365antigua.com is pleased to present the latest Sunshine Girl, XIEA. The photograph was difficult to select, due to the collection's brillance at the hands of photographer Jonathan Murphy... and while we usually publish a brief bio, Xiea took the time to involve hereself in the writing moreso. So we present her bio and thank both Jonathan and Xiea for their contributions.
 

Becoming a Model...

If you had asked me a year and a half ago what I would be doing now, I would not have been lacking for an ambitious dream to share with you. I would have told you that I would be making, writing and illustrating children books, writing a novel or a book of poems. I'd have told you I would become a famous artist, traveling the world to hone my photography skills, becoming the next singing sensation from the Caribbean... and then probably after all these accomplishments, pursue a career in psychology. But I never would have guessed that I would have been approached by a modeling scout; especially here in my hometown Antigua and Barbuda.

Don't get me wrong. I love the thought of being a model. I love getting my picture taken. I enjoy wearing interesting fashions. I love feeling beautiful. I like the fact that — at its best — modeling can be a form of art. I just couldn't foresee it happening to me.

I'm a 17 year old who has just completed high school and has my mind focused on going off to college to pursue my psychology degree. I am a studious person by nature and I am very passionate about helping people. I also have an obsession with anime, music especially rock. I am an ardent artist doing portraits, landscape and Japanese based cartoons. I enjoy entering into local art competitions. I love to sing and I am told often that I should go professionally with it along with my drawings, story and poetry writings. I have been considering all of my options and being the kind of person that I am, I am thinking of pursuing them all, one or many at a time, because I thrive on meeting and surmounting challenges! I usually liken myself to a teabag; I always put out my best, especially when placed in hot water!

Art has always played a central part of my life. My appearance had always been an asset to me, but always as an accent to my performance abilities rather than the primary focal point of my audience. Being attractive may have broken some ties in competitive auditions, but I am confident that my skills and talent were the main reasons I was called back in the first place.

Growing up, I was always very petite in body size but my height has always been just a touch above the other girls my age. I was usually told that I move with grace and agility. These characteristics added to me being chosen frequently to perform in various school activities, most of which were dancing, karate and track and field events.

I personally feel that people are at their most beautiful when they are healthy looking. There are no exceptions to this. Not all people are supposed to be rail thin. Not all people look healthy when their ribs are showing. In fact, I think it is safe to say that most people do not. I think bodies look better when they have some curves on them. I think they are more interesting, and feel nicer to the touch. I don't think eating a healthy amount of food is a sin, or that obsessive marathon workouts are ethical obligations. That doesn't make me right, but that's just the way I feel.

This brings me, in a roundabout way, to the story of how I am contemplating on becoming a model. I have had people tell me I should be a model on several occasions. Half of them were family members, school mates and the "John and Jane" on the street, so I took those compliments with a grain of salt. However, quite recently I recall one these occurrences with a local fashion designer, DEBONAIR. My Mom had to visit her just recently and asked me to accompany her. As soon as I stepped into DEBONAIR's place of business and she laid eyes on me, she stopped conversing with my Mom and looked at me head-on and asked, "Are you a model"?

It wasn't the first time that I was asked that question, but to have had it asked of me from a person of Debonair caliber, really left me speechless. She told me straight away that I have the body of a model, very slender; curvy in all the right places and that I also had natural very well endowed breasts. She told me that she wanted to take photos of me to take back with her to the States so that she could see where it would lead. Debonair and other people like her made me think, I bet I could be a model. Why not?

So one day this summer while my brother, a friend and I went to the pool in Jolly Harbour, we took some pictures of each other and the results of my pictures, I posted them on Facebook and Deviant art, which is another site where I post my art work on, and what you know, a model scout, saw my pictures and got really interested in them and made contact with me.

I know practically nothing about modeling protocol. I just pose as to my likeness and intuition. Having been told for a while now that I am modeling material, and finally seeing the potential that I possess and the realization that I could use modeling as a way of helping persons to realize that they can believe in themselves and with that belief, help to cultivate and nurture much confidence in themselves, especially persons of my age, who at this point in their lives are seeking some form of identity and self confidence. I would like to pursue modeling and, in a way, become a role model for persons.

I have not given up the other aspirations mentioned before. Rather, I see myself fulfilling each and even more of them as I grow and mature with life's expectations and experiences.

X I E A