Marie-Pier | VIP Member | Verified Credits (3)
Where are you from? Where are you based now and do you travel for shoots?
I am from Quebec, Canada, and I grew up in little towns and villages where long cold winters had me long for palm trees, romance, and magic!
I am now based in Los Angeles and I have traveled all over America for shoots. I never waited for anything in my life, if I want to express myself with modeling and my city lacked opportunities, then I will find where it doesn’t. At the beginning of my career, I knew I wouldn’t take a conventional path. The rebel in me wanted to do more than just pretty pictures or be represented by an agency. I was inspired to do my own ideas, so I became the creative director and model on most of my sets. I became the artist of my own life!
Who or what inspired you to become a model?
Visual arts changed my life when I was a teenager. Photography and Renaissance art shaped my eye and I fell in love with beauty in art. Every night after school, I would be in my bedroom opening art books and looking at how models posed in each painting, the touch of the fabric over their body, the golden light beaming through the windows, and the grace they embodied. It didn’t take long before I realized this is what I wanted to do, and the Capricorn stellium in me didn’t waste anytime to get it going.
How and when did you start modeling?
At fifteen years old I found myself creating setups in my bedroom and placing my Kodak on a timer to shoot my own portraits. I was passionate about posing and I loved making my own clothes, so for me, photography was the tool to combine all my passions together. It helped me express myself.
What type of modeling do you enjoy the most?
It always changes for me. I’ve done nude in nature for quite some time but right now I am enjoying shooting in my studio in Echo Park, doing weird makeup, and playing with my hair has been really exciting! And shooting at my place makes it more personal and those are the kind of photographs I want to go towards to.
What do you look for when deciding to work with a photographer?
I enjoy working with two kinds of people, the ones that are adventurous and just like me will be down to climb anything to get that epic shot, and I also enjoy the more gentle and attentive photographer who has a formula that he excels at and when we shoot we know exactly what we are doing. I spontaneously enjoy just as much the focus and tranquility that makes really great pictures as the flow of magic and the unknown.
Which models or other artists currently inspire you?
I am very picky when I want to save a picture for inspiration. I used to overwhelm myself with the internet but now I am spending way less time looking at what others do and this has been helping me find my own voice. But if you could go through the pictures I’ve saved during this year, you would see a mix of portraits of Donyale Luna and Grace Jones, and fictional characters and Goddesses painted by Clyde Caldwell. They inspired and reminded me of who I am and what I am here to do.
What would be your dream shoot?
For now, it will be to capture on film some very personal portraits which truly breathe who I am inside. Something expressive and refreshing.
How important is social media in your success?
My success is defined by the amazing people in my life that I have the chance to create with! I believe I’ve met the people I was meant to meet because I focused all of my energy on my dream and pictured myself billions of times in the situations I dreamt to be in. For me, social media did help me meet the people I was meant to work with but I also keep room for the idea that, with or without it, in life we meet the people or opportunities we are supposed to no matter what. Especially if you know what you want and call it.
What else do you like to do outside of modeling?
I enjoy dancing, painting, and spending time at home. I also love giving Oracle readings to my friends!
What’s the best career advice you can give to new models?
Be weird, spend less time thinking about what you should do to look like this or that, and be yourself. If you are wanting to create your own shoots as I do, I suggest you unwind yourself from the thousands of images you’ve seen throughout the years and instead practice being blank like a page. Meditate for a while, don’t give in to distractions and poor contents on social media, create empty space so that you can see who you are. That takes time and practice. I am always reminding myself to space out, it gives me the chance to find my own voice. For me, being authentic is a rare and powerful gift in our time, to do what you can to be you, is my best advice!
Check out Marie-Pier’s Model Mayhem portfolio to see more of her work. You can also follow her on Instagram and learn more on her website.