Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Tar.
Hi Amber, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I began influencing on Instagram right before the pandemic and I would say I got pretty lucky immediately. Probably within the first few months of blogging, I gained some traction on my account which introduced an entire audience of people to see my account. And within those months I got invited to some really cool events from brands I’ve loved for years! It was such a “pinch me” moment because I was just beginning this journey. Even more, in attendance there were so many of the influencers that I knew of for years, so that was really cool! I also got pretty lucky, I started getting ads really quickly from brands that I loved wearing from REVOLVE to Steve Madden. I have had great experiences from this entire process which has only inspired me to achieve more!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When I started this, it was the busiest I’ve ever been my entire life! I started this during the end of my college years at LMU and right when I began my Masters in Health Administration at USC while doing my residency at UCLA Hospital in the midst of the pandemic so to say I was really busy is an understatement! But I love creating content on Instagram so despite how busy I was, I still maintained it and tried to create as much content.
What probably makes this whole thing different than the standard job would probably be that we are sharing and selling our persona. We aren’t just sharing a character to the world like an actress who plays a certain character in a movie; we are sharing our lives. Now, how much we share about our lives is up to us, but ultimately we are the selling point. I think what a lot of people misinterpret when it comes to social media influencers is how much work it takes. There is so much to just one post. Everyone assumes we get paid a lot for no reason, but there is a very valid reason because of how much work it takes. Firstly, we have to create content that is worthy of sharing. And we aren’t just the models in the photos. We have to have many hats: the lawyer to go through legal documents, the social media strategist for our accounts to grow, the businessman to negotiate deals with brands, the model for the photos, the creative director for how our content is going to look, the photographer (if we are photographing with other influencer friends), the stylist for our outfits, the advertiser for advertising products to our audience, while also being there for our audience by replying to DMs, comments and while also maintaining relationships in the influencer and brand community!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m an influencer on social media, specifically on Instagram & I focus on fashion, beauty, & lifestyle!
I know there are some influencers who like to stay within the category that they are in and solely share that type of content which is great, but I would say how I’m different is that I show whatever I want — I will post fashion of course but you will also see different parts of my life that are not just fashion, beauty, or lifestyle! I will share content that includes my own personal interests that may include moments with my family, my friends, travel, the food I make at home, so I really do share whatever I want! I really want to treat my audience as my friends rather than just individuals I want to influence! I try to post whatever I’m feeling — so some shots may be planned content, some streetstyle photo whereas another photo may be of me casually hanging out at a coffee shop. You might see a photo of me wearing this “over-the-top” evening gown or you’ll see a picture of me casually wearing jeans and sneakers. My overall aesthetic is more vibrant and unique! I try to steer away from being too much in one box! So on my account — you’ll see my new favorite outfit but you’ll also see me randomly attending a wedding, hanging out with one of my friends on a hike or me spending time with my family!
For me, I absolutely love when I get messages from my audience saying they love something I shared with them! That makes me so happy! I also love to see the brands I work with grow. Recently, I went shopping and on the rack were a bunch of different brands that I worked with and I can’t explain how ecstatic I was to see the brands I worked with becoming so popular! It really showed me what type of influence we have on consumers and to know the hard work the brand went through to get there made me so proud. Some of the people behind these brands have been so kind and hardworking, so to have made some impact on their success is such an achievement for me!
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was pretty similar to the way I am now —except I probably was a little more private of a person than I am now. But even now, there are things that I share but also a lot of things that I keep personal and don’t show everyone. But for the most part, I am less private than I once was.
Ever since I was born, my mom would dress me up in the cutest outfits and everyday was a different look. Anyone that knew me from a baby still say I was the most stylish little kid. And so from when I was a kid, I was always very girly, I used to love dressing up and having a new outfit of the day. When I was in school, I used to wear uniform and so there was only so much variety with those clothing pieces but I would say for the years from kindergarten to my graduation from high school, you probably would never see me look the exact same way as the day before even though the uniform was pretty much the same. I always changed something up, if I wore a blazer one day, I would wear a vest the next or change my pair of shoes or wear my hair in a different hairstyle. Something was always changed up & I have always been that way. We used to have these days in the school year where it was called “free dress days” where we could wear normal clothes of our choice and those days would be the days where I would go all out and buy a new outfit! Even when I was in college or at work, my friends, professors and colleagues would say I remind them of Cher from clueless, wearing cute clothes all the time! And I would always get asked where I bought something, so to do this on Instagram is great because now I can easily share the stuff I like!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/amber_tar
