Vancouver Fashion eZine - Online Fashion Magazine | John Casablancas Model

Everyone wants to be able to say they are working at their "dream job", but unfortunately not everyone gets the chance. Insert Charlotte Wood - the beautiful, blue eyed, twenty-one year old that hails from Victoria, British Columbia. She is one of John Casablancas' new up and coming talents in modeling who is blazing a path towards living her dream of traveling around the world, experiencing and absorbing different cultures while being paid to model.

Two years ago Wood found herself signing with Coultish Management in Victoria after taking a Fashion Motion class at Bonnie Pollards. She started her modeling career by doing what little shows were available on the Island and by the summer of 2008 Coultish sent her off to China. The experience was life changing for Wood as she discovered her passion for traveling and found out a lot about herself. Wood said that being away from her family, friend's and all things familiar was very challenging at first. Language barriers alone were frustrating, especially as she is a strict vegetarian and often resorted to charades to find out what ingredients were in things. Despite the potential loneliness of not knowing anyone, Wood took the opportunity of being in China to meet new friends and work on maintaining her relationships back home. She faced herself and her adversaries and came out on top.

Modeling in China was very different than modeling in Canada.. At Wood's first few castings she wasn't landing any jobs and couldn't figure out why until one of her agency representatives explained to her that she needs to be more exaggerated in her posing. It was a challenging juxtaposition from the North American standards she was used to where she booked jobs based on a natural beauty. Once she adapted to the industry differences her success was apparent as she booked her first shoot with Estee Lauder for Vogue. It was a memorable experience and very glamorous, but she is quick to point out that not everything is glamorous in modeling. The very next day she was doing another shoot in a rural town doing a small, independent, no-frills fashion show.

Back in Canada Woods knew that she was ready to model full-time and do as much traveling as possible. She knew that she could only achieve this by finding a new agency outside of Victoria so she came to Vancouver and signed with John Casablanca where she is currently represented. She is very excited to be with the new agency and to continue building her portfolio. Since going to China, Wood has goals of modeling in Japan, Thailand, Toronto, and parts of Europe. When not modeling she works for a painting company in Victoria, loves hanging out with her boyfriend, bike riding and staying active. A career in Interior Design is possibly in the future.

Just like anything in life, you get what you put out in modeling and for the sweet, humble, grounded Charlotte Wood that means a chance to learn, grow and be open to all that life has to offer. With the strong support system of boyfriend and mother, Wood is sure to succeed. She knows that anything can change in an instant and a career in modeling 'isn't something she can plan, you just have to go with it!'. She is definitely having fun while doing it.