Life & Work with Amanda Ward of Other

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Ward.

Hi Amanda, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in southern New Jersey, and when I was in school I always loved anything related to the arts. I was too shy to engage in theater even thought I really wanted to. In my spare time I would always read everything from fiction to autobiographies, even tabloids. I would also consume all types of media such as movies, television and music. I knew I wanted to be creative, but it took a while to find out which way I could express that creativity.

I started to write in middle school. I loved it. I had a blog on Tumblr and even write pieces featured on Yahoo! back in the early 2010’s. The goal was to write for magazines like Cosmopolitan or Glamour. However, at fifteen, I did end up dropping out of high school for personal reasons. I did end up obtaining my GED the same year I was supposed to graduate with my class though. As years passed, I ended up abandoning my creative dreams as everyone around me told me to be “realistic” and do something “safe”. The absolute worst advice I ever took.

When I celebrated my thirtieth birthday, I started to realize exactly what I wanted to do. As time I went on I kept refining what I wanted for my future, and now at thirty-three, I really feel like I have a solid plan. All of that led me to making my Substack and being consistent with it. I am now also an intern for Trill Magazine. All of this re-evaluation also brought me to go back to school, and now with my Associate’s under my belt, I’ve been accepted to Penn State where I am to dual major in Psychology and Digital Journalism and Media. The ultimate goal is getting my PsyD in Psychology, and to have the best portfolio and credentials to write for the magazines I’ve always loved like Cosmopolitan. Maybe one day even a book or two.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road! Since I dropped out of school at such a young age, options for work were limited. This was also at a time where the internet was alive, but remote work and schooling was not normalized. I didn’t even fully know what I wanted. I wanted to write, but about what? Everyone told me it was not something I could make money at.

It took time for me to figure out what my actual passions were, besides pop culture, which is still a driving factor, but wanted more… more knowledge on other topics. My personal life has been a rough road since I was young, and my twenties were harder, I was in a long-term tumultuous relationship where I didn’t focus on the creative aspects I loved, and I should’ve. I also had financial struggles since childhood. My parents were always poor which meant extracurriculars such as singing or dance lessons were out, so was anything to do with aiding in my creativity. As a young adult I was still stuck in that bad financial trap which led me to dead end, soul sucking jobs which made focusing on my passions really hard.

That being said, I swear I had an epiphany at thirty. I ended the toxic relationship, poured all my spare time into researching my future and focusing on my passions. It was as if that’s when my brain fully developed, not at twenty-five like science say.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I currently have my own Substack where I write about life and love. I write in all forms from poetry to fiction to personal essays. I also write Life articles for a Gen-Z online magazine, Trill Mag.

I think I am more known for my fictional writing, what I call my Collections series, where I take from my personal manifestation journals for the most part, but I also write about situations that have happened in my life, but just write that stuff under the guise of fiction.

I am proud of my vulnerability, especially the fictional pieces that talk about a positive love, because it’s literally stuff I have scripted. I love manifestation, and completely believe in it. I also am proud of my personal essays, because I think they’re funny. I have a hard time taking stuff serious, even when I probably should, but I love to laugh at the situations in which life (and myself) has placed me.

What sets me apart is that I don’t have a niche. I write what comes to me whether that is about a great love, a toxic love, psychology laced in love stories or pop culture pieces or even poems. I am a self proclaimed hot mess, party girl who is also a lover girl at heart. I think that shows on my Instagram and Substack, or at least I hope it does. I just hope to find an audience who can appreciate and connect to my vulnerability and messiness in all of its forms.

How do you think about happiness?
What makes me happy is comfort. That means from being in a comfortable environment to lighting my favorite candles with a bottle of prosecco and a good movie. Or consuming any type of art, really. What makes me happy are simple pleasures, but also human connection. I love being around good energy and vibes. I love nights out (or in) with friends and family. I’m currently single, but I love dating because I meet new people and learn about them in fun environments (love a good atmosphere). I love that, it’s the psychology lover in me, I guess.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amandarebecca.substack.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherrygirlwrites
• Other: https://www.amandawardwrites.com/

Image Credits
All photos and screenshots taken by me.