Member Monday: Karla Godinez
HAPPY MEMBER MONDAY!
THIS WEEK WE INTERVIEWED A BEAUTIFUL MODEL
K A R L A
Godinez
Photographer: Jane Byrd
Tell me about yourself?
“I am currently 21 years old and was born on February 22, 1997 which makes me a pisces! I was born and raised in El Centro, California which is a teeny tiny agriculture town in Southern California. After graduating high school I went to Northern Arizona University where I joined a sorority. After my first year of college I decided to move to San Diego and after spending a year there I moved back to my hometown. I am a very restless person (hence all of the moving). I will be moving to Newport, CA next month. I really like a change of scenery, but I’m hoping this next move sticks.”
Photographer: Fernando Medina
What made you want to start modeling?
“I got into modeling because of my blog. When I first started my blog I realized I needed pictures to post on my site and needed to add my face to my brand. At that time I was living in San Diego and just reached out to as many photographers as I could. Sliding into those dm’s really payed off because I met a ton of photographers who introduced to me to more photographers who introduced me to other models and bloggers. San Diego has this amazing content creator community and once I was welcomed in, my momentum in modeling really started to pick up.”
Photographer: Meredith James
How did you find out about TGS?
“When I really started to make friends with photographers and models in San Diego, I realized so many of them would tag TGS in their Instagram posts. I finally clicked on TGS’s Instagram and fell in love with what it stood for. I decided to apply even though I only had like 100 followers at that time. It was amazing to see TGS’s inclusivity and just how different it was ran.”
Photographer: Ian Temple
Why did you join TGS?
“I joined for a few reasons. First, I loved what TGS stood for. Second, I loved that so many of my friends were a part of TGS. As a new creator it was really nice to think I could be apart of this family and be welcomed instead of being intimidated by all of these bigger and more experienced content creators. And third, after talking to Alex a few times before applying, I knew that joining TGS was really just the right move for me.”
Photographer: Ian Temple
Where do you get your inspiration?
“I get my inspiration from literally everywhere. Whether it be from a magazine, traveling, Instagram posts, etc. I am always looking to be inspired.”
Photographer: Jake Berto
Favorite 'aesthetic', theme, or look when shooting?
“When I first got into modeling everyone told me I should give off this happy persona. I think people would tell me that because I have dimples so they thought I could brand myself better that way. But, if you look at the pictures from all of my photoshoots you see that in most of them I’m doing the opposite of that. I like doing more moody/serious facial expressions. When it comes to looks and themes I like to mix it up and go with the flow. One day I did a shoot in a bralette, overalls, and high tops. The next I did one in a bodysuit, ripped jean jacket, and heels. My spectrum is really wide. My favorite photos of me are the ones that show my real feelings. I definitely have a very strong and sassy attitude so I really like when the real me is captured. I feel like the trend on Instagram right now is very happy and carefree vibes, which I love, but I think everyone’s really starting to shift into just being very real because the industry is very saturated right now. And my “real” is the part of me that’s very intense.”
Photographer: Donald Wang
Do you have other creative friends you like to meet up with and brainstorm with?
“Since moving back to my hometown, I’ve taken a step back from modeling. I don’t have any creative friends who live here so it’s really hard to get inspired where there is no creative community. I am so excited to be moving soon and to be closer to those who inspire me. I’m really ready to get back into modeling full force. For the past year I have been so grateful that I do have the outlets of Instagram and my blog. Whenever I need an escape I really get back into my blog or reach out to my creative friends over Instagram.”
Photographer: Fernando Medina
Most interesting story revolving around modeling?
“I think my most interesting story has to be from my very first photoshoot. I had just created my instagram account and had basically zero followers. I reached out to a photographer who was shooting a ton of my favorite influencers. At that time, Brendan (@brendannorth) who had over 500k followers and now has close to a million. I randomly reached out to Brendan and asked to shoot with him. I drove all the way to LA, which is about 3-4 hours from where I lived at that time, for our shoot. I posted a ton of stories and shots from that photoshoot and everyone’s reaction were the same “how did you end up shooting with Brendan North”. I love this story because it taught me so many things. For one, you really do get what you pay for. Although looking back I feel like the photos from that shoot are probably the worst ones I have because I had no idea how to pose or what kind of facial expressions to make, Brendan taught me so much. But most importantly, I learned that too many times we’re too afraid to reach out to others when they have a ton of followers or way more experience. I think it’s actually very important to take risks because you never know just how well they will pay off!”
Photographer: Fernando Medina
Random stuff about you?
“I started creating content since I was about 10 years old. I used to make videos, song lyrics, and all kinds of content. I even made my very first website when I was 12. I guess deep down I’ve always had this dream of being a content creator.”
Follow this babe on IG!
TGS Collective
