Conversations with the Inspiring Amanda Lacey

Amanda, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a passion for the arts. Even when I was younger, I swore I’d be an artist because of all the different art projects I enjoyed creating. Growing up, I danced competitively, played the violin, sang for choir, and I still wish I had continued with musical theater! I always considered those activities as hobbies though, rather than taking them seriously as I grew older. Up until now, I thought I had my life all figured out. I planned to establish my career in the financial industry, get married and start a family – all before I turn 30. With about six months left until my 30th birthday, I can say that everything is totally the opposite of how I was expecting it to be and I couldn’t be more grateful that those plans didn’t work out. I feel like I got a second chance at following my truest dreams.

During this chapter of my life, I’ve realized how important it is for me to keep feeding my creativity and to find myself an outlet. Makeup was that for me. I had been quietly admiring the beauty gurus on YouTube for so many years (Carli Bybel, Nicole Guerriero, and Desi Perkins to name a few), and I couldn’t escape the idea that I should be doing that too! I would constantly have friends asking me how I did my makeup or asking about my favorite products and where I bought my clothes, I already felt like an “influencer” in my everyday life! It took me a very long time to find the courage to put myself out there though, and after SO MANY failed attempts I finally took the plunge and posted my first makeup video to Instagram on Thanksgiving of 2018. It was then that I started discovering a fire inside of me that I never knew I had… and it was telling me that I was doing something right. I have learned to follow my gut instincts ever since.

Although I haven’t even been active on social media for a full year yet, I have had the best time creating my platform and building an audience (more like friends at this point) who actually share the same interests as I do! I have met so many amazing people and had so many great experiences, I can only imagine what the future holds!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
At the end of the day, I feel like there is always going to be obstacles that get in the way, it’s just up to us to learn how to navigate through them without losing our faith. The main struggle for me at first was balancing my full-time job along with trying to create new content for Instagram on a weekly basis. To be honest, the struggle is still very real! I’m always having to remind myself that it’s not about the quantity of posts that I put out, it’s about the quality and value of them that’s more important. Even with me doing that, I still battled a lot with self-doubt and feelings of insecurity. There were so many times that I deleted a post that I loved, just because I was scared of how others would perceive me. As time has progressed, I’ve slowly and carefully formed a circle of people around me who truly support me and my vision. These are also the people that I look up to. I can count on them to lift me up when I am down, to keep pushing me and to keep me inspired. You’d be amazed at what you can do once you surround yourself with the right people!

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of. What sets you apart from the competition?
I create beauty, fashion, and lifestyle content for Instagram and I just recently launched my YouTube channel! Now that I’ve got a handle on how the whole Instagram world works, I want to focus on experimenting with my videos and growing my channel. Although beauty-related topics are fun, I really wanted a place where I could be free to post whatever I wanted and that’s why I’m so excited for the future of my YouTube! Vlogging has taken a big interest of mine, I’ve done a couple so far and loved it. This experience has already been so rewarding so far, and it makes me proud to be able to inspire others to live their best lives. If there’s one thing I want people to gain from watching me, it’s to stay true to your dreams and to who you are. The rest will fall into place.

Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
My mother will always be the most influential person in my life. Growing up, I’ve seen nothing but her strength, courage, and love for others. She touches people’s lives on a daily basis, she’s my real-life Super Woman! She has shown me what it means to put passion into everything that I do. I feel so lucky to be able to learn from someone with the biggest heart. She has always believed I could be anything I wanted to be and supports me with blind faith. She empowers me. I am the strong woman that I am because of her!