Today we’d like to introduce you to Claridy Reed.
Claridy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Claridy Grace Reed. I was born and raised in Texas but now living in Miami, Florida for my studies. My career as a model took in the summer of 2014 when I was visiting Disney land in California. I was scouted by a Photographer shooting content for a Disney brochure. I accepted the job and then later was asked to stay in California to continue working in the field. Unfortunately, I was too young and had no idea about the industry yet.
Years later I was going into my freshmen year of high school at Cornerstone Christian schools in San Antonio, TX, and fell in love with the thought of pursuing a career in the fashion world. Knowing that I created my own portfolio and visited 5+ agencies in south Texas aiming to get signed.
I have then signed with Entourage Austin. Starting off was great and I booked many jobs and then Corona hit and put the industry as a whole to a halt. During this time I didn’t stop, I then started to get serious about Instagram and becoming a content creator. I would go out of my way to shoot content build my platform and gain followers day by day.
Now I have collaborated with a handful of photographers creating different styles of photos and even short films. Now living in Miami I am working towards growing my personal content with vlogs on YouTube. My goal is to document my experience living alone in a new big city and pursuing my dreams.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has never been easy being that I am my own product. I’ve learned over time you have to throw yourself out there and market yourself to exceed. At first, I was denied from every agency I visited and when I did get signed castings were very competitive.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
When I first started working I was 15 and worked at a local jewelry store. After working there for a month the owner gave me more roles such as social media management, modeling jewelry, and even upselling products as a sales associate.
Working off of commission I strived to sell as much as I could, so I would market the product by wearing it during working hours and styling them well. Doing that I was able to sell 20+ items a shift.
We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Many people would describe success in a money aspect, for me on the other hand I would define success as the completion of a task that brings you joy and security. When I feel the most successful is when I do the most my body or brain can handle with excellence.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @claridygrace
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS8a02f5RyqtuJFklNfPvwA
- TikTok: @claridygrace
Image Credits
@jc24photo, @davidmedina, @caitlinphotographer, @dreamymag, and @blushandthebride
