Your journey is your own, but God’s intended purpose for your life supersedes that. That was one of the things that I learned after interviewing model and entrepreneur, Jaelynn Hinton. To many, she is known as “that model from the magazine” or “hometown hero” to those that admire her but she is much more than both of these things.
It all began after Jaelynn took pictures during the Summer of her senior year of high school. These later got posted to her mother’s Facebook page which gained the recognition of a local magazine publication. The magazine publication asked Jaelynn to fill in for one of their models. Eager for the opportunity, Jaelynn accepted and was surprised by the result.
“This was a job? I could’ve done this for free, but wait, could I actually start getting paid for this? ”
The birth of her modeling journey came from a simple leap of faith. Having absolutely no prior knowledge of modeling, she decided to apply to two modeling agencies which included Wilhemina and Ford. It wasn’t about 100% understanding how the modeling industry worked, it was about seizing a presented opportunity and being open to something new.
Sometimes you never know how one thing can transpire into being something else.
While things seemed to be looking up for her budding modeling career, this put Jaelynn in a rough position when it came to academic life.
The UpNext: Can you tell me more about your modeling experience and what has it been like?
Jaelynn Hinton: I like it a lot! I love that you’re hanging out with creatives all day, sharing ideas & there’s always something new. I love newness, I don’t like to just sit at a desk all day and have no creativity so modeling was perfect for me. There’s the hustle side of it too. I was actually broke at first because I was spending all my money on gas for traveling, photoshoots; even sleeping in my car to save money for hotels and attending castings. I kept missing school and they were about to expel me so I switched to an alternative school to do independent studies to finish in my own time and graduated early.
The UN: What did you have in your mind to do before your Senior pictures being released?
JH: I’m kinda still doing it, but I really was just working a lot. Ever since I was little, I just always wanted to make money for some reason. [...] Babysitting, dog cleaning, and then when I was in high school I sold skin care, essential oils, candy eventually to do investment in homes and real estate.
The UN: Though currently not a college student, are there other ways that you’ve implemented education in your life?
JH: I think it’s so important to never stop learning and I participated in NIIC (Northeast Indiana Innovation Center)’s SEED program which helped educate me more on business on an intense level and NICC’s Women’s Entrepreneur Opportunity Center was another thing I was apart of that was so encouraging and helpful with women all starting their own passions. I’m also really into reading; I love the book Start With Why because it gives you so many examples of doing everything starting with your why.
The UN: So, since you mentioned that, what is your “why” as it pertains to modeling?
JH: For modeling, I’m more so just doing it for the experience and endurance. I’ve grown a lot from modeling in the past few years than I have in my entire life just because of the traveling and meeting so many different perspectives. The alone time really allows you more time to self reflect and I’ve really been able to step more into myself and my confidence. It really changes you in more ways than you think it would; you have to separate yourself from the world to survive. It can be very intense because of beauty standards, the objectification, sometimes even walking on eggshells & just the unknowns of the future.
The UN: What do you feel has been your biggest lesson from modeling?
JH: If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, it’s not sustainable. This can be applied to various areas of your life such as the workout you may do, maybe your diet or job. You have to stop listening to other people and their opinions & live for yourself. When it comes to yourself, you have to put yourself above other people’s opinions. At the end of the day, you have to listen to what God says first and what He says about us.
The UN: How have you maintained your relationship with God as your career has advanced?
JH: I feel like [modeling] has increased my faith because I have so much time to spend with him while I’m on the road and it’s also a ministering opportunity while at work. I think that God made me to share my testimony and to share my light & that’s what gives me the most joy to be able to spread the Word. The industry is very dark all around and everywhere that I go, there’s hurt in people. I’m not saying I need to preach at people, but I have a perspective from God that’s allowed me to be able to correctly speak into these people’s lives.
The UN: What do you feel like you would be doing if you were not modeling?
JH: I really don’t know. I went to college for a semester but stopped because of modeling because it was too much to do full-time modeling and full-time school. So, I probably would still be in college. I would still definitely be focusing on SONDR too.
The UN: Where do you see yourself in five years?
JH: I see myself doing SONDR full time and modeling part-time
This surprised me because of the success she’s already been having in her career.
“I potentially see myself married, maybe have a kid. Me and my boyfriend are pretty serious, but I don’t know if I’ll be modeling or not. It can be a lot. ” She continued.
The Why
SONDR was founded by Jaelynn in April 2019 as an organization that would be an environment that is holistically healthy on a personal and global level with philanthropic pursuits. This would be for the result of trying to spread positivity and create exposure for artists.
Jaelynn is classified as being “Up Next” for her mindset to constantly chase a bag. While many people have this mindset, what sets her aside from her peers, is her openness to share her knowledge with others and tenacity that’s given directly from God. Not only does she look past her modeling career, but she is using it as a stepping stool to propel her to her true passion. Everyone has to start somewhere, right?
To keep up with Jaelynn and her modeling career, follow @jaelynndanette
To learn more about SONDR, click here
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