Modeling and Motivation with Richon Martena

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Photo by Steve White

Richon Martena

Richon Martena (makeup by Keisha Roper)

Richon Martena is a professional model, author and entrepreneur whose goal is to bring about eminence from both herself and other aspiring models in the industry. She has been published in a number of publications such as Shoutout LA, Elements magazine, CopyWrite magazine and Marika Magazine (she was on Marika’s front cover). Martena offers private coaching sessions plus a line of merchandise that includes a motivational planner as well as a modeling book for beginners.

Everything began for Martena at the age of 21 when she was contacted by a local photographer. “I had recently dropped out of college and was looking for a sense of purpose,” she recalled. “This photographer had asked me to do a photoshoot and I was willing to give it a try … not thinking too much of it, but seeing the pictures afterwards and realizing how it made me feel was like my epiphany. This is what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Much of Martena’s portfolio is built from her own creative direction. She enjoys bringing unique makeup looks and outfits with each shoot and has over the years built her brand into something that she can earn multiple streams of income from. “I’m very happy that the event happened in my life where my eyes really opened to this avenue that has consistently shaped my lifestyle,” Martena reflects.

Two career highlights she cites are being featured in a global United Way commercial and getting her photo reposted by Tyra Banks on Instagram. “It’s still there to this day,” Martena said about Banks’ post. “That was really cool because at the time it gave me exposure to people in the industry.”

Motivational Planner

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Photo by Steve White

Richon Martena

Richon Martena

She released her Motivational Planner this past fall; in addition to serving as an organizing and time management tool, it contains modeling tips, marketing pointers and over 100 of Martena’s original inspirational quotes. Martena says, “I was really excited to have something tangible besides a photo to give back to the community.”

Martena’s model coaching sessions which assess goals and career plans are both in-person or virtual. She also offers pose coaching sessions which help folks find their confidence in front of the camera; those can be done both at shoots and during spare time. “A lot of people say that they want to model but they don’t know that there are hundreds of different modeling styles,” she explains. “Sometimes they don’t know what direction they want to go in. Sometimes they’re insecure about themselves. I use those sessions to help people narrow down what they really want to do, or to pinpoint what works best for their body type and accentuate that.”

Having spent her whole life in Milwaukee up to this point, Martena plans to relocate to a larger market city in the near future. “It sounds daunting but I’m not afraid to roll my sleeves up and put the work back in somewhere new,” she said.

On the biggest things she’s learned in her career, Martena shares, “It’s important to stay grounded and be strongly rooted in who you are. You have to love your uniqueness and know what you want because this industry is so based on your physical appearance, and you can’t get caught up in how other people look. When I first started, I wasn’t so far in my self-love journey. I didn’t really know what that was at the time but over the years I’ve learned how important it is. You can’t let the industry make you feel like you have to look a certain way or that you can’t do things just because of your weight or height. You have to be confident in your abilities and love yourself.”

In 2023, Martena hopes to lean more into working behind the camera and embrace her creative direction skills. She plans to travel more as well. To get in touch, visit her website at richonmartena.com or her Linktree.