Growing up in the desert of Arizona, life was less about modelling and content creation and more about football for Zander Shine. With his football team at school taking home three consecutive state championships, Zander then moved on to become the tight end for the University of Alabama – notching up back-to-back National Championship wins during his time. And football wasn’t the only sport he took a shining to – with Zander also a skilled surfer.

But after graduating from Arizona State in 2017, he decided on a change in focus – moving to Los Angeles and putting 110% of his heart and soul into creating visual works of art based on adventure and travel. Fast forward to 2018, and not only does Zander have a successful Instagram account (with 530K+ followers) – but he’s also working on the launch of daily vlogs on his new YouTube Channel to help push the limits of his creativity and passions.

Below, we chat to the travel adventure influencer on how he got involved in the Instagram life – from early days to future plans…

What would a typical day for you look like?
Always beachside, in swimwear, tanned, surrounded by bowls of fresh fruit and attractive company.

Where are you from? Where are you based now and do you travel often?
I’m originally from Scottsdale, Arizona and am currently based in Los Angeles. You will always find me traveling… for modeling as much as I possibly can – especially when I get an excuse to go home to Arizona!

Did you know you wanted to be a content creator growing up?
Growing up, you wouldn’t have been able to convince me that I would ever be doing this today! Modeling is something that never would’ve crossed my mind. In school I played football for the most part and dedicated a lot of time towards that. I haven’t exactly had a clear path of stepping into photography and content creation traditionally.

What personal goals do you have set for yourself this upcoming year?
Be more creative. It’s easy to get lost in what other people are doing and to forget you’re just as capable at being creative and finding something interesting in everyday life.

What would you say has been the most important lesson you’ve learned in the past year?
That our world is much bigger than imagined. There is so much outside of your usual four walls and having goals to see even just a portion of it is important.

What do you think has been a key factor and has driven you to get to the point where you’re currently at?
That we are more capable than what we think – sometimes we get stuck thinking we’re average or unable to do something. If you want something bad enough, you’re capable of doing it.

Life mantra?
It would have to be ‘do what makes you happiest’! It’s something my Dad has always said to me growing up.

How did you learn to pave your own path and become an influencer?
It isn’t always necessary to follow the traditional path. If you think you’d do better another way – try it, then do what makes you happy and that will ultimately lead you to success.

All images: Zander Shine

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