It’s A New Dawn, It’s A New Day, It’s A New Life and Celeste is Feeling Good
By Andrew Rudder for Pulp Magazine

It’s a New Dawn,
And as the sun rises over Chicago that lies on the celestial equator of the Midwest and contains many bright stars like Orion,
A new starlet has been revealed whose multi-ethnic heritage gives her an international look as she shines brighter than Rigel and Betelgueuse thereon,
For since she can spawn pleasurable contemplation from people in a field that requires as much astute acuity & pulsating passion as bountiful beauty & brawn,
Celeste’s arresting aesthetic appeal epitomizes an enchanting equipoise between exquisite elegance and a striking sensuality so classic that it’s bygone,
And combined with a creative soul that is as multifaceted as a diamond that uses a sultry, strong, emotional and enchanting voice as a medium to spawn profound songs,
Refining the magnificent magic behind musical vocal performance in decades that would normally take eons,
The entertainment industry is blessed with her pristine beauty and her sweet-soothing soulful melodic voice and is therefore all too happy to be whipsawn,

It’s a New Day,
So it’s time to parlay . . .
Your collective creative experiences from the past into new successful experiences that are indicative of your heyday,
So that you are a much more mature minded artist now, then you were yesterday,
But the ends don’t justify the means or as Celeste would say,
“The methods I use to achieve my goals are as important to me as acquiring them” . . . no matter how much money anyone is willing to pay,
So whether Celeste is blessing the world with her poignant pulchritude in a magazine spread or looking in vogue while lissomely walking down a runway,
She always upholds her dignity, epitomizes a plethora of prepossessingness and presents herself with comely class, while never wearing anything too, too risque,
She always remains true to herself and speaks from her heart, which is why her music is easy to swallow like a succulent, sweet-sounding soulful puree,

It’s a New Life,
So let us forget about all of that past superficial strife,
That divided us all and cut through reconciliation like butter to a hot knife,
And like Celeste use music to bridge the gap and connect us all together like man and wife,

It’s a New Dawn, It’s a New Day, It’s a New Life for Celeste Harrell,
And she is Feeling Good,
Like James Brown I knew that she would,
Because she is in a special place in her life right now where she has discovered her own voice that is richly imbued with creativity, spontaneity and selfhood.

A Super-Talented Model Looking Out for the Next Generation
By Andrew Rudder for Pulp Magazine

Search far and wide throughout the diverse population of the Windy City along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, and I promise you that you will not find another wondrous winsome woman as the inimitable soulful songbird named Celeste Harrell, who epitomizes the ideal conception of a classic, pristine beauty. There are many facets to her creative soul such as music, which is an art that she has an ardent passion for, but since we are in the “Rogue Angels” section let us focus on her modeling career [Hearing Aid Interview Link].

By the tender age of 3, her mother signed her with a few acting and modeling agencies giving her experience in print, movies, and television shows. As a toddler, Celeste modeled for Sears catalogs and fashion shows. From stage performances in plays to minor roles in films; entertainment of any style left Celeste with a good taste of the entertainment industry. Celeste Harrell eventually went to and graduated from John Robert Powers Modeling School, where she learned to technically hone her natural talent. Since than Celeste has modeled professionally for a myriad of companies working trade shows, representing companies for private VIP events, and being photographed for print and catalog reproduction.

This winsome woman with the international look is not solely interested in blessing the world with her pristine beauty in front of the camera lens, but also has an altruistic desire to be on the other side helping educate inexperienced aspiring talented models reach their goals within the industry. When I asked her about the other aspects of the industry that she wants to exploit, Celeste replied, “I think at some point in my career, I would like to 'exploit' the other side of the industry. I want to educate models on how to protect themselves from people that manipulate young models and many times even parents into spending tons of money with very little return. In many ways, I am already doing this. I believe that in any career you choose, you must invest in it. People should invest in education to better themselves and also get hands on experience in fields they are interested in.”
As matter of fact Celeste is already collaborating with young aspiring models as she has been working with a commercial photographer, Harry Banks Jr. and his production company Bonanza’s putting on events geared toward providing prospective clients with quality pictures at reasonable prices. At these events Celeste has had the wonderful opportunity to meet a lot of intriguing models with interesting unique stories and provide them with not only inspirational words of encouragement, but sound heartfelt advice about the nature of the business that they are venturing into while they establish their promising careers.

So what is Celeste’s philosophy in life you might ask, “My philosophy in life is to understand that we are all connected in some form or fashion. I like to see the similarities in people and in their experiences rather than to look at the differences among people.”

Andrew: It’s with great pleasure that I introduce to you a professional model from Chicago, Illinois named Celeste Harrell who has taken the time out of her busy schedule to do this interview with yours truly. On behalf of the Pulp Magazine family whom work extremely hard to bring our loyal readers the very best in informative and entertaining content, I’m very delighted to have you Celeste and I’m very excited to interview you! I hope that this interview will be the first of many with us and other magazines during your blossoming career. So without further adieu let us get this interview started!

Andrew: Tell our audience a bit about your heritage as I'm sure many people are very curious to know where you get your prepossessing, enchanting exotic features from.

Celeste: I am Mexican, French, German, African American, American Choctaw and Cherokee Indian, Tahitian and Samoan; and that's just all I know about!

Andrew: Why don’t we start with you first telling us a bit more about yourself like what is it about it that captivates your mind and stimulates your creative imagination.

Celeste: Life inspires, stimulates and captivates me. I love music, kids, and learning something new always excites me as well as doing something creative.

Andrew: Being convinced to pursue a career in modeling is one thing, but actually believing that you possess the requisite talent, focus and drive to succeed in a very tough, unforgiving business is quite another.  When did you actually believe that you possessed the requisite intangible qualities and characteristics to make it in the entertainment industry as a model?

Celeste: My first inkling that I could possibly enter the modeling industry and become a professional model came from my mother. She started me out by taking me to a few agencies that represented and worked with kids for movie parts, commercials, and print ads. External influences and the recognition of beauty from others were also factors in discovering my potential of these qualities and characteristics that could transcend me into a serious professional model. I have always had a good work ethic and a pretty good sense of business. I consider myself an old soul in many ways.

Andrew: What experience do you value more and attain more personal satisfaction from as a model: the creative process behind an intimate collaboration with a talented photographer, make-up artist and/or designer OR seeing the reaction from your family, friends and fans as they bare witness to the finished product?

Celeste: I value the emotion behind the resulting images of all artists combined. When I see a beautiful image, I look beyond the image and many times the obvious focal point of the image. I admire it and wonder how the collaboration was conceived. Being in front of a camera is very disclosing and it is in many ways, an intimate portrait or rendering of everything combined in order to create it. My photos seem to capture dimension and emotion that is easily noticed. Many times however, when I look at my own photos, I see an image of a subject that is just an extension of me.

Andrew: Who are some of the role models that you greatly admire?

Celeste: I admire ideas rather than people. I am inspired by sayings and beliefs. Everyone has a story and while they might inspire you, I hope inspiring stories teach you something as well. I love Bette Davis; the way she did business, the way she took control of her career, and the sheer talent she possessed as an actress. At a time when other actresses listened to everyone else, she listened to herself and never wavered in her impression of what a good actress was in her eyes. I admire many of Thomas Edison’s sayings and quotes. One of my favorites is: “If we all did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves....” I think if you have an ideal role model or role models, you limit yourself from learning from those around you. You can find some very important lessons from those you least expect and yourself if you listen close enough. I find Anthony Robbins and Deepak Chopra fascinating and I also enjoy reading Richard Carlson’s PhD series of books.

Andrew: You have a beautiful fine tuned voluptuous physique Celeste that accentuates your wide breadth of range and exquisite elegance in a lot of your photographs, so what does your diet and exercise regimens consist of?

Celeste: I believe that the mind and body are connected in more ways than we understand. Some people have wonderful bodies and no connection to their minds. I have never been one to diet. The word diet for me literally means what you ingest. Because of the growing epidemic of obesity in America, the word diet is now associated with restricting your diet, not eating certain foods, and/or an overall eating plan. I love to eat good foods and I rarely deprive myself. Setting limits and being disciplined is good nonetheless. I ran marathons as a child, played sports and did very well. I believe that exercise is important for your body and your soul. I think that simply being physical is as beneficial as exercise in a gym. Being sedentary is never good. Although I am quite an active person, I have not worked out in over a year. I have taken kickboxing, tai chi, tae kwon do, dance and yoga classes over the years and for me, taking time out to be physical is advantageous. I would like to set more time aside for maintaining my whole self through reading and reflection as well as exercise.

Andrew: What are your thoughts on the changing face of the modeling industry over the last decade as the wide spectrum of markets expands exponentially to provide exceptional opportunities for models whom don’t have the typical runway model physique and facial features? (You know Celeste . . . the bony legs, super slim and super tall bodies, flat chest and even flatter backsides, and the high cheek bones and androgynous jaw lines).

Celeste: It is still rare for me to see what they call ‘real women’ modeling in many big name publications. I resent when they say ‘real women’ as if thinner women are not real. When a designer or company puts plus size models on their runways or in a marketing ad, it amazes me that these companies get press for just using “normal” sized American women. Including all women should mean all sizes, not just those over a size 8. The recent Dove campaign is a perfect example. They did not use models but regular sized women to show their real beauty. I appreciated that because I see behind the scenes of many photo shoots and models are not perfect. In fact, they are far from perfection. There is a place for models of all sizes, races, and heights. I think the industry should realize that it’s not a good idea to airbrush everything on an image to convey its beauty. Many of the looks in ads today are not even attainable by the most beautiful women on earth. Even they are typically airbrushed or manipulated to be almost unrecognizable.

Andrew: Why do you think that some models enter the entertainment industry, attain their 15 minutes of fame and than vanish without a trace, but others such as world renowned models like Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Kimora Lee, and lesser known models such as Kim Loan and Dawn Rochelle are capable of transforming their early success as a model into a long lasting, successful career within the entertainment industry as business women?

Celeste: I think some people entering the industry may have learned from others that it is best to have some sort of business training or experience in business in order to be successful. Post industrialization is a factor that has both helped and hurt some businesses in recent years. In the entertainment industry, it has allowed people to market themselves as a business entity online helping them to showcase their looks as a model, sounds as a musician or voiceover talent, and demo reel for an actor to the World Wide Web. The industry of modeling has changed exponentially because of this. I also believe that many companies are going in the direction of not always working with agencies for their model needs. I think countless companies today want to connect with their demographics and customers on more of a genuine level.

Andrew: Do you place any limitations on yourself in terms of what you will and will not do in this industry to succeed?

Celeste: I will not degrade my integrity for the sake of any job. I have seen a lot behind the scenes and while some things may sound exciting or fun, it is always a good idea to protect yourself, know what your limitations are, and why you believe them to be limitations. Many people have a problem with nudity and I am not one of them however, I do like to leave something to the imagination. I also subscribe to Playboy and Maxim magazines.

Andrew: Do you think that the emerging online communication networks out there such as myspace.com, onemodelplace.com, and modelmayhem.com have enabled entrepreneurial minded models such as yourself to effectively market yourself and as a result replace modeling agencies?

Celeste: On some level yes, I do believe that some of these online communication networks are ways to effectively market yourself. On the other hand, bigger opportunities typically present themselves through agencies due to the business aspect of it. Since a model is one person, a company would have to trust that you know what you are doing and are level headed enough to follow through and be professional. An agency represents you and is bonded so they feel comfortable presenting you to clients. When you look at various models on these sites, many of them look like models but have little or no experience. While the sites help you connect, you might need a lawyer to decipher some of the jargon if you have not much more than a pretty face.

Andrew: If I was accompanying you to a photo shoot from Chicago to New York, what albums would I definitely be listening to in the car on the trip there?

Celeste: It depends on my mood......I listen to all types of music from hip hop, dance, Latin, and alternative, to books on tape. I like everything from classic rock to world music and alternative. My Ipod is filled with any - and a little bit of everything, including soundtracks. Supreme Beings of Leisure and Thievery Corporation are probably the ones I listen to the most on a flight or long road trip. The Chill out compilation CD’s are out of this world as well as many of the remixes.

Andrew: My no limit credit card slips out of my pocket and magically appears in your hands as I finish this interview with you; what do you buy before I find out that it’s missing?!!! [I know in real life you would have returned my card!]

Celeste: I would of course be the first one to return your card. Hypothetically speaking, I might buy myself some time away at an exclusive spa. Then I would choose to take my family on a tropical vacation and then make some changes in the lives of some children across the world. That credit card would have to have a no limit standing.

Andrew: I’m new to Chicago and I have inclination to engage in a night of debauchery at the hottest night clubs and bars in town, where would you take me?

Celeste: I am more of a dinner person than a club person but I do love to dance. I am about as familiar with the Chicago clubs as I am with the Los Angeles clubs. In Chicago there is a place called Reserve which is quite nice. Funky Buddha Lounge is fun for dancing and I do like Ghost Bar as well.

Andrew: What is your ideal exotic getaway?

Celeste: I don’t ask for much! =) Someplace warm, near or on the sea shore where the food is mainly seafood, the people are warm and friendly, and the shopping is reasonable while the nightlife is exciting. Zihuatanejo is like this. I would like to visit a number of places before I leave this earth. I would like to see Europe and Puerto Rico soon.

Andrew: What sort of qualities in a man do you look for and really turn you on?

Celeste: I like intelligence, chivalry and a sense of humor. Motivation in life is important too.

Andrew: What is your favorite food?

Celeste: Chinese or Japanese anytime

Andrew: Name one of your addictions?  (Something that you can’t do without)

Celeste: Chocolate Chip cookies with Reese peanut butter chips in them. Mmm....

Andrew: What is your favorite part of the human anatomy?

Celeste: The eyes of a person are my favorite part of the human anatomy. I think I am pretty good at reading the eyes of a person for honesty and truth.

Andrew: If you were a super heroine what super powers would you want: super speed, super strength, X-ray vision, invisibility or the ability to fly?!

Celeste: I love having dreams where I am flying but hands down - I choose invisibility. I would learn so much about people and their bedside manner. I would make some changes in some people’s lives and scare some people for the fun of it too.

Andrew: What is your favorite column or feature in Pulp Magazine?

Celeste: My favorite column or feature in Pulp Magazine is the holistic energy and health section. I love learning about health. While I appreciate western medicine, I like to practice some eastern medicine because coupling them both tends to treat the entire body. I take all natural products by Awareness. Their products are so excellent; I became a distributor so I could buy them for a little less. Their Daily Complete liquid vitamin rocks!

Andrew: What does sex appeal and beauty mean to you?  Is it a state of mind and attitude (mental/intellectual), physical perfection as defined by society or being born with the right set of physical attributes that get the teenage boys’ hormones into a frenzy?

Celeste: Sex appeal and beauty are two very different qualities. To me combining both indicates that a person has the right set of physical, mental, and interpersonal attributes. I think that having all of these characteristics can bring out sex appeal and beauty. State of mind and attitude play very important roles too.

Andrew: What is beautiful about yourself?

Celeste: My heart. I do have a good heart. I am sensitive and feel a lot more than the people around me it seems. I internalize a lot and for some reason, people find that I am a lot warmer than they think I am going to be. I have heard people say many times, “I had no idea you would be so sweet!” I find that amusing.

Andrew: If you had to change one thing about yourself what would it be?

Celeste: My knowledge base. I wish I knew more. I will probably never really be satisfied no matter how many books I read and how many people I meet. You probably wanted a different answer (physical).

Andrew: William Faulkner is quoted as saying, "The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life. Since man is mortal, the only immortality possible for him is to leave something behind him that is immortal since it will always move." When your profoundly beautiful pictures move again in the mind's eye of people a hundred years later Celeste, what do think they'll say?

Celeste: I hope that they will be able to read the emotion and feeling behind the photos. I hope their imagination will let them grow and wonder about the person I was. I hope they will say pleasant things about me being beautiful on the inside as well as the outside and talk about the good person I tried to be throughout my life.

Andrew: Any exciting new projects that you’re working on that you want to mention?

Celeste: I sing, model, produce, and consult. Currently I am working alongside my photographer, Harry Banks Jr and his full service production company Classic Picture & Video Production. I produce Chick Singer Night Chicago, the nation’s longest running singer’s showcase and non-profit organization in it’s 18th year. CSN provides a supportive environment for singers of all ages, all genres of music and walks of life. I am starting to work with a music producer extraordinaire from Vegas. He creates music that resonates with my soul and I look forward to releasing a CD in the near future.

Andrew: For all of the people, photographers, agencies and companies seeing you for the first time who will want to gain more information about you, tell them where they can go to see and read about some of your past, present and future projects?

Celeste: Anyone wanting to gain more information about me, inquire about booking me, or wanting to communicate with me can visit my website at: http://www.celesteharrell.com and I do answer my own emails.

Andrew: Thank you Celeste for doing this interview with Pulp Magazine and I!  We wish you all of the best in your future endeavors, look forward to hearing about your success in the media as a model and as a musician, and we would love to have you back anytime! 

Celeste: Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of such a gifted and diverse publication such as Pulp Magazine. I am delighted and flattered to be featured. It was my pleasure and I truly enjoyed being interviewed with such reflective questions. I appreciated your impressive vocabulary and stimulating writing style and I wish the very best in success for Pulp Magazine!
Celeste Harrell

Check out more of Celeste in our music section. Click here.