Today we’d like to introduce you to Graci Thompson.
Hi Graci, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Hi, I’m Graci. I live in the Midwest and often travel between Chicago and Indianapolis for work. I am 16, pansexual and genderfluid. I use she/they pronouns. My usual style includes a band tee, black jeans & my high-top vans, and you’ll often find me wearing my favorite purple Mother Mother hoodie.
My hair is bleach blonde and is cut into a hybrid of a wolf cut and a mullet. I absolutely love music, and I’m especially obsessed with the band Mother Mother. I drive a vintage black mustang convertible, and I am a model, artist, writer & animator. I’ve also had acting training through Lumiere academy as well as acting and training with A Class Act New York.
However, I don’t feel that the Midwest is the best place for me to use these skills. I’ve been blessed to receive modeling training from Coco Rocha herself, and I started modeling when I was 11. When I was 12 I was professionally signed, and the age I’ve grown to now, I love being a signed and working model with The Rock Agency in Chicago.
Since being signed with them, I’ve modeled commercially for brands such as American Apparel, Claire’s, Icing, Straight to Hell apparel, and Meijer. I’ve been published in photo Vogue Italia twice, as well as in some other magazines, such as; Vulkan, Picton, MobJournal, Horizont, Pattern, Feroce, StyleCruze, Volant, Assure, Goji, Avessa, Prolific, Praze.
I am a junior in high school and I do online homeschooling. My grades are very high, and I’m at the top of my class. I’m hoping to gain a scholarship, with the grades I have. I am lucky to have this kind of setup; school takes me only an hour a day, so I’m ready to begin traveling overseas so that I can start my international modeling career. I hope to be modeling soon in Japan.
I’m so lucky that Raquel —the owner of The Rock Agency— has amazing connections in Japan. This is because she started her modeling career there many years ago. She says that Japan is a wonderul market for me. Did you know Japanese agencies embrace shorter models and love high cheekbones & facial structures similar to mine? I’ve been working to achieve this for 4 years now, and I’m very proud of myself. I just got my passport 3 days ago so I’m very stoked.
If someone were to ask me for advice on how they could follow in my footsteps, I would say to do the following. 1. Get a good mother agent, 2. Listen to what they tell you, 3. Take direction and 4. Do the work & train.
Now, let me tell you about some of my biggest hobbies, which include art, digital animation, and writing. On any given day you will find me digitally or traditionally drawing, creating original characters, and animating said characters as well as writing about them. I am currently working on writing a sci-fi novel titled “Beyond Bounds,” where I have created an alternative universe in which humanity’s Earth (otherwise known as Hano), has been taken over by an evil company called EBAB.My novel features a dystopian apocalypse that leads into fantasy space travel were anarchists and new youth travel to fight against this unfair government system, and take their solar system back.
One of my other defining traits it’s that I am the biggest animal lover you’ll find. I have 4 cats, 1 ball python, 1 bearded dragon, and 1 leopard gecko. I plan to travel as much as I can while modeling. Then, I plan on attending an art college that has an animation program. I’ve found a couple in Chicago & California that I plan to visit.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The Rock Agency in Chicago has been a joy to work with, and has been very professional. I plan to have a long career with them. However, I did have a run-in earlier on in my career with a not-so-professional agency. It just goes to show how important it is to do your homework about agencies before you sign with them.
Luckily, I was able to get out of that unhealthy relationship and was able to move on to greener pastures. Once I signed with the Rock Agency it was smooth sailing. I’ve taken their development advice one step at a time and built the foundation of my modeling career.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
When it comes to modeling, I am most proud of how hard I’ve worked. I’ve taken direction from my superiors and I’ve built my brand. I’m really proud of the creatives in the fashion industry that I’ve collaborated with, as well. I’ve made a lot of personal and business friends; from agents to photographers to makeup artists, it’s truly been a joy. Being in this creative industry working with other brands makes me very proud.
I show pride of all my work, but I have 1 project in particular that stands out as one of my favorite experiences. Karl Rothenberger is an industry photographer that travels to NYC & Chicago. When he requested a test shoot through my agency I was incredibly stoked. Little did I know at the time of the booking, that Karl was a big fan of my art. The best part of this was that Karl had not only seen my artwork and animations that I shared on my Instagram page, but he also wanted to experiment with some stop-action animation and photography (our two talents) together.
We created the coolest collaborative stop-motion animation ever. I loved the creative process, and I’ll never forget the experience!
I think what sets me apart from others may be my drive, my commitment, and my willingness to roll with the changes. You have to be thick-skinned, resilient, and confident to make it in this business or in life itself. You need to love yourself before all others.
I see a lot of intimidation in this industry and most of it is self-inflicted. If I could advise models in their beginning stages, it would be to stop being intimidated and to chase their dreams. Speak up, be vibrant, and don’t be afraid to be your authentic self. No one is going to love you if you don’t love yourself. I love to show my clients and my Instagram audience what that looks like. To love me looks like embracing my hobbies and talents and sharing them with the world.
For example; I love working on my vintage Mustang, and I was telling my social media manager Marika from The Rock Agency about it. Marika told me some of the best advice I’d ever gotten. She said, “show the world that you’re a girl that loves to work on her Mustang!!” It was a real light bulb moment for me. You see, the world may be asking for you to be so many things but just ask yourself to be authentic. Don’t be afraid to be yourself unapologetically. If you are bold enough to take the masks off and show your true self then you are blessed.
As far as my looks, I feel confident. My face is covered in freckles. I love my green eyes. I appreciate my facial bone structure. I work hard to keep my measurements in check. I love my hairstyle. I feel that I have an edgy editorial look that I have learned to quickly transform into commercial and lifestyle when needed., I feel my looks & my personality together can take me far toward being an international working model.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
For modeling & acting, they can book me through The Rock Agency. My agent is Nancy Tennicott and she’s great to work with. Just shoot her an email at This email address ntennicott@
To show me support could you please follow me on these platforms and engage in my content:
My Instagram is @gracithompsonporfolio
My YouTube is @graciousBean
My tiktok is @graciousbean
My Agency Book is https://www.therockagency.
My email is: gracithompson06@gmail.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.
therockagency.com/divisions/ next-gen/portfolios/graci-t - Instagram: www.Instagram.com/
gracithompsonportfolio - Youtube: https://www.youtube.
com/GraciousBean
Image Credits
Kari Thompson (@amhphotography)
