We were lucky to catch up with Amber Strong recently and have shared our conversation below.
Amber, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
Definitely. I feel misunderstood all the time by everyone around me. I have a very complex way of thinking and a personality that can’t always be defined. In high school, I was popular because of my goofy personality, fashion sense and athletic boyfriends, but I wasn’t loved and liked by most. Actually, most of the girls did not like me so I always made friends with guys. Fast forward to college, I was now able to walk in my truth and be my authentic self without feeling bad about it. Feeling like the “weird ” one.. The thing about being misunderstood is that people don’t like versatility, we’re so brainwashed to believe that being in a box is the way of life, so when people meet someone who is authentically themselves, and not willing to conform, its like meeting an alien. Throughout life I’ve learned to accept being misunderstood because the truth of that matter is that not everyone will make an attempt to get to know the real you anyways. People create their own images and ideas of you and run with it.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Growing up, I was always drawn to the media and arts. Living in a house with nine siblings, our home was always loud and filled with people. Cheer, reading books and music was my escape from everything. I could go into my room escape and dive into the reality of the book. My first real experience with media was in college, working at the on-campus Jazz station and creating a platform to host interviews. Since then, I’ve partnered with several media platforms like Roc Nation’s Rel Carter Culture Tour and Back of the Class, a musical platform for hip-hop artist. I’m currently working in the top 5 news market at a station in Dallas, Texas. I’m working towards creating my own media platform that will be exclusive to creatives and artist. I’m aiming to provide a service that’s fun, informative, original and professional. I want my clients to feel like they aren’t getting a regular interview, but more so a biopic. I want my clients to feel motivated and inspired to keep pursuing their craft after each session.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
One semester in college my grades dropped resulting in me having to leave the university I attended and go to a community college. I absolutely hated everything about it but I was determined to stay motived and to get back into my university. That experience highlighted my ability to remain resilient through any problem that may surface in life. It was a really good lesson of falling off and having to pick yourself up again, what it means to be humble and the importance of not taking people, places and things for granted.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Just be supportive and encouraging. People go through so much in their everyday life all while trying to become an entrepreneur and creative. The process gets hard and discouraging a lot of days so it’s important to keep positive people in your circle. I’m really big on partnerships and collaborative projects. A lot of times we try to network and connect with the people higher up when we should actually be cross connecting and creating ideas with our peers. Everyone at some point had to start from the bottom, even the people in high positions.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @BaddieAmbie_
- Facebook: Amber Strong
- Linkedin: Amber Strong