I woke up to my alarm and the views of the Eiffel Tower. The air surrounding me was cold, so I quickly jumped out of bed and into the shower. I knew I had my interview today, so I didn't take a very long shower.
I wanted to look nice for my interview, so I wore a tight-fitted black turtle neck underneath a white silk dress. I paired the look with thigh-high black velvet boots and my favourite Louis Vuitton purse. Since it was winter, I wore a long grey trench coat to complete the look. As an accent, I added large sunglasses.
I headed out of my bedroom for breakfast. As I entered the living room/kitchen area of my hotel room, I saw butlers setting up my breakfast on the table.
"Good morning, miss Jaden Jones. You have a complimentary breakfast, sent from Mr. Williams at Apollo Magazine." One of the men spoke.
"Thank you!" I exclaimed as I saw the French breakfast in front of me. I had been given coffee, with waffles and fruits, and croissants on the side. It looked and smelled amazing. I took and picture and decided to post it on my Instagram.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
After I ate the deliciously prepared meal, I headed out. As I exited the hotel, I was met by the piercingly cold air of Paris. However, that didn't stop me from walking to my meeting. I wanted to experience all that France had to offer me. As I walked, I could smell the delicious pastries from bakeries and cafés, and saw high-end clothing stores on the sides of the street. Some people seemed to be in a hurry, while others were enjoying their surroundings. It felt like typical city life, but in French.
I made it to the Apollo Magazine location, and began walking into the building. I headed to the front desk, where there was a receptionist.
"Bonjour." She spoke as she looked up at me.
"Uh- hi. I'm Jaden Jones." I said shyly. I wasn't sure if she spoke English.
"Is there something I can do for you, mademoiselle?" She asked, in English, this time.
"I have an interview today." I explained.
"For job interviews, you must call your recruiter first." She said, almost annoyed, and looked down at a pile of papers in front of her.
"No-" I protested, "I'm being interviewed for an article."
"Oh, apologies." She said and stood from her chair. "Whom is the journalist?"
"Mia Richard?" I stated, but it came out as more of a question. I had reviewed the outline Mrs. Williams given me, but I still wasn't entirely sure.
"Jaden, is that you?" A voice echoed the empty room as a woman began walking in. Mine and the receptionists eyes both found their way to the lady walking in. She was tall, and her heels made her even taller. She was wearing a beautiful but business appropriate form-fitting dress, and has a cute glasses.
"Jaden! My name is Mia, I'm going to be interviewing you for your article today. Come with me. I adore your outfit!" She spoke with a British accent. I assumed she was only in Paris for work. I smiled politely at the receptionist, and followed Mia. We walked up a spiral flight of stairs before walking into a room where the walls were completely glass.
Mia took a seat behind her desk, and I sat in the chair opposite to her. As Mia began typing on her computer, another person walked into the room. I turned my head to see Noah, Mrs. William's son.
"Hello Jaden! Glad you've made it." Noah smiled at me.
"Noah's only here to record. In case I miss anything you might say during this interview. Then, I'll have some pictures taken of you for the magazine. I was going to have you styled, but I think your authentic look is much better than anything our stylist could piece together." Mia complimented.
I blushed at her compliment, "Thank you."
"Alright, let's get started, shall we?"
The interview consisted of 3 parts. How I came to love art and my exposure to the art world, my art school life and what I learned, and how I'm growing as an artist. Most of the questions were easy to answer. It was my life, after all. But then she asked about how I started growing exposure in the art community.
"You're a rising artist in Australia and for most, that's very difficult to do. How did you begin getting your name out there?" Mia asked.
"It's true, having no prior exposure makes it extremely difficult to start. But I have an extremely supportive group of people behind me." I said
Mia nodded as she typed, "Care to talk about them?"
"Well, my mum is super supportive. Most parents want their kids to go into a conventional career, but my mum was all for the path that I was taking. A coworker also put a lot of effort into my popup, his name is Matthew." I explained.
"Interesting. Was there any involvement regarding 5 Seconds of Summer?" She asked.
"Uh-" I muttered. I knew their tweets and association to my popup would have future implications. Here they are.
"Yes." I said after a while. I hated that they used their fame to get me here, I didn't get here on my own.
"What hand did they play?" Mia asked.
"They set it all up. The popup was a surprise for me that the boys set up because my art career was going nowhere. Surprisingly, it wasn't bombarded by 5 Seconds of Summer fans. But they paid for it, set it up, and exposed the popup. That's why there was a huge turn out." I said.
"Amazing. How do you know them?" She asked.
"We grew up together, really close friends." I sighed.
"That's cool! Moving on, how did....." Mia began talking, but I stopped focusing for the remainder of the interview. My mind was focused on the boys. Was I gonna be seen as an artist to take pity on because I was basically just charity work? A struggling artist who couldn't make it on their own?
I made it through the interview, and got over the photoshoot. Mia said we would keep in touch and she gave me her business number. After saying our farewells, I was off. Back in the cold, except it was exceptionally darker. Because it was winter, the night fell much earlier. I found shelter in a cozy bakery on my way back to the hotel.
"Bonjour, mademoiselle. Que désirez-vous?" The man behind the pastries asked.
I bit my lip, "une chocolatine." I said nervously. I wasn't sure if I was saying it correctly.
The man chuckled and placed two chocolatines into the pastry bag. "How are you enjoying Paris?" He asked in English.
"I haven't been here for too long. I still have a week ahead of me. But it's lovely so far." I commented.
"Perfect. Shall I get you a coffee as well? Hot chocolate?" The man asked.
"Hot chocolate sounds lovely." I smiled warmly. I watched as he made the hot chocolate, then handed me the pastries and drink.
"Have a great night. Please, come back again." He said warmly.
"Oh, how much is it?" I asked as I began to pull out my wallet.
"Nonsense, miss. It is on me, tonight." He said with a smile.
I slowly started putting my wallet back into my purse. "What's your name?"
"Gabriel." He said, but his French accent was so prominent that his name sounded like the female counterpart.
"I'm Jaden. Thank you for this." I smiled at him.
"My pleasure. Good night." Gabriel smiled. I waved at him before heading to the hotel. I sipped the hot chocolate with delight as I took in the Paris scenery.
