Interview with more than a Performance Model

Kristin Rose Kisner and herself in photo and print..... She pointing herself out in the background of an image

Rolling up Tryon

Kristin is always being stopped for an autograph or in this case three, here is none other than Team Dicky and Josh the Wonderboy cued up for their Kisner Memorabilia(note: Dicky has two copies for signing, one is his and the other is for his son The Boy)

This fan of Kristin's Performance work was going to frame her signed copy over the weekend

Raymond asked for his to be signed, "Best Wishes"

Trent the ice cream man wanted his catalogue signed

Is she 1million or 1billion times more photogenic than I am?

Urban Velo

This Model loves keeping her girly figure by eating Chocolate Ice Cream

The other Day Kristin Rose Kisner rolled up to me on her Surly Cross hip urban Conversion just as I was talking to an old acquaintance on Tryon. Kristin was right on time for our prearranged interview which I asked her for after Jordy grabbed the most recent Performance catalogue from our bathroom and showed me Kristin's smiling countenance on the glossy pages. After Swazzy stopped by and us to show off his kewl mad skill with a very shaky almost dramatised track stand we rode down to a secret roof local a few blocks off the Square. I wonder why he never shows off like that in front of me while I am alone?

Up on the roof we found a table and sat down in the warm sun. Within a minute or two after Kristin took off her shades I realized that her eyes were a mature version of my daughter's. Perfectly circular azure blue orbs that lighten a bit in color towards the center where the hue transitions into a brown hazel clutch around her black pupils. Her eyes sort of remind me of what the earth might look like from outer space set in two small round white back drops in her face.

Stay focused this is a serious interview here. Kristin and I met once upon a time in around 2005 The Year of the Cool when she was helping run Charlotte's first ever Coffee Cooperative at the very peaceful McGill Rose Garden location. I liked that place as much for the coffee as well as the quiet company who made it for me in my own ceramic mug that stayed behind the wood canoe bar. I did not realize in those early years that Kristin was a working model, it just goes to show that she is thinking about more than just her image career which started with her first modeling job when she was 11 years old.

From then till now Kristin has worked on building a solid resume which recently manifested itself into a contract with Ford Models Inc. out of Chicago. This type of work interests her for reasons that are more than just at the surface of such an image sensitive industry. Kristin says that this type of non-repetitive work helps her remain wholly balanced by allowing her to fulfil personal monetary goals while traveling, riding her bike, swimming in far away oceans, staying strong with pilates(trademark system of physical conditioning) and helping spread the word about good health and the importance of deep breathing.

Kristin has traveled as far away as Greece with her work. On this particular shoot her face started breaking out due to the Mediterranean humidity which caused the photographer to keep asking, "When is your face gonna clear up?" Kristin laughs at the situation then and now saying that they finally decided to take the picture of the back of her head showing off her new dye job. Kristin has an open mind about working off the continent and looks forward to the chance to do so with her new representation.

When I asked her if there was any product she would not be seen in front of the camera with she seriously said, "Cigarettes, I will not try to glamorize smoking cigarettes." Ms. Kisner also said she would avoid working for pharmaceutical companies as well unless they were a completely holistic or organic company "That is the problem with doing stock photo modeling, your picture could wind up anywhere, advertising for any type of business", she said.

The most recent shoot for Performance happened this March in Cary NC. Working for a bike related retailer was fun for her because of her comfort ability on or near bikes. Some of the pictures wind up in the monthly catalogues and some are on line but all of them show not only a product but a human with a peronal identity. My motivation for bringing this story to you is exactly that. Behind the images in print selling whatever there is an individual with their own identity, life dreams and goals. I am glad that Kristin is moving forward both in life and her aspiring career which is not the norm in today's society. Sometimes you find that great person going after their career(4million$) in sacrifice of what is true and important to them and other times you might find that idealistic human who understands the cosmos but can never get past the first month of a job to be able to sustain themselves in this world but rarely will you find those two attributes in one human form. It was nice to ride around with Kristin and get to know her a little bit better from the street level. If you would like an autographed copy of a Performance Catalogue please contact me here and we will see what we can do.