I used to be a Model

Seriously.

Last year during Spring term at BYU, I needed a job. Nothing too intense, just a part-time job that could help pay for groceries/gas. While browsing on-campus jobs at BYU, I saw a posting for an "Male Model" for the fine arts department.

I immediately sent in my resume (yep, I had to send an official resume to be a model), and found out a few days later that I got the job.

If you attend virtually any other school in the world, models in fine arts departments pose naked. Not just kind of naked, but completely, not-a-thread-on-your-body naked. Fortunately I was modeling at BYU, so the university bought me a Speedo to wear when modeling (thank you tithing payers, for your tithing money may have helped purchase my Speedo).

Now I consider myself to be a fairly confident person. I've been on stage a decent amount over my lifetime and like to think I can hold my own in front of groups of people. However, few things challenge your confidence like posing in a Speedo in front of a group of strangers and letting them draw you.

An actual drawing of me from someone in the class.

I posed for a gesture drawing class taught by Ryan Woodward, meaning my poses were more dynamic poses for shorter periods of time (around 3 to 5 minutes). Specifically, the class was looking for the way certain muscles moved/looked when the body was doing some sort of action.

My modeling career was short-lived as I only did it for 6 weeks (FYI: I didn't wuss out, I quit because I moved), but I did learn some interesting things.

• It's incredibly difficult to hold your body completely still for 4 minutes when you're in an awkward position.
• Tanning beds aren't a bad idea when, after a long winter, you are going to display your body to a group of people.
• Speedos are surprisingly comfortable.
• I am really inflexible.
• People who can draw are amazing. I couldn't believe the pictures people drew in 4 minutes.

To illustrate (pun!) this last point, I've embedded an animation by Ryan Woodward. These are the types of drawings people did of me when I modeled, and Ryan illustrated a dance using these type of drawings. This video is astounding. I've watched it several times and am still blown away by the beauty of it. That's right. Beauty. I don't think I've ever described an animation with the word beauty before, but I think this is a case where it is entirely appropriate.

An animation by a BYU professor, Ryan Woodward. I modeled for his class.

And to those of you who wonder how someone could ever get up in front a group of people in a Speedo, my response is that I've never been more motivated to go to the gym than when I knew I would be practically naked, posing in front of a group of strangers.

And you've obviously never worn a Speedo.