Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Shumway.
Liz, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I spent my childhood in Upstate, NY, specifically the historical hippie center of the world in a town called Woodstock. My family made sense there, even though to many other localities our family would have been quite unique. My mom is an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago and had grown up in extreme poverty, and my Father is a transgender woman from La Jolla, California. Her Grandfather, Roger Revelle was one of the first scientist’s to study global warming and founded University California San Diego. I grew up debating politics, nourishing my love of science and my intrigue about the world from the time I was very young. Like I said before, my family was not abnormal in Woodstock and I wish I had appreciated earlier how incredible that is. I think Woodstock is responsible for my love of art, music, and other people. When my parents divorced, I moved with my mother and sister to a farm outside of Kingston, NY. We raised goats, chickens, and pigs. I helped milk the goats every morning around 6 am before school. When I got to High school, this became very difficult with the AP and Honor courses I was taking as well competing in Varsity sports not to mention that my mother had remarried a man from Belgium and we started traveling to Europe frequently. When I was fifteen, I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life. I was struggling with severe depression and anxiety, arguing fiercely with my mother daily. I left my little sister and my mother to move in with my father in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. While in high school I started studying Chinese, eventually majoring in it in college and can say that I speak Chinese comfortably, Spanish, and used to be fluent in French as well. I also competed in soccer, track and field, competitive snowboarding, and varsity rowing. At that time I never expected that one day I would win second place at NCAA’s my senior year of college, nor part of the first team from an all women’s college to win the NCAA Championship for Wellesley Rowing. My teammates, my coach Tessa Spilane, and the sport gave me the gift of resilience, dedication, handwork, and pursuing seemingly impossible goals. I have been able to maintain my commitment to the sport by coaching the novice women at Washington University in St. Louis where I am also a post-baccalaureate premedical student and a research assistant for the Deselm Lab at the Medical school. My journey, into the modeling industry, has tested my confidence, self-esteem, creativity, fitness, and can conflict at times with my goal of becoming a doctor. At the end of the day, I have always done the things most enjoyable to me and have succeeded in maintaining my grades with my athletics, leadership, research and social life.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I never expected until it happened that I would become a model. I have always been known for my confidence, so walking up to designer Brandin Vaughn and asking to be one of his models is not that shocking to those who know me, I just never expected he would say yes. After working with his brand, photographers started to message me, and eventually, The Firm Talent Management reached out, and I became represented. From there I have done shoots with talented photographers ranging from Boston to St. Louis to where my family now lives, Houston, Texas.
Although some might say the art is created by the photographer, I never walk into a photo shoot waiting for direction. When I first started, I would look on the internet, high fashion magazines, and practice posing in my room. Most of my modeling is print photography modeling and fashion modeling. What I love about modeling is the performance and dance that is captured in the poses that I contort my body into. I am also a runway model although I do not fit the usual criteria for size in runway work. Even though I am not a size 0 or very tall, I have managed to forge my own path into modeling, and I am not letting size or body type stop me. I think it’s important when looking at the artwork that I am apart of and artwork in general, to remember that art is subjective and that the take away should not be obvious. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that western standards of beauty are not innate or correct. I hope that women can look at my work and see someone truly similar to them and that they can do whatever they set their minds to regardless of what society says about their looks and confidence.
How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
I believe that with how easily ideas can be accessed, transformed, standardized or rejected because of social media and the internet, the artist has had to adapt. Being conscious of ever-changing social norms has become incredibly important for branding and maintaining one’s reputation. In terms of my modeling, this means that I only take modeling jobs with designers or photographers who not only produce high-quality work but have similar goals and standards to mine. It’s fascinating to me how in the world of modeling, Instagram has become the main network platform between models, designers, and photographers. What is popular and trending on Instagram dictates the work that photographers and models seek to publish or share with the world even if it is not the type of work they personally love the most.
I believe that the fashion industry is currently in a transition period. I think a perfect example of this was model Ashley Graham walking for Michael Kors in New York Fashion Week. Watching her push limits in the high fashion industry gives me hope for more room in high fashion for normal sized models. When I first started modeling, I was incredibly concerned about my weight and tried so many diets to cut weight. I have since stopped the extreme diets, and I think my work has only improved because modeling is back to being fun and not stressful. The need for models who look like and can represent the majority of women is pushing companies eager to continue profiting in the dying industry of retail, to acquire normal sized models. I love high fashion, but it has been slow to change its industry ideals. I am hoping to continue to push the limits set by the industry and represent all women.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My work has been published in Rame Magazine, Swing Magazine St. Louis, featured on the Firm Talent Management website and social media. And various photography Instagrams. My work is on my portfolio Shumwayportfolio.com, my Instagram @lizzieannshumway, and my facebook page Shumway Modeling. I am always open to working with upcoming photographers and designers so telling those you know about what my message and goals are absolutely helps.
Contact Info:
- Address: 15726 Fern Ridge Dr. Houston, TX
- Website: Shumwayportfolio.com
- Phone: 7815911591
- Email: shumway.elizabeth.ann@gmail.com
- Instagram: @lizzieannshumway
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shumwaymodeling/
- Twitter: @lizzieAnn_S
Image Credit:
SammieJo Photography
Sophia Joel Photography
Alec Powell Photography
Dany Robinson: Feels Good Let’s Go Photography
Brandin Vaughn Collection
Saul Taboada Photography
Robert Barnes Photography
Co-Models Natasha Barbosa and Briana Leigh
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