There's a line in the movie A Bronx Tale that goes a something like this: "The saddest thing in life is wasted talent, and the choices that you make will shape your life forever." I was reminded of this while having a serious conversation with one of my best guy friends. He was in quite a predicament. On one hand there's this great professional opportunity and on the other his natural talent. It's a super tough decision, so which do you go for? Do you follow your head or your heart?
Here's the back story. My friend was a marketing major in college. He's an idea guy who knows how to get things done and also has a way with words. He's great at it, but he's an even better model. He's the dude who just wakes up looking photogenic even with the crust still in his eyes. After graduating, he continued to juggle modeling while still working in marketing. One day the modeling gigs slowed down and he was offered a great position at a marketing company, so he took it.
Everything was fine until his agency started calling him again. On his lunch break, he'd sneak off to castings. Like Clark Kent changing into Superman, he'd transform into sexy male model with the quickness and return back to work just a normal guy. The whole time, the people at his marketing company had no idea he's a model. The situation got even worse when he began booking big jobs. He was running out of sick days and reasons why he couldn't come into the office. Jump to a co-worker seeing his face in a commercial and on a billboard. The cat's officially out of the bag.
My personal opinion: men seem to have an especially difficult time in these situations. They are taught that they are supposed to lead the way and bring home the bacon. Logically, the marketing job is a good choice. The income is reliable and the schedule is predictable. Modeling is a gamble. You never know when you're booking anything and when you'll actually get paid. What advice did I give my boy? Go with your heart. Even though he's good at marketing, modeling is where his passion is. You can hear the difference in the way he talks about his 9 to 5 compared to how excited he gets when talking about a gig he just shot. An office job is something you can always come back to, but with modeling and anything super creative you've got to ride the train while you still have the hutzpah to do it. Balls to the wall.
Sometimes going with your gut is the only way to fly. Don't waste your talent. You may never recover from that loss. Good luck, my man. As always, if you have any questions the Fairy Model Mother hotline is always open.
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