Today we’d like to introduce you to Karrin Shriner.
Hi Karrin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story is one of many chapters, hardships, laughs, smiles, tears and determination. I was being taught lessons at a young age that I didn’t even know of until I got older. But I also am a happy go-lucky type of person who always laughs and smiles. Easy to get along with and can just about have conversations with any type of person. You can put me in an environment and I can adapt to my surroundings and I’ll never come out of the experience empty-handed. I’m also a hard-working person and goal-oriented. If I want to achieve something, I’ll work my tail off in order to get there (maybe it’s the Capricorn in me). No goal is ever too big or too small. Everything can be possible if you put in the work in order to get there. I’ve never been the type of person to wait for my blessings to happen or my dreams to come on their own. Hard work and dedication will get you to where you want to go in this life. And hard work has allowed me to get to experience things in life I never would’ve thought would be possible and my vision for the future is great. I believe in myself so much and it’s one of the best feelings in the world knowing you worked so hard for something and you reached your goal. It makes me look forward to what’s next. I also have a heart of gold and am filled with love and wish to give it to the world. I wish to be an inspirational for others as a woman, as someone in the black community and someone who has battled through mental health issues.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
From a kid to now, I was forced to form strong armor. They say the strongest soldiers get put through the toughest battles and I’ve been able to put strength through experiences. I still have a lot to learn, but through every situation I heal from is a step for me forward and I’ll be ready for when the next obstacle comes toward me. One of the hardest struggles I’ve ever had to deal with is my mental health. I started to really deal with depression and anxiety hard when I was in college. I am also a suicide survivor. About three years ago, I started to deal with anxiety attacks on a daily basis, which was a new hardship I had to go through. I was at one point scared of the night because my anxiety attacks would always happen at night time. A time of the day where it’s meant to be relaxing is what I feared the most. I had to adjust my daily life to teaching myself how to mental talk myself through fears and the attacks to where I can limit the attacks to a zero. For a while, I didn’t see an end to the attacks. But I kept on pushing everyday to get better and become stronger. I can gladly say now I do not deal with anxiety attacks anymore. Therapy, patience and continued work has put me in a position to not fear the night or attacks anymore. Through the time I was healing from the attacks came a new struggle; chronic gastritis. This is my current problem and I’m learning how to navigate my way to cure it, so I can fully enjoy life without having to deal with some of the worst nausea and stomach pains I’ve ever had to deal with.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a model who was previously signed with an agency and I’m now a freelance model. I specialize in lifestyle, commercial, streetwear, and other areas of modeling. I do have runway experience. I’m not able to do it as much due to height requirements. A lot of people see me as a streetwear and sneaker model with a 90s style similar to Aaliyah. I am looking to step into a new realm and showcase how I can be streetwear, but I can also switch it up and show how versatile I am. Through the time I started to model, I regained a new passion, which made me tap into the mindset I used to have when I played sports all the up until my third year of college. I know I have more people to meet and more opportunities ahead of me in the future, but what I’m most proud of is the self-confidence I’ve been able to gain out of it all so far. I never had a good self-esteem and I never fully loved myself enough or saw myself as beautiful. Modeling has helped me see how untrue that all was. I’m learning how to love myself and view myself in a positive, healthy way to where it doesn’t tear others down but build others up along the way.
I believe what sets me apart is my determination. I’ve been through hell and back a thousand times in my life, but I’ve always landed back on my feet stronger than better. I’ve also stayed true to myself throughout the journey. I’ve been able to keep myself grounded and humble, which is not something a lot of people can say. My wholesome soul shows through my actions, words and how I present myself to the world.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Covid-19 has showed me how self-sufficient I can truly be in all areas of my life. It has showed me I don’t need to take the traditional route society wants a person to take. It showed me that I need to live my life the way I want to and do what makes me happy, even if it may seem different to others. I want to live my life doing what I love and enjoying it instead of being tied down to a job that I don’t enjoy. Not everything is about money. Money will forever come and go and it is a plus, but life is about experiences. Covid has also allowed me to take back and really focus on my mental health and dealing with issues head on without being scared.
Contact Info:
- Email: bookingkshriner@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westcoastkay__/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@westcoastkay_?lang=en
Image Credits
ALL INSTAGRAM HANDLES: @lavida.media @kp_pdx @andre.waymond @alexandrapallasphotography @henry_m_ward @hyanthonytaylor @cooperrpattison @jacobsenv.studios
