Hope everyone is having a wonderfully relaxing Sunday afternoon! Today I've got a special guest post for you readers from one of my oldest friends, Alex Lacza...
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Hey everyone,
My name is Alexandra Timea Lacza. To my friends and family, I’m Alex or Lex, but in the modeling industry, I am formally known in many markets as model Alexa Lacza. Before you go thinking that this is just some girl pretending to be some model or is a self-obsessed, conceited individual that loves to blast her “beauty” to the world, it’s not. I have been on this journey for four years now, on and off, not with the hopes of fame and fortune, but with hopes that one day the name will contribute to good will. Allow me to tell my story, with all the trials and tribulations I had to overcome to finally see the sun through the storm and a promising future on the horizon.
This journey began a long time ago, probably during the first years of my life. My parents came from Hungary with a strict upbringing and being their first born, they pushed me to become the next Bill Clinton. By the age of 6, I spoke three languages, read at a 5th grade level, knew all the capitals in Europe and in my spare time, read books about dinosaurs. Strange, right? None of those hobbies, talents or actions seemed to match. I also had the tendency of posing in pictures like Marilyn Monroe, styled my Barbie dolls, imitated people’s actions and accents, and tried to teach my sister all the things that I knew. As time went on, my knowledge grew, my interests changed, and I became more and more confused about what I want in life. Finally, I decided that I will make my name in this world and do something extraordinary, but what?
At 16, I was discovered in Cleveland, Ohio by a small modeling agency. I though about modeling in the past and had done some small jobs as a tween, but nothing I thought to seriously consider. Then I thought this could be my ticket to become an independent entrepreneur in the future. It could be easier if I were to establish a name for myself first. One year and many test shoots later, I was off to New York where my dreams seemed to be coming true.
New York was very similar to Budapest to me. The hustle and bustle, the nightlife, the different people; everything. I was a 17 year old model trying to make it in the concrete jungle on my own with no one beside me to truly help me. I started the season with minimal jobs and by the end, I booked magazines, test shoots with great photographers and advertisements. I felt like I was on top of the world. The next step was to use this in Europe and start to really make a name for myself. However, the negative side to the industry such as the self-absorbed, greedy individuals on a daily basis ruined my self esteem. After a horrible battle with my manager regarding money and my future, I decided to leave modeling at 19 and try to create my mogul status on other terms.
For the following two years, I lived in the Brooklyn area of New York, working as a manager in a fashion showroom and eventually owned my own business in credit repair. Things seemed to be going right. I was a strong individual taking care of myself, keeping up an apartment, vehicle, all of my expenses and going to university online for business. Something was still missing though. My business dealt with credit repair, and after a while I realized this was not the career path I wanted. I wanted something bigger, something I would be interested in forever, which would have to include everything. And so, after two long years out of the game, I found a new agency and started modeling once again, hoping for a different outcome.
Today, I am a fresh faced newly 22 year old model, working in the industry just like everyone else. I have been to many markets, most recently Greece where I landed 6 editorials in magazines, some commercial jobs, fashion shows and countless test shoots. I am currently in Istanbul where the market has taken a different turn for me and the interest is not as high as it was in Greece, but I will continue to push forth. Markets have declined me and others have shown interest. I have accomplished many things in my life time and I have begun to establish my name in this world with all the people I meet on a daily basis around the globe. I have only stepped up the ladder of success and will soon be in another city, still modeling, still pushing forward toward my dream of being a power player in the market. After all, as Confucius says, “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
Love,
*All photographs courtesy of Alex's facebook fan page
here. Check it out!
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