Model Behavior: Narayan
July 20, 2009 by Kathryn Wirsing
Filed under Interviews, New Faces
Narayan Fergal O’Connor is a model with a deep understanding on how to enjoy and be himself in this industry. He lives an excited and busy life. Read on for some of his priceless advice and to have a look at what being a model is like:
KW: What does being a “muse” mean to you?
N: Being true to myself in the moment & letting go into the creative process.
KW: What’s a typical day like for you?
N: Depends, sometimes no rhythm. All my life I’m looking to listen to the wave of the moment. I am moving & traveling a lot, so I struggle to say two days are the same. An ideal and perfect day for me would start with morning Yoga & meditation with reading pages from Julia Cameron, a run on the beach, followed by a breakfast with my Angel. Followed by some castings/auditions, writing & creating, time with friends, time in nature, some dance & a wee chat with my family. An evening with surfing, singing in gratitude that I am alive to live this day. Hopefully learning or discovering something about myself or life in the process. The perfect day is living it, even when I am scared to even show up. It’s when I can love myself even though everything else says the “opposite.” Living my edge brings me more of myself. And in the future it would hopefully include dancing with my ” kids ” around the kitchen table & reading them bedtime stories.
KW: If you weren’t a model, what would you be?
N: Ah, the million-dollar question! Modeling has opened creativity and the world. It has stretched my vision & my limitations, as well as removed judgments. I would be acting, writing, and creating fulltime. Create a holistic retreat by the ocean to help people to appreciate & feel there own unique magic. Teaching a wee bit of yoga, taking portraits, & telling stories. I would learn to play the didgeridoo & harmonica.
KW: What music gets you pumped before, or during a shoot? How do you prepare for your craft?
N: I like to do a wee bit of yoga. By getting into my body, ground into where I am in that day & be present to myself & what is running for me. Music opens my heart up. I love Indian chant music, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Van Morrision, Krishna Das, Wah, Enrico Morricone & Liam O Maoinli.
KW: How old were you when you first started modeling?
N: I started at 29 in Cape Town , South Africa with an agency called Zero. My girlfriend at that time opened those doors to me. I stopped when I was in London 2 years later, making no money & started teaching yoga again. I then ended up in Swaziland with Africian Sangomas & a modeling job pulled me out of there. And my dream was to come & live in New York City, and I am living that moment by moment!!!
KW: You speak a lot about Yoga, how has it changed your life?
N: Yoga, has opened me to the “magic” of myself, to the temple of the body, to beauty of the breath & slowing down ( that’s a difficult one for me). Yoga breaths space into the chaos of my mind, holds my hand when I find it difficult to hold myself up. It opens my heart to the blessings that is this life. Removes the veil, helps me to see with new eyes through my heart. It brings me face to face with myself, the mirror of the “mat”, there is no hiding there, helps me to accept all myself even the parts that I do not like to look at.
KW: Okay, now a two part question. I’ve heard you’re interested in a holistic lifestyle. How have you incorporated it into your life? What made you start incorporating these practices into your life?
N: Yeah, I am vegetarian. I love movement & exercise. I love Nature & the outdoors. What inspired this? I got interested in free diving when I was 23 and met Umberto Pelizzari ( world free diving Champion ) & he practiced Yoga. This inspired me, so when I was back in London I started this journey. It was like part of me that was sleeping woke up, it all felt so natural.
KW: Where are you originally from? How has your roots influenced your modeling?
N: I am from Limerick, Ireland. I guess where I come from people are very down to earth. My family has been there for me. They might think the journey I am on is “crazy-no security, no home, unknown future”, but that’s the beauty of my path. I guess before I have felt I have always had something to prove; that I am not enough. But more and more finding my own “roots” in myself is helping. When I first started modeling I struggled just to look in the camera. It was like seeing myself & I did not like what I saw. Now in acceptance of myself, connecting with my roots, embracing of my past, grounded in my wonderful journey, I have more of me. The deeper we root the higher we soar. That was a kind of all over the place answer… Joycian !!!
KW: That’s perfectly okay! You’re very poetic. What’s the best piece of advice for potential models that you can give based on your experience?
N: You are unique, magical & gifted. Your “beauty” is in your story, your interior contains the gold. The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint Exupery says it all ” It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye”
Root yourself in your own power and do not give it away. You can say ‘no”, you can ask questions, you have “rights ” & you do not need to sell your soul for the industry. You attract & create your life. What you hold as your “belief systems” will be shown in a magnified way to you, through this industry because it is very extreme at times.
You will have a lot of alone time; it’s a gift that can eat you up. Give yourself the space to write & create, to explore & absorb the gifts of the cities & people you are sharing your journey with. It’s a wonderful journey that can reveal an incredible piece of the jigsaw.
Letting go of control & trusting was so difficult for me. Modeling has taught me to surrender more. This is a huge gift sometimes we do not know where the next dollar is going to come from.
KW: It’s really great advice for models and artists as well. Tell me some sources of inspiration for you.
N: Music, my Angel Laura, my Family, friends, writing ( Paolo Coelho, Julia Cameron, Barbara Brennan, Robin Sharma, spiritual texts) Photography ( Bruce Weber, Peter Linbergh, Annie Liebowitz, Francessco Carzozzini, Brigitte LaCombe), Films ( Directors ( Luc Besson, Bruno Aveillan, Steven Speillberg, Oliver Stone, Martin Scorcesse, Francis Ford Copploa, Jean Pierre Jeunet, Michel Gondrey), walking in the city, Acting coaches Bob Mc Andrew, Bernard Hiller & Antonio Ferreria.
KW: What has been your favorite shoot or show to walk in so far? Why?
N: Working with Bruno Aveillan on the 1st ever Louis Vuitton film in China was incredible. I met Laura my girlfriend on that shoot 2 years ago. I discovered my love of acting & creating. I met a very dear friend in Bruno, who I regard as a mentor & a huge inspiration. I gained a greater insight on the creative process, & in a way how much of an infant I was then. It was a huge turning point in my life. I was privileged to work with master’s of their craft.
KW: You’ve traveled all over the world. What has been your favorite and why?
N: Wow, that’s a difficult one, I would have to say South Africa. The Drakensberg Mountains, about 2 hours out of Durban, Kwa Zulu Natal. A place you can disappear into an unknown world, and fully feel yourself. Its beauty is majestic & raw in its power. You can walk for days & see no one. Africa in general is incredible. It’s pulsating with life, and keeps you on your edge all the time. The polarities can almost be tasted on every corner. The joy of a broad African smile, with the white teeth beaming at you, as they carry a 10 liter water container on there head. The chorus of choir songs in taxis, the sunsets magnetically pulling you into another world. Its a poor country/ continent but so rich in heart. In there lies the gold.
KW: Never been, but you make it sound very alluring. I know you’ve done a lot of features and act as well. How is modeling and acting similar or different? Which do you prefer?
N: I have been working on developing my acting ability with people like Bob Mc Andrew & Bernard Hiller. It was a dream I did not know I had. Through modeling I found this space of magic ( stage & film). I did not know what acting was, but essentially in its core it’s all about truth. It has to do with how much you can be honest with yourself in the moment, & the greater your connection to your instrument, the more you can reveal. You learn to listen with your body, and come from that place. For me it is hugely therapeutic & heart expanding. It opens you in ways that you never could have imagined. It’s like chocolate or “making love” you have to taste it to fully feel its beauty. Because the magic is all in you, it just gives you the permission to experience all of who you are. Knowing that exactly in this moment, ” you are enough” what a liberating thought! You feel more “freedom to be”
It helps in modeling because you start to experience a greater prescence to yourself in your life, which translates to the camera. When the picture is being taken you are in your body & present to the magic of the moment. You feel safe & vulnerable, which is truly living. You feel safe to feel what is there for you & allow that to dance through your whole body, allowing it to be there and not judging it. Acting has taught me that my greatest strength is ” vulnerability”. The drum that is my instrument, has a story that wants to be shared, when I surrender to this space, I allow this magic to unfold. It’s scary but incredibly revealing, giving you more space to grow day-by-day, moment to moment.
KW: Thank you for being so extremely open and generous in your answers. There is a lot of great advice for everyone to read and benefit from. We look forward to watching your continual growth in your craft!
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