Getting to Know Chanel Tsotras
Sydney-based model Chanel Tsotras tells us about her love of gangster movies, about her interest in economics and about dancing to Johnny Cash:
I am 18 and determined. I’m in love with life and all the opportunities it offers everyday and I’m greedy for them all! You learn more with open ears than an open mouth, so sometimes I can be introverted and quiet, but I’m very observant and talkative when it comes to things I’m passionate or excited about. I have very high expectations for myself, so I can easily get stressed and anxious, luckily I surround myself with people who make me laugh and who are also are very supportive and genuine.
Modelling is not what I expected it to be like! It’s honestly a world within a world. I’ve already learnt so much about myself even though I’m still fresh on the block. I thrive off the spontaneity of the industry and love how it has so much to offer (globally) for someone who is willing to commit and have a hard work ethic towards it. As long as you truly know and remember who you are, what you want, have a killer work ethic and have the right people on your team with the right intentions, the odds will be in your favour.
Aside from modelling I take film acting classes twice a week at the National Institute Of Dramatic arts. The whole idea of reacting truthfully under imaginary circumstances is so cool. I find the honesty, rawness and vulnerability of it all really cathartic. Apart from that, I love travelling and can’t wait to see first hand, places in the world that I have only ever read or heard about. Paris and New York are at the top of my to do list. Even though I have never been to either of them, I know I’ll fall effortlessly in love straight away.
I have been active my whole life, so fitness and health are very important to me. I find that I perform best in all aspects of my life when I am supplying my body all the nutrients it requires and working hard at the gym. I feel so boss when I am boxing with my PT and listening to Kanye West… Floyd Mayweather better watch his back haha.
I spend too much time worrying about things not working out the way I want. I believe that your thoughts become your reality, so I’ve been working on getting rid of even the slightest bits of negativity around me and surrounding myself with the right people and the best vibes.
Home is wherever I lay my head. I’m happiest when I’m a guest in a completely different country. The feeling of just sitting on your hotel balcony and watching the world go by in a place you’ve never been before is probably where some of lives best moments happen. I will always hold my grandparents’ house very close to my heart. I have so many beautiful childhood memories that took place there… dancing to ‘Jackson’ by Johnny Cash with my Nanna whilst cooking, picking the flowers from the gardens with mum and going for rides in my Pa’s truck with my brother. They have one of those kitchen tables at which people have laughed, cried, celebrated, mourned and shared everything. The smell and ambiance of the whole house is so comforting.
I’m currently listening to Drake’s ‘Nothing Was the Same’ album is on repeat, and of course Lana Del Rey, Kaytranada remixes, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean and Justin Timberlake.
It might surprise people to learn that I’m really motivated in business and economics. I studied them in my final years of school and found it so exciting. I like staying politically, commercially and economically aware and informed because in the future want to grow a successful investment portfolio and learn from the best. I’m also a fan of film and love watching classic gangster movies. You can never go wrong with ‘Scarface’, ‘Casino’ or ‘The Godfather’ trilogy. They’re the best.
In the future my dream is to be travelling all over the world meeting interesting people and having unforgettable experiences. Career wise, I’d love to be living in New York and modelling full-time, as well as having great business and property investments around the world. I just want to be happy, grasping every opportunity and have no regrets.
Chanel is represented by Vivien’s Models in Australia. You can see her portfolio here.
Follow Chanel on Instagram and Twitter, and check out her blog here.
Interview by Bobby Townsend
