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Interview with Model Rozlin Gomez

“Being a model and an artist is all about believing in yourself, appreciating, and loving what you create.”


Rozlin, can you tell us a bit about yourself.  When, how and why did you first get involved in the modeling? I was about three years old when my mother entered me in pageantry, and I loved it. That’s when I very first started modeling. I would do all different pageants among Texas and some times even traveled to states such as Oklahoma and Georgia for national pageants. I have won several trophies, tiaras, bigger crowns, medals, and other types of award like plaques and goodie bags. This lasted until 2010 where I won the Sunburst Texas State Beauty pageant! Shortly after that I started to get tattoos which isn’t the norm for pageants. So, I took up freelance modeling in 2013. I had plenty of fun photo shoots of all types and to this day I’m still participating in photo shoots just for fun. I find modeling as a little escape for myself, because it’s my passion. When I set up and get ready for a photo shoot, especially for publication my inner artist definitely comes out!

How has modeling experience changed you as a person/your personal life? I have met many people in the modeling industry which is the great thing about modeling! I once met a model at a just for fun photo get together. We are now great friends, and hang out get together very often! Also, my very best friend is actually my main photographer. We met in late 2013 and started working together in early 2014. Now, we work together for fun, promotions, publications, and even for my cosplay modeling. My experiences in modeling have definitely changed me as a person. When I look back at some of the work I have done I see many things I could have done to make the image better and have more meaning. I have become more than a pretty girl smiling in front of a camera. I have definitely become an artist.

What’s your favorite thing about being a model? Being able to bring an idea to life that I have conjured up in my mind is my favorite part of modeling. Every aspect down to the theme, the location, my attire, my makeup, my hair, and my props are all completely thought out to piece together a work of art. Especially when working with my main photographer Michael Castro aka MC StudioWorkz. Sometimes a simple image can tell a story.

Do you feel people act different around you since you have become a model? What do people not know about model life? There are some people who don’t understand how much work goes in to creating the images I feature on my modeling page or that are published in the magazines I have submitted to. I have actually been told I’m not a real model, because I don’t get paid. I don’t believe this to be true, because I am a freelance model and my images and art mean a lot to me. Being a model and an artist is all about believing in yourself, appreciating, and loving what you create. I do have plenty of supporters however, and these are the people who make a big difference in my life as a model. My supporters range from my family, to my photographer, photographer friends, modeling friends, regular friends, and even people who I have never met before. I have been approached in public and introduced to people who know me based off of my modeling. They usually call me by the modeling name (“Rozzmonster”), and tell me they love my work and to keep it up! It’s a really great feeling being able to know I’m influencing someone else’s life with my images in a positive way. I have even inspired other females and males to get into modeling, and I have helped them a much as I could to get started.

Who in your life has most influenced how you think about beauty and about style? My mother has always influenced me very much in the modeling scene. She has supported me through pageants all the way through my freelance modeling. She has even made some of my props, attended some of my shoots, and has even helped me pick out my attire at times. My mother, Rachel Gomez also has a very creative mind, and I believe that’s where I get mine from. She has shown me beauty and style can come in many different forms and fashion ranging from glamour, high fashion, and even to dark beauty, gore, and horror images. One doesn’t always have to be socially normal to make a wonderful image that represents beauty and style.

Tell us a secret, where did you get all the courage to get your body tattooed? Some of them are quite bold in regard to size and placement not every girl would dare to have them. Most of my tattoos in the beginning were completely on whims. I then began to love the art form of tattoos. I went through a couple artists to find my main tattoo artists, Danielle Koerth and Justin Owens from South Texas Tattoos located in Aransas Pass Texas. They are some amazing artists as well as tattoo artists. I simply choose to be their canvas with tattoo ideas that they help me bring to life. My stomach/sternum/rib piece is my latest and most bold tattoo. It’s an original piece by Danielle Koerth, and is amazingly beautiful in style and color! From the sternum down to my stomach area was actually a very painful spot to get a tattoo and my most painful tattoo (I happen to handle tattoo pain very well)! It was a actually a cover up of a scripture tattoo I had on my ribs that was done on a whim in a different shop. She not only covered the previous tattoo, but added more to it and made me feel much better about my torso.

Have you ever regretted having tattoos? I never have regretted modifying my body with tattoos, but there are a some tattoos I have regretted. Most of them are covered up and fixed by the amazing artists I have found, but there are still a few that need some re-working and covering up.

From you own experience, how does having a tattooed body have influenced your modeling career? I have been turned down for modeling jobs in the modeling scene many times, because of my tattoos. It did bother me very much, because I feel as the people who had rejected me were literally judging me on the colors of my skin. However, in MY modeling career my tattoos make me who I am, and sometimes emphasizes the ideas of some of the art I intend and do create. I love my modified body, and it’s working for me in MY modeling career. Looking in the right places and working hard can make my body work in the modeling scene.

In your opinion, what is the toughest thing about being a model? Artistic block is extremely tough. When I feel like I can’t come up with an idea to create some images, it can be frustrating. I usually take that time to step back and take a break or go have a just for fun photo shoot to get my mind gears turning. Sometimes those images actually turn out to be really great!

You have worked on so many projects as a model. Which of the projects you have worked on are you most proud of and why? I did a set of images that are published in Beau-Nu Magazine’s February issue themed Red. I worked extremely hard on my attire, stitching the entire skirt and top. Also, working with the theme to fit the outfit I designed. I ended up portraying the Greek fire goddess, Hestia. My attire was red, I did my own golden rich makeup, my mother did my hair in a Greek inspired up-du, and Michael Castro shot the amazing images. It was really great to see my name credited as a designer, and well as my mother credited as the hair stylist. That was my first magazine publication for the year of 2016, and I still am extremely proud of that publication as well as all the others.

What do you usually look for in photographers that you would do trade with? I look at the quality of their work, my comfortably with them, reliability, and whether they are looking to shoot just for fun or to create art. Depending on those qualities I then decide whether I want to set up shoot with them or not. I do enjoy working with other photographers, but I do shoot regularly with my main photographer Michael Castro. We make an amazing team!

What is something you haven’t achieved but hope to in the future? If you could have your next dream job, what would it be? I hope to eventually have one of my modeling images on the cover of a magazine. I have been published in several magazines of all different types, have had great spreads, but I would love to be on the cover of a magazine! That is a goal that I will accomplish one day! I am working right now on a family pirate adventure located In Port Aransas Texas called Red Dragon Pirate Cruises. I can say that I already work my dream job. I get to dress up like a pirate when I go to work which is amazing, because I love to indulge in cosplay. I’m an entertainer on the pirate ship acting over a microphone with other pirates putting on a theatrical show and engaging in pirate style activities for the children out on the water. Preforming as a job isn’t even like working. I never dread going to work, because I know I’m going to have a great time with our pirate crew. Every group that boards is different, so work is never the same old same old work. It’s a very fun job, and I’ve been working there since June of 2015, and I also have a pirate stage name! Milah!!

Who are some models you look up to and adore? Why? Any model that creates beautiful images and are proud of those images as well as themselves are models I look up to. I appreciate all types of modeling genres, and if someone has the courage and desire to take a chance and pursue any type of modeling is someone to adore. I look up to the modeling community as a whole. One model however, who has really caught my eye is Cherry Dollface. She is a beautiful, alternative, pin-up style model who has tattoos! She has definitely made a great and positive name for herself as a model.

What do you usually do to prepare for a shoot? Any little rituals for luck beforehand? Do you have any beauty secrets or products you swear by? Preparing for a shoot means having all your ducks in a row. I take my time on my make up and apply it according to the theme of the photo shoot. I make sure my attire fits me well and is exactly what I picture for the images, as well as any other props I need to have present in my images. A little beauty secret I swear by is telling myself I’m beautiful and believing in myself before going out to do a shoot, especially if it’s for a magazine publication. Setting one’s mind to a goal and wanting it produces positive vibes and that makes the goal easier to reach!

What would be your advice to girls who want to get into modeling? Try it out first. If you feel like you enjoy it, try it again. You will make mistakes, and some images may not be as great as you want or intended them to be. However, if you really enjoy modeling keep on trying. I was a freelance model for a year and a few months before I got accepted for my first magazine publication. Basically, never give up. With modeling you learn as you go, and if your just starting out I promise you that a few years down the line you will change how you feel about modeling and every aspect of it. You will look back at your early images and see how you have grown since then, because I know I definitely have. It’s a fun journey, but sticking to it, through the rough and smooth is key!

What role does social media play in your modeling career? Do you feel social media has helped your career? All the magazines I have been published in have been discovered by my online social media networks. Most of my supporters are on social media. Supporters are some of the most important people in my modeling career, because they give me the encouragement to keep on going whether it’s a small comment or a long message on how I inspire them. Also, networking is a giant aspect that is resourced from social media, and without that I may have not met some of the photographers and other models I have learned from and worked with.

What is the first app or website you open in the morning? Instagram. I post most of my cosplay and modeling work on Instagram, and I follow tons of other talented cosplayers, photographers, and models, and I love looking at their images and appreciating their work.

Where can readers see more of your work and get connected with you? Instagram is where you can mostly catch my cosplay work, but I do often post my freelance modeling images on there as well. My Instagram name is @Rozzmonstercosplay. For just my modeling work, Facebook is a great way to find my images. I have a public figure page and the link is www.facebook.com/rozzmonstermodels. I also have a cosplay based Facebook page. Www.facebook.com/rozzmonstercosplay.

Is there anything you would change about the modeling industry if you could? The modeling industry, in my opinion should be more open to different body types, including body modifications.

One thing that bugs you about humans is that…? When humans don’t have an open mind and live in their “own ways”. Humans must explore the world whether its literally stepping out into the world physically or just opening their mind to different ideas and thoughts of other people instead of shaming them. I am a huge supporter of anti-bullying and no hating or shaming.

Please share something surprising people don’t know about you. I mentioned it earlier, but I love to cosplay. It is so fun being dressing up as a character, going to conventions, and doing photo shoots as a particular character!! Another aspect in my life that people may find surprising by just viewing my images, is the most important person in my life. My daughter. Her name is Sandra Caprice Gomez. She will be two on May 24, 2016. She is my world and I hope that I am creating a path of positivity that she can follow in as well as being someone she can always come to with problems and look up to as a role model. She is the best thing that has ever happened in my life, she is beautiful, I would not change a thing about her, and she has already been in three beauty pageants!! I will support her in anything she does and is passionate about. Our journey together as mother and daughter has merely just begun, but I am ready for many more memories together.

Thank you, Rozlin.


Published in 2016 May Volume III: BUY NOW

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