In her early adult life, Amanda Gyllensparv enjoyed professional success, but lacked personal satisfaction. “I graduated from high school in 2015. The first thing I tried to figure out was if I should start college after high school, as so many of my friends and classmates were going. My father always wanted me to be a lawyer, but at this stage in my life, I was eager to get real life experience rather than to go to college,” she admits. “I tried out a bunch of different jobs, traveled and then ended up working for a law firm for four years, much to my father’s joy. To be honest, it was okay but no sparks were flying and I definitely was not passionate enough about law to go to college and study it – sorry dad! I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. It was never super clear what my passion was, because whatever I could find an interest in, it could also change into something dull quite quickly for me. I was a bit indecisive to say the least! Friends of mine had a clear vision of what they wanted to do and what they were passionate about from an early age. I can’t lie – I envied that a little. Not knowing where you are going can be stressful sometimes.”
Once she left law for new horizons, she naturally fell into using social media more. “When days at the law firm started feeling like sleepwalking and weren’t giving me a feeling of accomplishment, I understood it was just a matter of time before I would have to find something new that gave me motivation and fulfillment. I have always been creative and from my earlier experience of working as an event manager, I knew that I was quite good with both knowing what people want and what they enjoy. While working full-time I did not have much energy to spend on Instagram and to be honest, I didn’t have a keen interest (yet). So when I finally quit my job, thinking that this was probably madness and risky when I didn’t even have a plan, I got the best advice. A trusted, very dear friend told me, ‘If you leave space for something new to come into your life, it could be something that you’d never thought of, but something that is supposed to be.’ At this point, I knew I did not want to go to college or have an office job. I wanted something flexible and creative where I could easily travel and be in control of my schedule. Sure enough, all of a sudden I had all this time on my hand. Since the majority of society is active on social media, I figured I would be more active too. Don’t get me wrong, I was what I would call ’active’ on Instagram before, but now I could spend more time and be more creative and create content. And I started loving it! I was having such a blast creating and got to learn a lot in a small amount of time.”
With many trepidations, she chose to embark on a full-time career in social media. “I’m a bit of a control freak and having a routine has always been important to me. Going from working full-time to just quitting without a plan really was super scary, I’m not going to lie! I think anybody in my situation would have doubted if this was the right choice or not. I was clinging onto hope and a belief in myself that no matter what happened next, it would always be alright in the end. Even if it was way out of my comfort zone, it was also very thrilling and exciting to be starting a new path without exactly knowing what was ahead. I was very fortunate that everything happened very quickly. As I started to focus more on my content, my account grew in size and engagement and brands started to approach me proactively. So it all happened in a few months.”
Being an influencer has allowed Amanda to access a whole new world. “I love the interaction with people and the endless creativity for sure. That is basically what social media is for me at least. You get to meet and learn so much more about new people and connect. I’ve learned so much about my own mind and unlocked so much creativity that I didn’t know I had in me. I’m also so happy to be able to work with new amazing people that this whole experience gave me the opportunity to meet, like my agency THE ACE Agency. I’m so impressed by the entrepreneurship and the drive these amazing women have, especially my agents Anna and Marie.” Alas, no one is immune to trolls. “There are so many good people out there and it’s so nice to interact with them and feel all the good vibes. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case and there are some people projecting insecurities and bad energy onto myself and others. I feel it’s very sad and this is something I think everyone who is active on social media can say occurs. Cyberbullying is a huge problem and it’s always important to mention that it’s never okay to bully other people, not on social media or real life. There is never an excuse. I myself do not accept bullying and if I would feel targeted, my easiest solution is to remove that person from my account. Fortunately the bigger majority that I come across through Instagram are all so lively and encouraging!”
She is content with building her Instagram, at least for now. “I keep my path forward open. I would love to create something physical of my own at some point but I’m not yet sure what that would be and there are so many possibilities. At the moment, I’m delighted with what I’m doing. I’m hoping for great things of course, but not only hoping – I’m working towards growing my social influence and becoming better. How this will happen we’ll just have to wait and see…” Hard work and determination can never lead you astray!
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Influencer Amanda Gyllensparv Envisions an Instagram Empire. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Amanda Gyllensparv.
