She describes Tuscany, her homeland, with a mix of love and frustration: "Beautiful for vacation, but tough to make a living there." The low wages, the lack of opportunity for advancement — at 24, she packed her bags and followed her sister to London. There she continued decorating cakes while a completely different longing grew inside her.
The story could end here, one among millions. But then came Covid, and with the forced standstill came the big question: What actually makes me happy? The answer lay in old self-portraits from her teenage years, inspired by Greek statues and classical paintings. She'd already modeled on the side at 18, first cosplay, then without costumes. "I never thought something like this could become a career," she tells me in Fuerteventura, where we meet again after our first encounter in Rome in 2023.
The leap into the deep end of full-time nude modeling wasn't without obstacles. Her conservative parents were worried — what if a future employer found out? Nude photography? Patiently, Nausicaa explained the difference between art and pornography, showed them controlled, aesthetic works. Tears were shed. Nausicaa introduced her parents to photographers, and when they met them personally, they lost their skepticism. Today, her parents are proud.
What impresses me: This woman isn't some dreamy bohemian but a highly organized artist. I noticed that from our very first communication. She's goal-oriented and chooses carefully who she works with. She wants to know what to expect and what kind of images will be created.
When I asked about her dream locations, she had to pause for a moment. She's already been so many places. Weeks at a time in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. But her favorite spots are: Lanzarote for its magical energy, Bali for its peaceful atmosphere. And then London as a base for three days before heading out again.
She compares the modeling job to that of an athlete. She watches her diet, with a proper breakfast being important to her. Then she performs throughout the day and eats again after work is done, essentially refueling.
I hadn't realized what it feels like to be a model. Posing for professionals is so much easier, she says. With amateurs, she as the model has to guide the photographer, help them get good shots. A reverse mentorship, so to speak.
2023 was an incredibly busy year for her — full of paid work, which naturally meant working with many different photographers of varying experience levels. She's always been selective about collaborations, choosing them to grow her skills and learn from talented photographers while developing personal projects. After that intense year, she made a conscious decision to be even more selective, focusing primarily on experienced photographers and meaningful artistic exchanges. Her Patreon account gives her not just financial freedom but also a community that appreciates her work. "It gives me a purpose to keep going," she says, and you can sense it's about more than just making money.
She takes a pragmatic view of social media: You have to follow the rules, even when they're sometimes absurd. "Meta is simply too big to fight against," she laughs dryly. For Patreon she needs the nudity, for Instagram the censorship.
Her name, by the way, comes from Homer's Odyssey, the Greek epic she read in school. Fitting for a woman who walks between worlds: between art and commerce, between control and freedom, between black and white ("good for emotions") and color ("I like that too").
She plans to end her full-time modeling career in 2026. Not abruptly, but as a transition to something new. "I don't want to stop completely," she says, "but go in a different direction." What that will be, she doesn't know yet. But if I've learned one thing about Nausicaa Yami, it's this: When she makes a decision, it will be thoughtful, bold, and probably surprising. She definitely wants to keep maintaining her Patreon account though.
She's the cover model for my photo book Mellow — a choice that feels even more right as I write these lines. She embodies exactly that mix of professionalism and artistic freedom that makes good nude photography. Not a posing doll, but an artist who creates something together with the photographer. "Fulfillment through creating together," she calls it.
