Two careers: What's it like to balance being a Model and studying Physical Therapy.

By Muftiah Jokomba

I am a newly graduated physical therapist and I have been modeling on and off for about 4 years. During my time modeling, I have been fortunate to work with amazing designers, stylists, MUAs and photographers that have helped me grow on a personal and professional level. About a year ago, I realized that there's no reason why my passion for physical therapy and love for modeling can't be merged into one, and that's when the idea of the "The ModelPT" was born.

How my journey started.

I have always been told to go into modeling, for the majority of my life, and I even saw a couple of agencies during my pre-teen and teenage years, however they wanted me to relocate and mama Mufti was not having that quite yet (lol), and so it kinda moved to the back burner. I revisited modeling in college, and did it on and off there and I have been ever since. I have known that I want to be a physical therapist since high school when my mom had a work injury, and needed physical therapy. This was at a time in my life when I was trying to decide what I wanted to do, I explored options like culinary arts, occupational therapy and even law; but it was seeing the difference physical therapy made for my mom that made me decide that, yes, I want to do something like this for someone else.

You are enough and have more than enough to achieve your dreams.

You are breaking generational boundaries, that's why things are so hard for you. You will not give up.

You are strong, hardworking, and persistent.

There was a time in my life that I wanted to be a signed model, at the time I was under the impression that I could balance a full school schedule and meet the demands of being a booked and busy model. While some can and do, it took me some time to realize that in doing this, I was completely neglecting myself.

My self care, and mental health was completely in disarray, I was barely sleeping and found myself getting sick frequently. I had to have a real conversation with myself, when my 4 year old nephew had to ask me if I was ok, saying that I sounded tired over the phone. It was then that I had to prioritize my goals, and decided on what I actually want.

I did the research, observed role models as much as I could from a distance and spoke to mentors,

after doing this I re-oriented myself, re-affirmed my beliefs, and found a different way to accomplish my goals, without completely burning out.

While I am still not a signed model, I find myself in a much better place than I was, I am healthy and still working for brands and designers even more than I used to, and growing while at it.

Whether it is modeling or physical therapy, or anything to be honest, a very important thing to do is actually make sure YOU WANT to do it and WHY.

Don't choose a path because people tell you to, or you see someone else doing it and they seem to be doing really well. When going gets tough, and it is going to, it is that drive and desire in you that'll keep you pushing.

1. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN.

There is a quote that i heard a while ago, I don't remember where, but it stayed with me. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Personally, when I plan out my days, or create a to-do list based on my pre-determined goals, not only do I find my day moving a lot faster, but I can actually work more efficiently.

I am a visual person, so I have a physical planner for the month, weeks, and days on my wall. When I see what I have to do in front of my face everyday, I am more likely to get them done. I tried having digital planners, but I realized that if I am not consistently going back to open that document, there is no motivation/reminder for me on what I want to accomplish for the day/week, and I end up remembering when it the opportunity/time has passed.

HOW I GET INSPIRED!

I get inspiration from everywhere, when i want to create. Pinterest, social media accounts, songs, movies, or anything that I can relate with and I believe my audience will enjoy.

I have a note on my phone so whenever I encounter something, I quickly note it down, so I don't forget. This goes for both physical therapy and modeling. You'll be surprised the amount of exercises, and concept ideas you can find out there! I take these inspirations, put my personal spin on it and create!