Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Orr.
Ashley, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I began modeling in December of 2015 after a friend asked me to try to model with her in a local boutique fashion show back in my home town of Iowa City, Iowa. I was initially uneasy about being a part of the show, thinking it would be similar to the pageants I had done before (I didn’t do very well at them). But, she assured me it would be NOTHING like a pageant and to just try it. I had to call the show’s producer and ask if there were any open spots left (which took a huge amount of guts) and sure enough a girl had backed out of the show due to some schedule conflict.
I was in, and the show was less than 24 hours away. To say I was nervous was an understatement. The next day, I quickly had to learn how to runway walk from the other girls as we were getting ready backstage. My walk was eventually deemed acceptable, and I was ready to be thrown on the runway. I remember making intense eye contact with one of the show coordinators from across entryway, waiting for her to cue me to go. I didn’t dare blink. When she gave the signal, I stepped out onto the catwalk and hit my first pose. Then I strutted down the catwalk and tried to remember to keep my hands swinging “naturally” and my face “fierce” while also not falling down.
Despite having so much on my mind, it was exhilarating, adrenaline spiking, and I knew before I was even offstage that I wanted more. After the show I met a few local photographers, all passing out their business cards to the models looking to set up times to shoot. It was there I met one of the most important people in my modeling career, Morgan Ann LaRue – an editorial photographer from Fairfield, Iowa. She saw some potential in me and invited me to a group shoot in which many photographers and models would all network and shoot together to build portfolios. I wasn’t too sure about this. Isn’t this how some horror movies start??
My new boyfriend at the time, Jeremy (now my fiancé) came to this show and really encouraged me to go after this modeling thing if I really liked it. He promised to go with me to every shoot I asked him to, to make sure I felt safe, and if I ever didn’t then, we would leave together. With this in mind, I agreed to attend this group shoot and had a lot of fun working with everyone, especially Morgan. About a month later she messaged me to let me know the photos we took that day got published in a fashion magazine! For me, it was that same feeling of being on the runway for the first time, and I knew I wanted to keep doing this.
We set up another shoot, this time I felt comfortable going on my own. This girl was really cool and has become one of my best friends. Morgan and I continued to shoot for two years, almost every set was published in different print or digital fashion magazines internationally. The most notable of our publications was one of our photos getting accepted in Vogue, Italia’s PhotoVogue. After this, I decided to take modeling more seriously. I finally accepted that this could really be a career for me, so I started researching modeling agencies in Iowa – spoiler alert, there isn’t a lot.
I signed with The Peak Agency in Iowa, as it was really the only one with a good reputation. My mom came with me to meet the director of the agency, Steve Myers- and after hearing his pitch and offer to sign me, we decided that this would be a good step in my career. Soon I began getting real, paid gigs. I modeled in my first national print campaign, started doing e-commerce work for one of the biggest retail department stores in the midwest, filmed product content for Nike and Underarmour, and walked in many more fashion shows. I really fell in love with modeling — the adventure, the glamour, meeting new people and working together to create something artistic or cool.
During this time started taking my physical health more seriously and began being conscious about what I ate and began regularly working out. Two things I definitely wasn’t doing before modeling. If doing these things could increase the number of modeling jobs I could get, while also just being generally good for me – why not? I lost almost 40 pounds just from changing my habits. After a lot of Instagram stalking, I reached out to John Benton (a world-famous model trainer), to help me tone up even more. His routines and guidance truly helped me transform my body and mindset about fitness.
I was doing all of this while I was attending college at the University of Iowa, and when I graduated in 2017, I moved to Illinois with Jeremy (where he was working and saving money for us to get a place together). We moved in with his dad and saved money until it was time for us to move out or start paying rent. It was then that we decided that we were going to leave the midwest and chase our dreams out west. Mine were (and are) to model and act, and he was for joining the USA Olympic Triathlon team. We decided on coming to Phoenix because it had everything we wanted. A growing city, close enough to L. A. (for my modeling), great mountains with elevation (for triathlon), much lower rent than almost any apartment in Chicago, and my personal favorite: no snow.
It was settled. We packed up both our cars and left everything we knew and all the people we loved. I had never been west of Iowa in the continental United States before. We had nothing waiting for us in Phoenix except a week-long air bnb reservation. I was less worried about this than stepping onto a runway for the first time. This was the adventure I had always wanted, and it was finally happening! As we drove, we stopped along the way to get sleep, refuel, or check out a cool view. It was a beautiful drive and fun navigating the country until Jeremy’s car broke down in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The radiator broke and was leaking everywhere. His car was done for. We had to decide what to do, and we didn’t have much time as our air bnb check-in date was fast approaching. After taking it to a sketchy (that’s putting it lightly) mechanic who tried to scam us, we decided to tow his car to Albuquerque where we sold it to a Carmax. The guy who worked with us there was really cool, he and his wife took us out to dinner and showed us around the city. It was a pretty random side adventure but also crazy fun.
This all took about three days. Finally, we were ready to make the final leg to Phoenix with my car packed to the brim and Jeremy driving a rental car, also fully packed from everything we had to take out of his car. We made it to our air bnb with about an hour left to return the car to the airport. We crazily unloaded the rental, throwing our stuff into the living room – it must have looked like we were moving in. We returned the rental, down to just my car, a living room full of stuff, and four days to figure out jobs and where we would live.
After walking through a ton of apartment complexes across the valley, we decided on one in Tempe that included utilities so that the monthly rate wouldn’t change. It was in a good location, with good amenities, and the best part was that they approved us without having proof of employment. I found a job waiting tables at Loco Patron in Old Town Scottsdale, Jeremy started his training full time, and we were off to a great start.
I soon began doing research on how to get into the fashion community here, looking through Facebook groups, Instagram geotags, and many many google searches. I researched the different agencies in town and went out to the open calls. I signed with The Young Agency in December, and it wasn’t long after when I discovered Phoenix Fashion Week. I think I saw something about Spring Into Style auditions and knew that it would be a great way to connect with people in the industry here.
It absolutely was. I was introduced to the Director, Brian Hill, and the operations team of Phoenix Fashion Week. They were amazing to work with, and they really encouraged me to audition for the Top 40 competition. So I did, and made it! This absolutely blew my mind, there were hundreds of beautiful people who were at that audition, and only 40 of us made the cut. This was my biggest opportunity yet by far. Hundreds of people attend the shows in October, the training they provided was amazing, and the connections alone are worth more than I can express.
It was truly life changing – making it to the top six was such an honor. I did photo shoots for many brands since joining the Top 40, one of which being Yogavated Athletics. They found me through Instagram and booked me through PHXFW. Shooting for them was unlike any shoot I had done before- just great vibes and a ton of fun- and I truly loved (and still do) what their brand stands for!
Motivating and Inspiring through wearable art, producing zero waste, giving back, and creating a community After the Top 40 competition I continued to shoot with them, which eventually led to conversion about joining their team as their Head of Sales/Creative Genius – which is now my official job title! I also still model for them, too. I’m still modeling for other brands, and recently booked my first filmed commercial!
I’m taking acting lessons and practicing yoga more regularly. Jeremy and I got engaged and rescued two dogs from local shelters. Life is pretty good! I’ve come a long way since leaving the Midwest, and I feel like this is just the beginning!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been entirely smooth, that’s for sure! I’ve faced a lot of rejection and have been turned down for a number of reasons in the modeling world. The biggest reason (no pun intended) being my hip measurements- because they don’t fall within the “ideal” range. This was incredibly difficult and for a long time felt impossible to overcome.
“You’re just not thin enough to be marketable, you’re not big enough to be plus size, you’re HOW old??” Things like this would come up all the time. It took me a while to mentally get past that and not let it get me down. However, the industry is slowly changing and becoming more accepting of different body types, and I’m excited to see what opportunities await.
Being the only person bringing in an income for a while was a bit of a challenge too, but 100% worth it to see Jeremy go after his goals. Unfortunately, he was in a pretty bad bike accident at a race and was unable to keep training. Recovering from that was a long process too. He applied to a bunch of jobs without much luck, until finally, he got an awesome job offer from a really cool company. Now he loves his job, and absolutely killing it!!
The last challenge I’d like to mention is that of trying to have a vibrant social life- (sounds weird coming from a model doing a billion events, right? But hear me out) It’s hard to have to say no to going out in Old Town every weekend, to not be able to attend family events (all the way back in the Midwest), or to not go on trips to music festivals with friends.
I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot of normal social opportunities and potentially amazing friendships because of the grind. I love what I do though, and have a close small circle of good friends that understand what I’m doing. Finding that balance is definitely tough.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
As a model, I work with brands and businesses to help them advertise and connect with their customers. I have experience in commercial print, high fashion editorial, beauty, runway, e-commerce, video, and promotional modeling.
I definitely think my strongest area is in print work- during the Top 40 competition I won the headshot challenge and the individual editorial print challenge (like America’s Next Top Model challenges). I think I’m known for my bone structure, height, participation in PHXFW, and solid work ethic.
I am most proud of creating art or successful campaigns with clients. I love being able to work with many different people on a set and being that final piece that brings it all together into a final product.
I think something that sets me apart from other models is my ability to have fun with everyone on set, while still being professional and easy to work with. I take direction well and treat everyone with respect.
You could be the producer of a Nike campaign or the janitor taking the trash, and I am still going to interact with you with the same level of respect. I also come early and stay late when I can- I’ll do anything I can to be helpful.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think that being determined has been most important to my success. It’s what drives me to keep going and to do everything I can to reach my goals.
Sometimes I feel defeated and think about other avenues I could go in, but there is always that voice in my head telling me to keep trying for what I’m passionate about. Without it, I would have switched gears a long time ago.
Contact Info:
- Email: ashleysierraofficial@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ashleysierraofficial?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=1ojzxtzuxq3f5
Image Credit:
Hailey Byfield, Morgan LaRue, James Alamanza, Ashley Rose, Matthew McGraw, Roman Cole
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