LA, Baby!

                                    

                                          
Behati and I moved into the apartment in West Hollywood that was better than the one in New York, and much better than the one in London. We made it our little home and quickly realised that we couldn't rely on public transport in LA, so I bought a car with half of my savings. It was nothing special, but reliable and clean. We had both transferred and were now on the books of the LA branch of the modelling agency, however given the circumstances, Behati was taking personal leave to visit her Mum. 
                          
I was offered three jobs before I had even arrived, so I decided to stay in LA on my own and take the jobs. I told Behati not to worry about the first month's rent as I knew she wouldn't be working much. She was grateful and promised to pay it back when she could, even though I didn't mind. The first job I took was for a swimwear brand which saw me rolling around on the beach in Malibu... I had never been, so it was a lot of fun. I was photographed rollerblading in Venice Beach for an edgy, art meets beach magazine and finally, I modelled jeans with a seriously hot male model. To be fair, he was married, so there was no temptation. 
                          
I fell in love with LA quickly. There were areas that I didn't hang around much – Hollywood Boulevard for example – but West Hollywood and the beach areas were great. Everything was cheaper than New York and London, and the weather was warmer and brighter. In a way, it reminded me of my childhood in Australia. I spent my free days at the beach and gym, hiking Runyon Canyon, and once Behati was back – driving to new, further away places to explore, hike and chill out. 
                          
I started getting invites to amazing parties and events after about two weeks of being in LA. It was before Behati was back so I had to go solo, but I felt like I should try and build some social status like I'd done in New York. I networked with so many people and started getting more and more invites to better events with people who were a lot more famous than me, but like I've mentioned before, in my eyes people are all just people. I hung out with other models who were pretty well known, and starred in a couple of music videos, and got invited to parties thrown by celebrities, including one on a boat with a super famous singer that I won't name. All of the parties and networking saw my social status skyrocket. My instagram had now climbed to nearly 200k since I'd moved and since famous people had mentioned me or tagged me. My new manager Luiz referred to it as the "LA Effect", whatever that meant. I could barely keep up with comments and messages at that point, but I tried to stay humble and reply to people if they said something meaningful. I guess, maybe you could even say I had a couple of 'fans' at that point. That just seemed completely crazy.
                          
I caught some huge breaks with my modelling; landing a campaign with Moschino and another with Covergirl cosmetics, editorials in Harper's Bazaar and Elle, and runway shows for Moschino, Guess and - wait for it - Dolce & Gabbana. Things just kept getting better and better.
                          
I was in the gym every second day and I was in the best shape I'd ever been in. I was at the beach all the time so my hair was lighter from all the sun, I was more tanned and I felt so full of energy. The beach just made me feel at ease. I'd gone onto a vegetarian diet since moving as well, and it was doing wonders for my body. I felt the best I had felt in years, my career was going amazingly, and it was all thanks to Los Angeles. I guess the only thing that didn't improve was my love life. It wasn't that the offers weren't there, I just wasn't interested. I didn't have time for it, especially since I was an old-school romantic. I wasn't impressed by money and sports cars, and that's what it seemed to all be about in LA. If someone walked into my life who I just clicked with, then sure, but I definitely wasn't looking.
                          
Behati came back up to the apartment during the week and spent the weekends with her Mum in Irvine now. I went with her a few times, and we all hung out which was nice. Her Mum was doing OK but it was still really stressful, and I think Behati's career took a bit of a hit because of it. She still booked jobs, but she just didn't have the drive - and I totally understood.
                          
I'd always considered New York the closest thing I had to a home; a place where I felt the most 'me' and where I sort of had some roots down, but Los Angeles had now taken the crown. I was so happy in LA, and I finally felt like life was starting to make sense. I felt like I belonged there. I felt strong emotionally. I had finally been dealt some great cards and I was a world away from the confused mess I was the year before. The old Joy was gone, and I felt like the best version of myself that I'd ever known.