Meet Claire VanBeber | Fashion Model

We had the good fortune of connecting with Claire VanBeber and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Claire, what do you attribute your success to?
I believe the most important factors behind my success have been persistence, the ability to bounce back quickly after rejection, and always working towards and never giving up on my overall vision in life.

There will always be set backs, rejections, and hearing “no” in this life. What matters is not that you avoid these things, but rather what you do afterwards.

I feel lucky that I got to learn this concept early on in life with my modeling career. I have been modeling for the past 13 years and therefore have had castings and modeling auditions almost every week for the past 13 years. Of course through all of these castings, I have not booked all of them, and I have received a lot of “nos” along the way. This is just part of the process, part of the business, and is something that is unavoidable.

Luckily I learned that “rejection just means redirection,” and if you don’t book that job, it truly means that something better is on the way for you. I truly believe that there is the right fit/right job for everyone, and you just have to stay in the game long enough in order to find those people and companies to work with.

As long as you keep working hard and keep improving yourself and your skills, there will always be more opportunities out there for you and more people for you to connect with. I have the belief that your life and career will get better and better overtime, as long as that is your mindset.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I work as a full time fashion model in New York City and am currently signed with Elite Model Management.

I got my start in Dallas, Texas with the Kim Dawson Agency where I modeled for 4 years while I went to college before moving up to NYC to pursue modeling full time.

I am so fortunate that my career has allowed me to work with so many different people, creatives, and brands and in so many different cities. I love that each day of my career truly brings me to a new place and introduces me to new people, which I feel like has lead me to understand people and taught me how to get along with different personalities really well.

Of course there have been challenges along the way. I like to say that it wasn’t always easy, but it was definitely worth it. Things can get stressful in the day to day, such as continually going on modeling auditions and not knowing if you will book them or not, or having my schedule be different each week and having to get used to the uncertainty, or always having to bring energy to set and be extroverted amongst people each day, when inside I am really feeling like I could use an introverted day.

That being said, I feel like I have taught myself how to push through the hard and stressful times. All you have to do is hang in there, know that the hard times WILL pass, and as my dad used to say- “do the best you can do and that’s all you can do.”

The hard times and the stress will always eventually pass, and I love looking back on the work that I have created – whether that is an advertising campaign I modeled in that was shot for a brand with a group of 10 creatives, or whether it was just my own post on Instagram that I came up with the concept and shot on my own. I love to create, and with photography and imagery- once you create it, it is something that will last forever. A photograph is a moment in time that will always exist, and it’s a permanent manifestation of all the work you put in in order to get to that point and have that concept come to life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite spots in New York City include:

For dining:

Rubirosa- Amazing trendy Italian spot with delicious tie die pesto pizza in Nolita

Somtum Der- Authentic spot in the East Village with the best Thai food I have ever had in my life

Sushi by M- Cute omakase sushi spot in the East Village

Cosme- Very cool Mexican dishes from a chef based in Mexico City

Eleven Madison Park- This place was voted the best restaurant in the world. Definitely worth it if you’re up for a splurge!

For shopping:

What kind of New York City shopping list would be complete without Bergdorf Goodman!? This is truly your one-stop destination for all things designer, luxury, and the best of the best clothing and accessories that NYC has to offer

SoHo- strolling through all of the individual designer boutiques in SoHo is one of the best places in the whole world to get so many different brands all in one area

Cool NYC spots:

Manhatta- This is a fine dining restaurant and bar located on the 60th floor of a building in the Financial District. They have floor to ceiling windows throughout the whole restaurant with views of the entirety of New York City

The Hamptons- Take a trip out East and you won’t disappointed! Just two hours away from the city, the Hamptons is your perfect mix of beach life and elements of NYC in one

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to thank my mom for always believing in me and encouraging me to pursue my dreams!

Instagram: @clairevanbeber