UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH
Rachael Williams: International Model and Arising Entrepreneur.
It's my first time and I love it! I think the heat is alright because when I go back to London, its gonna be raining so I'm enjoying it whilst it lasts.
Can you tell me about yourself ?
Well, I grew up in London, I'm more of Jamaican heritage but my ancestors are Ghanaian somewhere along the line. I graduated in psychology in counseling.Yeah and I got into modeling because I won Miss Black Britain in 2006. It was the first ever in London. After, I went on to do Miss England in 2007 and then I decided to do the London fashion week and Caribbean fashion week. I have done a lot shows around the Uk, New-York, and now in Ghana.
Are you doing shows in Ghana?
I'm doing photo shoots. I had a show in Sierra Leone last week, and it was really really good! I was there for three days and I loved it. Because I hadn't been there before and it was fun meeting all the other models from there, and some models from Nigeria as well and the community.
I can tell you really enjoyed yourself.
(laughs) yes I did.
How old were you when you started modeling?
Eeerrrm when I was 19. I'm 24 now, yeah since then I've been doing it. I do a lot of photo shoots and fashion shows and I work at least three times a week. I'm very busy, but I love it. I wouldn't change it for anything!I know you are the Face of Arise Magazine fashion week. Tell me how that happened.
I just got booked for it, just before the show took place. And they did the photo shoot. I had to hold the magazine in a promotional way, and they posted it outside the venue and around Nigeria (Lagos). So I flew down to the show even though I had work in London. It was really really bad because I didn't know about the show until the last minute so.. (laughs)
Could you describe a typical week for you as a model?
It's waking up around 7:00am, then to casting. If you are not casting all day, then it's a photo shoot. Basically traveling up and Down in London and carrying your portfolio. It's fun, but then it's very very tiring and you get hungry. And if the weather is not that great, because you have to care about your appearance making sure you always have your heels with you, make sure you are well groomed because you could see any one, and people would like to take pictures of you so you always have to look very presentable. And then you go to the gym, you work hard and make sure you eat well, and you are always prepared because you might have a job the next day. And if you get the job, it could be from 9:00am to 6:00pm every day. It could also be a quick booking, a one hour booking or two hours bookingSo where do you see yourself career wise in say the next five years?
In 5 years, I hope to have travelled to many different countries and modeled for brands in those countries. Yes, so in five years time, I see myself working and traveling. And oh yeah, I run a company called 'We Girls Rock', and we are working with Ghana schools. Everything is working smoothly so far. When I'm not modeling, I do that.Can you tell me a bit about the competition you face in the industry?
There's always competition no matter which work group you go into, I mean there's always going to be competition. If you go in for a job, the directors always look for someone who matches that role, so I cast with five other girls who look the same as me and you know there's going to be only one of you girls who's going to get the role. But at the end of the day, there's no point being rude to another girl or being too too nice to another girl because you are not going to see her inside the casting room. What matters is that, you make sure you do your thing and be confident. Yes, confidence is the key because as a model you could get rejected all the time. Well, that's what I do, it's confidence! (shrugs)
What are your goals as a model? How do you see yourself progress in this field?
My goals? Like I said travel, I know the sort of field I am in. So it's about making sure I fit in the modeling field and making sure I stay humble within my self and errm..... yes stay humble, be confident, and keep on moving.
If u could meet anyone in the world, who would it be and what would u ask them?
Usher!!! (laughs) I have a big crush on Usher, I always see him but I have not actually formally met him. I don't know what I'll say to him, he's like my celebrity crush! I'd love to meet Michelle Obama too. We were supposed to meet in Sierra-Leone last week but she couldn't fly in at the time,but I was really really excited I was going to meet her. She's very strong, and powerful,and everything I'd wanna be as a woman. She's my idol and I'd love to meet her, but I don't have anything to ask her. I'd just love to sit with her and chat with her, yeah. (laughs)Tell me, What of kind of music would i find on your iPod?
Everything, at the moment. I have downloaded a lot of Ghanaian songs and Nigerian songs. I like Wizkid at the moment, I think he's great. Ruff and Smooth, 4x4, oh and I also listen to hip hop, gospel music everything! You know in London, we got like funky house, grime, yeah all of that, I got a whole range. I'm a music girl and I like to dance!
Then you can show us some few moves?
(laughs) I'm not dancing now.
Ok, so if there's one thing you wish you never did in the past, what would that be?
I think I plan too much. I always plan things and I expect things to go out exactly the way I planned it, so I would change that. And I wish I lived my childhood freely, and took things as they came, not being head strong. But then, I'm happy with where I am now so I don't know how much I would change the past. But as I see myself in the future, I just want to make sure that I don't plan too much but just take things as they come, because if you plan and something goes wrong, it will just mess up everything.
If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
I think I'd be a rabbit (laughs) yeah a rabbit because, first of all I like rabbits, they eat a lot and they store the food just like me. I eat so much, but I don't know where I store the food. (laughs) And also, they are seen when they want to be seen, friendly, and very quiet. They don't like making any noise, like me. I'm very quiet and I don't like to be in your face. It's only when I'm working that I have to be that way. Because my normal self, I'm quiet that way. Yeah a rabbit.
(laughs) What kind of rabbit though?
A black furry one.
So tell me, what kind of drink do you take? Are you a coke person?Ok this is cranberry juice (points to her drink), and yeah, I have coke all the time, and sprite. I don't take alcohol so I always have different fruit juice.Well, I have had alcohol before and I never liked it, and when I started modeling I heard it wasn't good for your skin so I don't drink it. On Christmas I have it, just a little bit.
What are your likes and dislikes?
I don't know (pause for a while) I hate annoying people, yeah annoying people and people that takes things so seriously. And people that don't know how to have a laugh or chill out, because when you work too hard you have to have time for your friends and family because you know, you got to play sometimes.
Earlier on you talked about graduating in psychology in counseling, how do you plan on working with it?
You know, at 'We Girls Rock' (her company), there's a lot of times we have to mentor other girls, so I think that will help me when I'm speaking one on one with the girls, advising them, guiding them. Yeah that's it.Ok my final question before we wrap up, between an iPhone and a blackberry, which one would you choose?
iPhone! I only have the blackberry for my messenger but I'm an iPhone person.
KojoSkelon
www.ghanatrends.tk
