We were lucky to catch up with Ambra Lombardo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ambra, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?
As a model who’s been working with look since 14 yo, I’ve always been misunderstood and misinterpreted. The world assumes that models are just look. Superficial and self absorbed humans with not inner qualities. It might be true in many cases (for models as much as for common and ordinary people).
The reality is that all the models I met in my career have always been the smartest the kindest and the most sweet hearted people. I guess gentleness comes from confidence and self love. And self love (let’s be honest, for a woman, is deeply related to loving yourself in the mirror).
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m an archaeologist and a model.
I’ve been living two parallel paths my whole life.
I started modeling when I was 14.
And I never stopped if not for isolated periods due to studying to earn my degrees.
I’ve worked in TV (the main channels existing in Italy) as a host and a guest.
I travelled around Europe as a presenter, a model and a tv personality.
In the meantime I graduated in Archaeology, conservation of cultural heritage and Philology.
Writing my third thesis now..
And working to my new project which will be on air soon in my social media.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Migrating to America forced me to reinvent myself.
I was very popular in Italy before moving.
Once stepped in the Us, I was none.
I knew none and I had no connections.
Starting from scratch wasn’t easy.
But American taught me that you can do new things you never thought about. You can become someone else, learn a new job, develop new skills, enter a new market.
In Italy if you don’t have the right connections and acquaintances, you won’t go anywhere. In the US the system is fair and transparent: you apply and you get called for job interviews.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I collected so many ‘no’ and got rejected for so many jobs positions I don’t even remember.
And that’s the beauty of it.
I tried. I had multiple chances to attempt, to prove myself, to experiment.
I did a job interview for the Getty museum, I passed an entrance exam for a PhD program, I tried to become a live-streamer, I applied to model in Vegas, I became academic instructor of Latin and my school got destroyed in the wildfire of LA.
That’s all life and experience.
The rigidity of the Italian system doesn’t give any of these options.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Ambralombardo.official
- Youtube: Something Off Podcast
