South Africa, Milan, Paris, St. Bart’s. We’ve all dreamt of traveling to those ridiculously exotic places like a few lucky people on the planet: fashion models.
One of the perks of being a successful model is traveling to wild and beautiful locations on the dime of whomever’s booking you for a campaign, catalog or magazine. Sometimes you are there for a day, sometimes for weeks. You don’t even have to be a model to get there, maybe you’re an assistant to a photographer, or a well heeled stylist. Whatever the case may be, these are all places we’ve all longed and loved to have stamped on our passports.
GlobalGrind spoke to Latvian Karina Bartkevica, a model who is signed to New York modeling agency One Management and who is on the cusp of blowing up.
Our phone call touched on how much her life has changed since leaving Latvia at the age of 15, to model and travel the world. Bartkevica spoke to us from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, her way station while she looks for her own place in the Manhattan.
Speaking with her was a treat!
GlobalGrind: Where are you?
Karina: I’m at home.
In New York?
Yes, well I’m actually staying, right now, in Williamsburg.
Where do you live in New York, other than Williamsburg?
Right now, here in Williamsburg. I am planning to move to Manhattan very soon but I will see how it goes. I am here for like 2 months.
How do you like Williamsburg?
Um, it’s a really cute area, I must say, but it’s a little bit far from everything that is happening around. I like to be in the middle of everything, to be in the middle of Manhattan because it’s just so cool to be there. And for me it’s like a mission every time to go to Manhattan from here. It takes time and Williamsburg is not in the middle of everything so … (laughs).
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You’ve lived in some pretty interesting places. You’ve lived basically around the world, traveling.
Yes, I’ve been everywhere. I’m curious and I want to travel around even more. I started in Milan, Tokyo, Paris, Germany, Spain, London, South Africa; I was recently in Cape Town in the winter and now finally I’m here in New York.
Was this for work?
Yes, since I started modeling. I was discovered back home in Latvia and I just decided that I wanted to try and travel. I was interested in what it was like, in general. I never thought about it seriously but once I understood what it is and went on my first trip … I went again and again. This way of life is just amazing (laughs).
How old were you when you were discovered?
I was 15 and then up to a year, I started modeling school. At 16, I went to Milan for the first time and spent about a month and half there. I was really lucky because I went with an agent so I was not alone. I didn’t spend the first day crying like I wanted to go back home; everything was quiet, simple, and no rush. It was really good.
Tell us about the first time you went on a set for a job. What was that like?
The first professional shoot was back in Latvia and it was a beauty shoot; cool pictures. It was amazing! I was so excited about it. I remember they were doing my hair for like 3 hours, cause they wanted some crazy hair, and I was like, ‘Oh my god is it going to take this long every time?’ (laughs). But then I thought, because the team was so cool and they knew that I was young, it was really easy in the end. I was just listening to what they were telling me to do and I think that’s how I got into the flow. It was exciting, definitely. I haven’t thought about that … It was cool that you asked me about the first shooting ever.
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Do you keep a diary?
I do write sometimes, but what I do now for every job I work on is write down all of the information, like everyone’s name, where I was, what kind of people were there. Then I make some comments about where we’ve been and what we’ve been doing, and what day because something different happens everyday. You meet some many people everyday and its impossible to remember and sometimes I think “What was I doing 2 days ago?”
What was is like for you to leave Latvia and go to Milan, was that scary?
Well, the thing is, I was born in the USSR and my family is basically Russian speaking. Half the population is Russian speaking and half is Latvian speaking. Then we were separated from the USSR and became an independent country, Latvia. Basically, we were in the middle of Europe and Russia and even when we were back together with Russian people used to say that the level of life in our region was more in order, even the streets and city were cleaner. So, basically, I grew up with a Russian soul, with the Russian language and a Russian family. So, I already had a European mentality because I was learning Russian, Latvian and English in school. I was already a little more European and international. When I was a kid, my parents used to take me on little trips but, of course, I was excited to go to Milan so I was really just observing and quite calm, but excited.
Did you have a chaperon or were you by yourself?
Yes, I went with a manager and agent. She stayed with me for 10 days. She is great and we are still friends. It really helped me a lot to have her there.
Was it difficult leaving your friends in Latvia to be a model?
It was different but once I was there, I was meeting new people and I was excited to see more and meet more people around the world. Every time I came back, I felt that the world was amazing! I had a hunger to travel and to learn more. This way of life is just amazing and I love it.
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After Milan, where did you go next?
After Milan, I went to Tokyo for the first time and it was an amazing experience! I mean you cannot stay there longer than about 2-3 months because you’ll go crazy but I loved it. I’m so happy and lucky that I get to live everywhere for a longer period of time, to feel the lives of real people and be a sponge to get all of the information.
That’s really cool, because most people don’t get to see how regular people live when traveling.
And I think that is the most important thing: you have to try to get to know the real life not just the touristic stuff, which, most of the time, is boring.
What was your favorite thing to do while you were in Tokyo, what was a favorite memory of yours?
I’ve been there about 5 times but if the situation was different, and things were stabilized, I would definitely go back now. The time you spend there, you just feel so free. The feeling of freedom, doing whatever you want and not having to worry that someone is going to steal your bag or something, is just amazing. Everything is done for people there, attention to small details (they are crazy obviously) but I love them for that.
Compare Tokyo to South Africa and where were you in South Africa?
I was in Cape Town.
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And what was that like?
Amazing! I used to say that when you come to Cape Town, you only spend a couple of days, but there it’s like someone flying around, shooting people to just fall in love with the place. Now, when I think about it, I think the beaches are just more beautiful. You stand on the beach and there is beautiful water on one side and mountains on the other side, and behind you is the city. You feel like you are in the middle of the world.
Where else have you seen in Africa?
I have just traveled a little around Cape Town with friends for shoots so I didn’t really get to see much. I live there but I couldn’t really do things because I have to book myself out. It is pretty hard to travel around a lot but I would definitely go back for vacation.
Have you been to India or Brazil?
No, those are destinations that I would love to go, though. Other places I haven’t been that I want to go to are South America and the Middle East.
When you were a child in Latvia, was it a dream of yours to travel and see the world?
My dad bought me a huge globe when I was little and taught me about the continents and cities. And my grandfather used to be a geography teacher so, maybe, I just have it in my blood! I was always interested in geography and traveling. When I got the chance to do it for real, it blew my mind!
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You’ve traveled to all of these beautiful places, what do you think is one thing all of these places have in common?
In the end, meeting people is the same. Every place has good and interesting people to meet. I just love meeting and talking to different people and learning about their different mentalities so I can make my own opinions. It’s impossible to really describe. So, meeting people would be the main thing. I am filling myself with all of these new ideas and thoughts by listening. That’s the amazing thing about life.
When was the last time you were home in Latvia?
I was in Cape Town from about December to mid-March and came home for a couple of days; then I went to London for a shoot. I went home for a little and came here, so, basically, 2 months ago.
What are your dreams and hopes for the future? Do you see yourself settling anywhere?
Yes, I’ve been thinking about that, and until last year, I was sure it would be London. But now, I’m here in New York and it feels great, so I will see. I will see what will happen with my career. I am still hungry for the world and want to have everything. I plan to just be around and see more. I will think more seriously about a family in a couple more years and make a decision.
Follow Karina on twitter @KarinaTheOne
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Karina Bartkevica.
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Karina Bartkevica.
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Karina Bartkevica.
