Check out Mariah Naea

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariah Naea.

Mariah, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My modeling journey began through sports at the age of 14. I was a competitive soccer player on a club team located in Chula Vista. One day after a long tournament, a teammates mom suggested that I should start modeling since I was one of the tallest on the team. She offered me an opportunity to participate in a local fashion show that she was producing. After taking part in that experience, I was approached by individuals who were interested in receiving my information for future projects which I eventually had the honor of being apart of. With the help of my “momager”, we began traveling between San Diego and Los Angeles every other weekend to attend casting calls, fittings, photoshoots and fashion shows while simultaneously juggling school and sports. From this journey, I have been able to work with amazing creatives, designers and photographers who have contributed to the endless love that I have with the fashion industry currently. Six years later and I am still fulfilling my modeling dream working with brands such as Nordstrom and Bloomingdales while conquering my first college degree that I will be obtaining a year from now.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
As a model, you’re a blank canvas that is transformed differently during each project. It allows you to bring a vision to life through a variety of poses and or movements, whether it be on a runway or during a photoshoot. I think its fascinating and a true honor to be apart of the creative process and building that level of trust with the collaborate team. Aside from that, I continue to work in this industry because I want to make a positive impact within it. Since the beginning of my career, my platform has always been about self-confidence building. This is a job that is a lot harder than most expect. It really forces you to understand your worth by having tough skin and a strong mindset. Majority of the time you’re being heavily critiqued on appearance and size, which can easily affect one’s opinion of themselves. This was something I unfortunately experienced since I had a very athletic built during the beginning of my career, something uncommon at the time. Eventually, instead of letting closed doors get the best of who I was/am, I allowed my physical differences to encourage me. I knew that if I was passionate about something, I wouldn’t allow society’s negative expectations to stop me. With that being said, my mission as a model is to provide more diversity; allowing individuals to see real people.

What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
Success to me is about achieving goals. Never letting the opinions of others negatively change who you are and what you’ve planned for yourself. Being confident and certain of your identity is a quality that will help you succeed far.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
As of right now, my online portfolio is still in process! Until then feel free to contact me through any of the following:

Instagram.com/mariahnaea
Facebook.com/mariahnaea

And for booking purposes or inquiries: naeamariah@gmail.com

Contact Info:

• Email: naeamariah@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariahnaea

Image Credit:
Michael Lagman Photography
Karrisa Bowers (@karissalillie)
Derrick (@Drtzed)
Wendy W Smith Photography (@thewendy28)
Tori Stipcak (@toristip)
Andrew Rodriguez (drew__2123)

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