind to other people and cultures, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunities I have had, but with that said, I have also seen the ugly side to the industry: modeling is unfortunately one of the most unregulated industries out there, and so many young people want to be part of it.
We live in a culture where everyone wants to be famous and will do anything to get there, but unfortunately there are people in the industry or even fakes for that matter that prey on young people and their dreams; I absolutely encountered this early on, but I encourage anyone considering to be part of this industry to look up The Model Alliance Organization, they work diligently for better working rights for models and can connect models with resources and help for various issues in the industry.
Is there anything you would change about the modeling industry if you could?
Improved labor rights, more financial transparency, and for everyone to realize that there must be a line drawn between “art” and sexual abuse. Please visit Model Alliance’s website to see the efforts that are being made to improve the industry.
Do you practice any sports and what do you typically eat? Please elaborate on the importance of nutrition and exercise in your life.
I love being active! You can check out my workout routine on my blog http://brittanymason.com/blog. I love hot yoga, kickboxing, and hiking, and I try to eat clean, organic, and fresh food.
Please share something people don’t know about you.
At the core I am an artist: This comes out in many different areas of my life, from photography, painting, sketching, designing… I love to tell beautiful stories and express them in different ways. Even if it is not your typical “beauty” standard, to me self expression is what is most beautiful to me, I love helping others achieve their dreams; I always root for the underdog, there is something about watching a person dig deep within themselves to find strength to overcome obstacles and achieve their dreams. I relate to this and so iampossible.us means a lot to me!
Would you change anything about yourself?
Maybe be more efficient with time, I juggle a lot but I always feel like I am not getting enough done! I try to be superwoman! Other than that… nothing. I feel it is important to embrace your imperfections and love yourself; you must love yourself first, everything else flows through you and it will influence how effective you are with what you do. If you love yourself and take care of yourself, everything else will align.
If you had only 24 hours left to live, what would you do?
Oh my… that is tough! I would try to reflect and spend as much time with the people that I love! I would record my last 24 hours and try to complete everything I have left on my life list… I would try to share with the world what I have learned about life. Enjoying the little things and moments with the people I love, those little things in the end are what is really important. Those are what makes life worth living.
Visit Brittany Mason’s website for more photos and information