This Is What it Really Takes to Make it as an Influencer

"'How could you leave that and go and paint and think painting is going to bring you money'?" Asiyami Gold is recalling her parents' reactions when she told them she was quitting nursing school at age 22 to pursue an undefined artistic endeavor. "They didn't understand. It's very foreign."

Following years of hard work and financial uncertainty, the 26-year-old is now a full-time Instagrammer, model, designer, and photographer with more than 160,000 followers. Gold spoke about the biggest misconceptions people have about being an influencer and why she ultimately wants to give back to Nigerian children who — like her — weren't able to nurture creative instincts while young.

Asiyami Gold quit nursing school to pursue her artistic endeavors, but her parents — at first — were not supportive of her dreams.

Asiyami Gold

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

You've been described as a visual storyteller, an artist, a photographer, an artistic creator, and, obviously, an Instagrammer. How would you describe yourself?

I would say that I'm more of a creator or creative.

But at first, you thought you wanted to become a nurse. What made you change your mind?

I had tricked myself into believing that's what I wanted to do with my life. I had a Tumblr, and on Tumblr, you get to reblog beautiful images of people, and I was just fascinated by the fact that people could create such beautiful imagery and I wanted to replicate that. When I got on Instagram [when I was 21] I saw more of it but I didn't see anyone who looked like me. So I began to wonder, "This aesthetically pleasing and beautiful lifestyle I'm drawn to — is it only attainable by people who don't look like me?" So I decided I wanted to give different perspective to women of color. I decided to quit nursing school.

Gold says she and her father, who emphasized education above all else, did not speak from the time she quit nursing school until earlier this year.

Asiyami Gold

What's it like to tell your family, "Uh, hey, I'm quitting nursing school?"

My older brother had always told me to do what I wanted to do instead of trying to please mom and dad. He said they'd figure out how they can fit into [my] life plans. So he was excited. My mother was not.

And your dad?

My dad and I actually didn't speak until this year. I'm from Nigeria, and those with Nigerian backgrounds know that to our parents, education is the most important and most valuable thing you could ever achieve in your life. So when you work that hard and then you have this daughter who wants to now be an artist, to them it's like saying you want to be an astronaut. They don't understand.

What led him to a change of heart after so long?

Last year, his sister died. So when I reached out to him last December, he was a bit more receptive. In [the first e-mail he sent me in years], he was very open. At the end of the day, his sister's death made him realize our relationship was important. He still brings up that he wants me to go back to school, though.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

What did you do after you quit nursing school?

I moved to New York from Georgia. A friend who lived in Harlem told me I could stay with her for the first two weeks. I remember on the way to New York I was reading The Alchemist for like the fifth time and I remember praying and I said, "I just need a sign to know that I'm not making one of the biggest mistakes of my life." I got to New York on a Thursday, and that Friday, at my new job at the Urban Outfitters in Williamsburg, I checked my e-mail, and [there] was a message from Gap. They wanted me to be one of their Atlanta photographers for a children's project.

How'd they find you?

They'd seen my Instagram. I had about 20,000 followers from sharing my adventures and had been on Instagram for two years by then. But at the time, I didn't know this influencer thing was … a thing. From then on, though, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

What difficulties have you encountered?

I honestly don't think I get to book as many jobs as most [white lifestyle influencers do]. I usually ask people, "Hey, how much are they paying you for stuff?" And I've learned a lot of times, when brands come to me, they offer me the lowest amount. My [white] friends [who book similar jobs] tell me, "Oh yeah, I was offered about $5,000-$10,000." But with me, the offer normally comes in around $2,000. So I always have to figure out how I can talk my way up and show people, "Yes I'm actually valuable. And I'm exposing you to a different market, you know?"

Gold says that sometimes companies try to offer her less money than her white counterparts, so she has learned to talk herself up and prove how valuable she can be to certain brands.

Asiyami Gold

How about once you're on set?

One of the most difficult things I face is working with makeup artists [who] don't understand black skin. We're not all Lupita Nyong'o's skin color — there are variations of shade. I end up having to do my makeup myself because I want to look like the me that [the brand] approached to do this campaign, not a different me.

Who else treats you differently on set?

When brands select a person of color, you become the exception. There's no one else in the campaign [who] looks like you. It's a lot of pressure for one person to make sure you don't mess things up for your entire race. Other [white] influencers, they're kind of used to this. The vibe I get from them is, "What is it about you that made them pick you for this campaign?" It makes it weird to have a nice energy on camera.

Young women often reach out to Gold telling her how her career path has inspired them to achieve their dreams.

Asiyami Gold

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

What kind of feedback do you get from followers who feel represented by seeing you on Instagram and in major campaigns?

I get a lot of e-mails and DMs now from young women who say, "Your parents aren't extremely wealthy, you worked hard for everything that you've accomplished thus far. So if I'm able to work hard despite the bigotry and whatever, racism, whatever it may be, I can still achieve something." For me, that's one of the most valuable parts of being on the other side. You get to give people an insight to this lifestyle that you're living.

Why do you think you're getting more feedback in that vein?

YouTube has been an incredible platform for women of color who are makeup artists, but when it comes to lifestyle blogging, there are only a few of us. I see a lot more women [of color] creating the lifestyle they want for themselves [than when I first started] and I'm so happy about that, but there's still only a few of us.

What is the biggest misconception people have about influencers?

You [can] go through a month, two months, three months of not knowing where your daily bread is coming from. Sometimes you have to save that $5,000 you got for the next five months, because you don't know when you're going to make money [again].

The constant uncertainty must take a toll.

I tell people, if you're not 100 percent committed, don't do it. For [years], I ate noodles every single day, and it became my favorite meal. I remember people would invite me out, but I was so ashamed to go out because I had no money to buy food. I get those e-mails, those DMs a lot that are like, "Oh, I really want to just quit what I'm doing right now and pursue my creativity," and I'm as transparent as I could possibly be. I let them know it took me at least three years to get to a point in my life where I feel stable, emotionally and financially.

When Gold travels to places like Indonesia, where this picture was taken, she often snaps lots of photos so she has plenty of content to fill her feed.

Asiyami Gold

How have you made $5,000 work for you over the course of a few months?

If I have $5,000 and I know I'm not going to be making a lot of money in the next three months, I want to travel. I will probably travel to Mexico. There are a lot of beautiful places there that are inexpensive. I would probably stay for, let's say, five days. I would probably stay at an Airbnb. I would go with maybe 20 outfits and take pictures of all those outfits to help me keep up with my content for my account, and I would come back home and make my money work for me. I would pay my rent and my bills. It's important to keep content coming, because you book more jobs.

What's the end game?

As a child, I was always so excited about going back home [to my village in Nigeria] and meeting my cousins who were not as fortunate as we were and spending time with them. I went back home for the first time last year and I got to see these people again, and no one had jobs. They have no way to feed their families. I want to go back and build my own creative academy, maybe 10 years from now or whenever the money comes in. It'll be a place where kids like me, who were gifted at art, a place to learn. I want to grow to the point where I can give and continue giving and not feel bad about how much money I have left in my bank account. I want to be like the black Martha Stewart.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

This interview has been edited and condensed. A previous version of this interview stated Gold first got on Instagram when she was 17. She was 21 at the time.

This Is the Woman Behind Those Mesmerizing Lip Photos You See on Instagram

I Was a Struggling Immigrant Artist. Then Beyoncé Called.

How a Struggling Single Mom Turned Beauty Blogging into a Six-Figure Career

This 64-Year-Old Professor Has More Instagram Followers Than Most Millennials

I Was Bullied for Being "Too Black." Now I'm a Model.

How Instagram Helped Heal Me From My Eating Disorder

There's Someone Very Unexpected Behind One of Instagram's Sexiest Fitness Stars

Fashion Blogger Gabi Gregg: "It's Political for a Fat Woman to Wear a Bikini or a Crop Top."

How This Woman Went From Trailer Park to Instagram Queen

This Is What it's Really Like to Be an Instagram Mom

This Badass Couple Makes a Living Swimming with Sharks and Taking Epic Underwater Photos

We Quit Our Jobs to Eat Around the World and Now Make Six Figures

How Obama's White House Photographer Became an Unlikely Instagram Sensation

How Violetta Komyshan Handles Insta Trolls and Life Dating Ansel Elgort

Source: This Is What it Really Takes to Make it as an Influencer