Hello!!! :)

I'm Shahira!x!...

I'm a model with Assets Modelling Agency in Dublin, Ireland. I joined the agency as a 'new face' back in October'11. Before joining the agency I modeled freelance for a year and a half. I wanted to gain experience and build a strong portfolio before I approached any agencies for representation. Assets were my first choice so I was over the moon to join their team-The reasons why I had assets as my first choice was mainly the type of work that a lot of their girls do. I am 5'6 and not the required 5'8 (minimum) for high fashion/runway modelling... and luckily that was never my main interest-I much prefer the commercial, editorial and press-call side to modelling. I love modelling so much but my main passion in life is performing arts (Singing/Acting/Dancing) for me the type of modelling I do allows me to leave all my worries and stresses behind the lens and get into character-a different character for every different look... Sometimes I'm confident and powerful, other times timid and girly and even a 'take no shit' rock chick ;). I am much more confident when I am modelling than I am in real life-sometimes when I look at video footage of bts (behind the scenes) of me modelling-it feels so weird to me that the girl on screen is me.

What Motivates Me:

Me (left) with My Best Friend Sadhbh x o

What some people may find strange to hear is that a couple of years back I hated pictures of myself... It wasn't necessarily that I had low self-esteem or that I thought I was ugly... I thought I was "grand" but I thought I couldn't take a nice picture to save my life. I remember when I was very young (aprox 13) going out with a boy on the gaeltacht and all he wanted was a picture of me (even with other people in it) so he could show his friends and family back home the girl he was going out with-I refused to be in any picture because I didn't want him remembering me from what I thought would be a disgusting photo.  My life-long friend Sadhbh on the other hand was really photogenic and would look great in any picture she was in. As I got older I got more confident in myself and grew into myself more. It wasn't always a dream of mine to model-My ultimate dream (and it still is) was to sing/dance either in a girlband, a regular band or as a soloist- and of course that would come with photoshoots and some modelling aswell. The first time I remember thinking I looked nice in any pictures was for my Debz in 08 and I began to have more of an interest in modelling then. 

My Life Changed: 

On the 26th of December'09 my life, as I knew it, changed forever. My bestfriend Sadhbh, aged 18, died of meningitis. The last time I had contact with Sadhbh was Christmas day'09 I sent her a text wishing her a Happy Christmas & She text me back 'Happy Christmas Shaz!x!' I knew she was sick but I thought she just had the flu, I was clueless as to how bad it really was or how bad it could become... I didn't text back as my phone was bopping with Happy Christmas messages from everyone so I didn't want to get into a conversation with anyone. Later that night at aprox. midnight I text Sadhbh asking what was our plans for the next night (stephens night, everyone would be out and sick or not sick Sadhbh was never one to miss a party/night out). I never got a text back. I thought nothing of it and for once in my life I turned my phone off-I wanted to get a good nights sleep and I knew messages would continue coming through all night. When I woke up the next morning I had loads of missed calls from one of my friends boyfriends (my friend was a bestfriend to Sadhbh) I thought it was so weird that her boyfriend would be ringing me and I rang back-From that moment I grew up. He put my friend on the phone and she told me how bad the situation had gotten over night and how Sadhbh was now in hospital... I was in complete shock and found it very difficult to understand. The day progressed into a nightmare from there and I came home from the hospital that night having lost my one life-long friend. I have other friends but Sadhbh for me was like a sister. I moved house a lot growing up and Sadhbh was that one friend that I had known since I was a baby and  I had stayed friends with throughout my life-I presumed she would always be in my life.

Not a single day goes by when I don't think about and miss Sadhbh and there is a ever-lasting hole in my heart & soul from her absence but I had a choice to make-I could let it break me-which it so easily could have... or I could start viewing life as incredibly short, appreciate and love all the important people in my life, have a care and understanding for nature and animals, follow my true dreams, ignore the negative and shoot for the stars. I'm only here once and I want to live my life to the full. So I got up and started making my dreams a reality. I had a dream not long after Sadhbh died and in the dream Sadhbh told me I could "Build a Beautiful Garden" with my life and that is what I am trying to do. Four months after Sadhbh died-I took a modelling course (Absolute School of Modelling) and I found a world that takes me away from reality, lets me express myself in a different way and  gives me something to focus on-It may sound stupid to many but for me the modelling world takes my mind away from the pain of the loss of Sadhbh (although that pain is always in my heart).  That is why I love modelling so much. 

After school I went onto Study Primary School teaching and I graduated in October'11 with a bachelor of Education degree. Although I did enjoy primary school teaching I don't feel as though it is where my true dreams lye. It may be something that I go back to in the future but for now I am having way to much fun pursuing modelling and performing arts. I hope that modelling will open doors into more aspects of the entertainment industry-from Tv and acting to my ultimate goal and life long dream to be in the music industry and on stage. 

So now that you know A Lot more about me I hope you will be interested in following my blog-I promise they won't all be as long as this:p I plan to document my journey modelling etc... and Blog on anything cool and exciting I find a long the way :) 

Lots of Love

Shahira x o x

www.facebook.com/Shahira.Barry

Twitter: @ShahiraBarry