Do you recall my collaboration with Eriko Y., Nightshade Beauty (Kat), and Shimon Karmel for Eriko’s entry into Contessa Awards 2010?

It did not win Contessa, but it did win Daily Deviation on DeviantArt, it has now been added to 600+ “favorites” lists by other DeviantArt members, and received over 10,000 views on Kat’s (NightshadeBeauty) portfolio on DeviantArt in a very short period of time.

I was thrilled to hear that this is Kat’s 2nd time winning Daily Deviation for her outstanding make-up and bodypaint work. She is an all-round artist, and is definitely one of my favorite make-up artists to work with. When it comes to art, Kat puts her passion into everything she does.

Almost a year ago, I took a marketing class as part of my program, and the subject of “differentiation” came up. Back then, of course, I only thought of it as a vocabulary word, but now I am able to think of the possible ways to apply this concept of “differentiation” to modeling.

So, you’re probably thinking…”what the heck is differentiation and why am I speaking about it on a fashion/lifestyle blog?” Differentiation is “the process of making a product/service different from other similar products/services to ensure a greater chance that your target market will choose you over your competitors”.

As a model, there are millions of other girls competing with you for the very few modeling jobs that are available. If you are a freelance model, it is even harder, because you have to do your own marketing and networking.

The key question is: how do you differentiate yourself as a model from the millions of other models who want the same thing as you? The answer to that is: “it depends”.
Depends on what? Your strengths (look & talent) and the target market. Differentiation helps you position yourself in the market.

As a model, you are the product and the service. So, why YOU?

Here are some ways that you can differentiate yourself as a model:

1. You have a skill that can help you model better. For example, you have extensive years of dance, acting, and gymnastics experience that can help you pose for photos better. There are many photographers and clients who are looking for models that can pull of certain concepts which require such skills/experience, so if you can do that-then you’ve got something that sets you apart from your competitors.

2. You have access to networks of key people. This is important because when you are suggesting someone to hire you and you know several other talented people that can help the potential “client” execute their vision, they are more likely to choose you.

3. You perform the best in a certain modeling niche. If you are a great glamour model-stick to that. If you can do crazy contortionist poses-do that, and market yourself that way. Pick a few modeling genres that you are most suited for, and build a great portfolio which will prove to your potential clients why they should choose you and why they should rely on you. For example, Mosh, I believe, has done wonderful in this area.

4. Your “rates” are lower and you only compete on price. Some lower budget clients and many new photographers cannot afford to hire very experienced and published models who are represented by agencies and who have amazing talent, so you can certainly try to offer something in between the “TF model” and the “Top Notch Expensive Model” and get paid that way.

5. You can also do make-up, hair, or wardrobe styling, you’re a clothing designer, or you’re simply full of creative ideas. Some photographers like it when a model can come up with and execute a great concept for which she did all the work, and all the photographer had to do was take the photo. So, if those are the photographers who are within your target market, and you have those kinds of creative skills/abilities, then yes, you should definitely play that up! Your marketing messages would give potential clients the signal that you can do what a whole team can do, and that really does set you apart.

Ultimately, the key to differentiation is finding something you are best at, understanding the degree of demand for it, being unique in your value proposition, and sending those messages out to your target market.

So, how do you differentiate yourself?

Whether you are a model, photographer, clothing designer, make-up artist, or another creative professional who is looking for people to collaborate on a shoot with, there are a few things that you should look for, which will help make your collaboration produce the results that you want.

Considering that collaboration usually does not involve exchanging cash (since everyone is supposed to get something that benefits their portfolio), who you choose to work with is crucial and will ultimately determine if the time you spent on a shoot was actually worth it for you in the end.

Remember, also, that when you are collaborating, EVERYONE involved has to benefit somehow. Collaboration is a team effort, so the whole team needs to get something out of it. This is not a “take, take and take” relationship-it is a “give and take” relationship.

So, here are a few things that should help you find good people to work with and produce the results that you will all benefit from:

1. If you’re looking for people online, check out how the person filled out their profile (on Model Mayhem). If their profile shows that they “don’t care about anything at all” or is filled with “negative and defensive talk”, chances are they will not be good for you to work with.

2. Look at their portfolio. Their portfolio is very important. Is it approximately of equal to slightly better caliber than yours? If the answer is “yes”, then they are worth approaching for collaborations. Also, are they good at the style of shots that you are looking for? If the person whose portfolio you’re viewing is a very good nude model and you want to shoot lifestyle/commercial images and she does not have those in her portfolio, then it is best to find someone else to work with.

3. After the initial contact, check to see how well they respond to your messages. Are they prompt, or do they take a week to get back to you? Are they direct when it comes to their goals for the collaboration and what they want out of it?

4. Do the person’s/people’s goals align with yours? This is very important so that there is no “but I thought we were going to shoot to submit to Vogue vs. I just wanted to test the lights”…you know what I mean?

5. The previous point (#4) brings me to this one…Are your potential collaborative team members realistic in their expectations? It’s one thing to have goals, but it’s another to have unrealistic fantasies that can be counterproductive and disappointing. Believe me, I’m all for dreaming, but there is a line between a dream and a goal (though they are not mutually exclusive by any means).

6. Is the person saying negative things about other people? The reason why this is important is because I don’t think that you should work with someone who puts down others. I mean, if they put down others, what if they do the same to you when you’re not around and when you do something that they don’t “like”? It’s best to avoid negative people like that all together.

7. Do they have drama? If they have too much drama that they are constantly complaining about, then they are not going to be fun to work with.

8. Check references. Find out if the potential members of your creative teams are flakes or not. You are putting a lot of energy into making a good shoot happen, so make sure that other people are on the same page with you when it comes to flaking.

What do you think? Have you used any of the above? Were they helpful to you? What other things do you look for when searching for people to collaborate with?

🙂 Aviva