The Model Issue-Dylan Foster

FOSTERING
DYLAN
By Kaitlin Booe
In 2011, Matt Damon starred inWe
Bought a Zoo, an inspiring and
heartwarming film based on the book of
the same name. In his portrayal of
Benjamin Mee, Damon brought one of the
book?s more famous quotes to the screen.
?You know,? he says, sitting next to his
on-screen son, ?sometimes all you need is
twenty seconds of insane courage.? For
some, that twenty seconds of courage
might be deciding to initiate a
conversation, or getting back on the bike
after taking a nasty spill, but for Dylan
Foster, it encompassed a few different
things. Namely, a decision to buy a plane
ticket.
Admittedly, that in and of itself isn?t too
difficult, but when you factor in the ticket
was a one-way trip from North Carolina to
New York City, that changes things a little
bit. ?I didn?t have the necessary resources,
didn?t have a lot of money, there wasn?t a
planned-out trip. There wasn?t anything. I
just did it. There was just one day I got up,
bought a plane ticket and was just like,
?Okay, mom, I?m moving, ? Foster, nineteen,
said. With very few, if any at all, contacts in
the Big Apple, Foster had his work cut out
for him. Networking proved to be a key
factor as he made his way up the ladder
from both the free work and freelancing
that brought him to New York Fashion
Week, where he not only starred in his first
fashion show, but connected with us here
at Level21.
By no means is Foster?s modeling career
over. It?s now been about four months
since he first arrived in New York City, but
the progress he has made in such a short
time only proved to us that there?s more to
him than being labeled a model. Dylan
Foster has a story to tell, and it?s one that
resonates? or should resonate? with all of
us. Team Level21 is simply excited to help
him tell it.
Starting a career wasn?t Foster?s only goal
when he decided to move away from
home. ?I honestly moved here to build my
self-esteem up, build my confidence up,
and learn to love myself. As conceited as
that sounds, it?s key.? From his initial
decision to move, throw away all the
boundaries separating himself from what
he wants, to the learning curves he?s faced
so far, each and every experience has
helped him along the way.?I was a
freelance model, honestly,? he said when
prompted for a reminder of where he was
in his journey the last time he spoke with
Level21. ?I had just starred in my first little
fashion show during Fashion Week. I mean
it was amazing that I even found it. It was
exhilarating, this feeling that ?Hey, I moved
here and look what I?m doing. I?m doing
something. I?m taking the first steps. ?
"All you need is
twenty seconds
of insane courage"