Guest Blogger Naomi Campbell Talks The Face

Naomi Campbell.
Naomi Campbell.

Naomi Campbell.

There are a lot of pretty girls out there, but what separates the good models from the greats is how much one is willing to work. This is true for any industry. If you want to be the best, there needs to be a fire in your belly. You have to want it. You have to work at it.

I think I knew from an early age that in order to achieve what I wanted I needed to be prepared to put in the energy and time to make it happen. I always knew opportunity doesn’t just fall out of the sky, there had to be something to make it happen – yourself. Even those who do seem to have opportunity present itself fully to them, still need to work in order to keep it – if not, that opportunity will fly away.

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I’ve been very blessed in my career with all the things I’ve been able to be involved in, but it has required time and effort to make it happen. Modeling, acting, charity work, television, perfumes, writing, music... I love what I do – and this is why I love working. I am a firm believer that life is short, so you have to make the most of it.

I remember my first fashion week season and having to fly around to different countries for what seemed to be hundreds of shows and being constantly on the go for weeks on end. I don’t think I had ever worked so hard in my life, but I got an absolute thrill out of it.

27 and a half years later, when I was filming The Face, it was not all fun and games, it was work, but I love my girls and I love competition, so it too was rewarding. That’s the key, finding the reward.

When I see somebody working hard, I know they want something. They are focused on the goal and are willing to put all their energy into making that goal happen, whatever that may be.

If you were to ask all our contestants on The Face if they wanted to be a working model, every single one of them would say “yes”. But I can tell who really wants it by how hard they work in our challenges.

Last week’s episode was a preliminary round choosing the 12 girls who stood out as having exceptional potential to join Team Cheyenne, Team Nicole or Team Naomi.

Naomi's team during their shoot in episode 2 of The Face.
Naomi's team during their shoot in episode 2 of The Face.

Naomi's team during their shoot in episode 2 of The Face.

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But in Tuesday night’s episode our contestants got their first taste of being a working model. Their challenge was a posed shoot with the winning team’s shot going in the pages of Marie Claire Australia, which is an incredible opportunity for the girls at this stage in their careers. You could see the girls who were willing to work – overcome fears, take risks, focus, listen to their mentors, be a team member...and you could see the girls who didn’t give it their all.

And it’s not just our girls who have to work - Cheyenne, Nicole and I work hard too! We want our teams to win, so have to work to guide these aspiring models through each challenge. We have experience in the business that our girls desperately need and it is our duty to pass that on to them.

The elimination was very tough, because I had to decide between two gorgeous girls, but my decision to keep Shenika was based on the fact I felt she was willing to work harder to fight through this competition.

So to everyone reading this right now, it you want something bad enough, you have to work hard for it. If not, you’re eliminated. No, just joking. But look around us, everyone at the top of their game has had to work at it. Some make it look easy and some you can tell they’ve overcome obstacles to get where they are – but everyone of them has had to work at it.

I think this subject has been the perfect introduction for my first blog for Marie Claire Australia. Throughout the next six weeks during the run of The Face, I will be writing with insight into each episode. I hope you enjoy the read, and it would be great to hear from you so feel free to message me @NaomiCampbell.

I hope you’re enjoying the show and there will be more next week!

Love and light,

Naomi
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