Today we’d like to introduce you to Cathy D.
Cathy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I come from a Chinese immigrant household that had different cultural traditions than what’s instilled in America. When I saw what little representation there was for girls like me, it ingrained a false identity of myself. Through my personal journey of self-love and self-discovery, modeling was a golden opportunity for me to express those feelings and change the status quo.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I’ve always understood that failure is a big possibility. Passion alone is not enough for success; however, the passage to your destination may not be where you envisioned.
Going against the grain and being an individual tackling the task of diversity is a big hurdle to overcome. I’m very meticulous and I often struggle with the concepts and the complexities behind my visual art. “Will my art be well perceived? Will they see the thought process behind this?”
Those types of questions drive me to put my all into everything I do.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
“caffynomnoms” was birthed from the ideas and dreams of a young woman trying to define herself in a vast world. Through persistence and hard work, I’ve carved a name for myself in Memphis. I’m a visual artist that focuses on fashion modeling and portrait photography, but those roles are only the beginning of what I can offer.
My esthetics drives me to work as hard as I have. One of the defining moments of my career would be meeting JT (@jviivizuals) and Ted (@ted80p_photography). The two of them have endlessly supported my vision and have always pushed me to present the best version of myself. Their hope instilled an indistinguishable fire deep within me and fuels me to strive for more.
My uniqueness presents itself plainly yet boldly. I am a one-woman show and have always remained humbled by the lack of corporate support. The most fantastic part about creating for me isn’t monetary value, but it’s more so a spiritual release.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Diversity in the media and embracing differences amongst all people are two ideals that I hold dearly to my character. Through the years, there’s a lack of representation has created an unrealistic ideal of the standard of beauty and normality. Only recently has the issue become recognized; however, the greater problem has barely been addressed.
Modeling has been a tool for me to physically fight the oppression of the past. It’s been a way I could manifest a new reality that empowers and embraces a multitude of beauty.
Contact Info:
- Email: Cathynomsmodels@gmail.com
- Website: Linktr.ee/cathynoms/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caffynomnoms/
Image Credits
Jt Photokage @jviizuals, @jay.viizuals, and Ted Partin @ted80p_photography
