Luminaries v1: Interview with Arame Fall
"My skin is beautiful. My skin is deep. My skin is of innocence. I am limitless."
- from the poem, My Skin, Arame Fall
Read on to know more about Arame and her path to modeling, balance and personal growth, approach to beauty and skin care, inspiration behind her brand Face Tease and so much more.
crescent bleu: At what point did you know that your art or creativity was your calling?
Arame: Being on set I can’t even tell you the joy it brings me. It just feels right. It’s not like a lightbulb went off because my journey as a model has been kinda crazy. But it’s just the joy that I feel- like seeing the work I can create with other creatives as well. It’s just- it’s that happiness. It’s something that just feels right. And it feels like this is what I’m meant to be doing. It’s hard to explain. I’m like I know this is what I’m supposed to be doing because it feels right to me.
crescent bleu: That’s the magic secret. Like when it’s said do what you love and everything else will follow.
Arame: Yeah because it doesn’t feel like a job when you do it like that.
crescent bleu: Tell me a bit about your modeling journey. How did you get started?
Arame: I used to work at a clothing store called the Boutique and she used to have these annual fashion shows. And one year she asked me to be a part of it and I was like yeah ok I mean I don’t really know what I’m doing but sure. But I did the fashion show. I loved the rush. I loved the adrenaline of it. And then everyone kept telling me you should try and see if you can make a career out of this. And I thought I didn’t really know you could make a career out of modeling you know.
crescent bleu: Whaaat?... I’m glad they told you. (laughs)
Arame: (laughs) Same. You and me both. I freelanced and learned as much as I could about the industry when I was 15. I freelanced for a long time, tried to get signed, and kept getting turned down. When I was 23 I got signed to my first agency. That was a great experience- a stepping stone and it taught me a lot about this industry that I didn’t already know. And then I found my home, Natural [modeling agency] the agency I’m signed with right now. It’s the type of experience where it just feels right. I’m at home with them ya know.
crescent bleu: You seem to have your hand in many pots between influencing & modeling, how do you balance it all?
Arame: That’s something I’m still struggling with to this day. I’m such a go go go type of person. I can’t shut it off. Even when I’m at home I’m like… I gotta do this. One challenge that I’m still trying to overcome is to be able to unwind, unplug. I’m going to try it for the first time next month. I'm going on vacation with my family. So I’m gonna try to unplug which is going to be really hard. But I’ve been doing this hustle mentality for so long it’s hard to switch it off. And I feel also that my work completes me so when I’m not working I feel like a piece of me is missing. But I also know that you have to listen to your body, you have to rest, and you have to take time for yourself so that’s something I’m still trying to learn and figure out. But I’ve been meditating which has been really great. My friend told me about meditation. It’s been helping me to relax and mute a little bit. And also finding interests outside of work has helped.
crescent bleu: Is meditation something you developed more over the last year or started prior?
Arame: A journey I started when I moved here. This is my first place by myself. It gets really quiet. And I think that’s what’s nice I have my space where I can completely just-- everything is quiet. I have my candle going, my music going. There’s still a lot I have to learn about meditating and turning my mind off. Because even sometimes when I’m trying to meditate the mind is still going. I have to do this… have to do that. You know. So it's a process and a journey.
crescent bleu: When did you write My Skin? What was your inspiration for the poem?
Arame: I used to write poetry a lot when I was in high school. And a little bit in college. But the busier I got the less time I had to dedicate to writing poetry. So one day I sat and said I feel like that’s something I lost- like I would like to get that back. Start writing again. Start journaling. Start writing poetry. So I sat down which is really hard for me to do because I can’t sit still for more than 20 minutes. And said the challenge today is to really try to find my creativity again outside of modeling. I just focused and the words kept flowing. The inspiration was my own and I’m sure the experiences of all African Americans. I wanted to get into something that really spoke to me. Especially in the climate we were in when I did write it and the climate we’re still in. I wanted to dig into something that felt real to me.
crescent bleu: It really resonated with me. On a few different levels. There’s an ebb and flow of us having these shared experiences but they're definitely very real and very persistent underneath everything we are dealing with everyday.
Arame: I’m so happy you liked it. I was definitely scared because that’s a side of me that I hadn’t introduced on my platform. People knew I did other things but they didn’t know I used to write poetry. It was a very vulnerable side of me coming out. I’m glad that people related to it.
crescent bleu: Speaking of skin… what is your skincare routine? Your skin is absolutely gorgeous.
Arame: Thank you! Lovvve shea butter. But I like the authentic kind from Senegal that my Mom brings back. And also Earthly Body is a brand that I’ve been using since I was a senior in high school. They have a moisturizing oil… this body butter… I just use the whole skin care kit. The shower gel. I use the scent Guava Lava which feels like you’re in paradise. It’s made really well. It’s hemp seed based and very hydrating. That’s my skincare routine for my body. For my face I’ve been off my skincare game lately. So I haven’t been doing masks or anything. I’ve just been using their hemp seed and miracle oil on my face so...
crescent bleu: So you’re riding high on genes is what you’re telling me.
Arame: Yes. (laughs)
crescent bleu: I love it, love it.
Your family is from Senegal, correct? How has your Senegalese culture influenced you professionally?
Arame: Coming here when I was 6 yrs old I feel like I’ve always been in the middle of two culture clashes. My Senegalese culture and my American culture because they are very different. But I’ve been trying to do more things to bring my culture into my modeling. I’ve done some things here and there but not as much as I want to do. But the background- the culture has definitely influenced the way I interact with people. It’s really hard to explain… the way I was raised has made me very aware of people and… I’ve just had this conversation with my Mom. But when you meet someone-- I feel like in this industry we’re so rushed when you meet new people you don’t really get an idea of who that person is. But in Senegalese culture-- Teranga is a term, it’s something that is super important when you’re meeting someone. You really want to give them your whole undivided attention and time of day. I feel like that has really helped when I meet new people in the industry- not just in modeling, but how I navigate through life.
crescent bleu: What’s your typical morning routine?
Arame: I’ve never been a morning person but since I’ve moved here I’ve been quite the morning person. 8:30 / 9am I’m usually up when I’m off. A cup of coffee is the first thing. The first thing. I can’t function without coffee. If not coffee then a cup of tea. And the first thing I do is call my Mom. I talk to my Mom several times a day. I’ll talk to her to see how she’s doing. I’ll do a little unboxing if I have stuff I need to unbox. I’ll answer work emails. Get up and take a shower. And go about my day. Coffee first, talk to my family, get some work done.
crescent bleu: What was your process in creating your brand, Face Tease? What were some of your challenges in creating this brand?
Arame: I wanted to create something that was about the art- that would motivate me to create more and collaborate with other artists. And I love graphic tees and graphic hoodies so I thought why don’t I just combine my two loves. It allows me to collaborate with different artists and creators. Challenges- there have been multiple challenges. Finding good manufacturers, dealing with samples, and the final process-- was shipping and getting everything together myself while working and going to school so I was like oh my gosh I’m in waaay over my head. [laughs].
crescent bleu: Wow, you’re in school too? So you are indeed wearing many hats. What are you studying if I may ask?
Arame: I’m attending Arizona State University online program. I’m a communications major. And school has been such an on and off thing for me. In my head I thought I have to graduate asap. And over the years I thought- you know what I have to go at my own pace. I don’t want to just take these classes to get the grade and graduate. I want to learn something. I’ve been doing it at my own pace. I’m taking one of two classes a session which helps me really understand the material. I have about 30 units left. I’m almost done [laugh] so it will take some added stress off my plate.
crescent bleu: What is your perspective on the modeling industry today?
Arame: I think the modeling industry has made huge leaps of faith. There are people in ads that I thought I’d never see. So I feel in that aspect they’ve made huge changes but there are still changes to be made. They’ve made great progress but I feel there’s still so much work to be done. I have hopes for it. I think the LA market is a lot more open about the changes. I think NY is still kinda set in their way. Depends on the market you’re looking at. So far so good. I have high hopes for it. So it’s only up from here.
crescent bleu: Any favorite recent read?
Arame: I’m in the middle of this book right now called The Vanishing Half [yields the book from arm’s reach]. I’m barely halfway through it. But so far so good.
crescent bleu: My list keeps growing and growing. I’m moving that book back up to the top of the list!
Breakfast or Brunch?
Arame: Brunch. I’m not really a breakfast person. I’m more of a brunch person. And with brunch it’s more about the company than it is the food.
crescent bleu: Favorite tunes on repeat?
Arame: I listen to Giveon like my life depends on it every single day. (laughs). He’s really good. His voice is literally like the voice of an angel. So definitely check him out. He should pay me at this point (laughs) because I’m always telling people about him. I probably listen to him at least twice a day. His voice is really chill- like something you can play in the background when you’re cleaning or making dinner.
crescent bleu: Your favorite self care splurge?
Arame: You can’t go wrong on a good massage. I will drop some serious money on a good massage.
crescent bleu: I miss that and I miss acupuncture myself.
Arame: You know I’ve never tried acupuncture. I’ve always wanted to try but I have a fear of needles so I’m scared.
crescent bleu: I do too.
Arame: Okay... do you feel it at all?
crescent bleu: No. I mean like literally just a tiny pinch. I have a fear of needles but I’ve never had an instance where… and I’ve gone a lot. It really does help a lot. It's amazing how something can be so effective but we’re not using it en masse in Western culture.
Arame: It’s a natural way.
crescent bleu: All those channels they know how to address through the insertion of the needle. It’s transportive. Like wait, what? I came in here with this hurting… (laughs)
What's your typical fitness routine?
Arame: July 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. I was like I have to do something I can't just sit at home. I was starting to not feel good about myself- even mentally not just physically. So I thought maybe I need to start working out again. But I also hate exercise. And I still hate it to this day. (laughs). But I found a trainer. Her name is Robin and she’s absolutely amazing. She’s such a badass it’s crazy. She has really helped me with my confidence, with my working out, with my self esteem. With her it wasn’t just about- oh physically I look good, but also mentally I feel good. She’s been amazing. She trains me like an athlete so she’s always kicking my butt. We really got into strength training. You know weight training. There’s something so powerful about being able to lift all that weight. (laughs, yeah) We’ve been doing that and throwing a little bit of cardio in there.
crescent bleu: What’s the last thing you do before bed?
Arame: This is going to sound so cliche but I talk to my Mom before bed. When I say we’re really close I mean we are really really close. She’s the first person I talk to in the morning and the last person I talk to before bed. Even when she was back home in Senegal I would still talk to her frequently. So that’s the last thing I do. It doesn’t feel right if I don’t do that. I’ve been doing this for so long.
crescent bleu: Do you have any tips or advice for our readers.. anything that I haven’t asked that you would like to impart to our readers before we wrap up?
Arame: This is something for future models or people who are looking to get into modeling. The biggest thing that was stopping me so long from doing it was the fear part of it. Something I want to advise to people looking to get into modeling is don’t be afraid. Don’t be scared to put yourself out there. It’s very scary but very rewarding too. But also be willing to put in the hard work.
crescent bleu: I really appreciate this so much. This has been really awesome.
Arame: Thank you for wanting to do this with me.
Our chat ended with bright smiles acknowledging how we enjoyed the personal exchange. Arame grabbing her keys for her next run, was just getting a call from- you guessed it- her Mom. They are Mom and Daughter goals in action. Since our discussion, Arame celebrated a huge goal. If you are on Sunset Blvd, look up to see this blinding beauty towering above on a Good American billboard. We love to see it. And we are sure Mom is beyond beaming with pride. Arame is wearing crescent bleu Simone top and Essential brief. Browse here for few others you may enjoy. Check out Arame’s artistry on IG @fallarame and be sure to see her stunning graphic art tees at Face Tease. It’s onward and upward for this inspiring beauty.
