Catching up With Lola Akinmade, Photographer and Author

I’ve run into Lola Akinmade Akerstrom a few times over the years, including once on her home turf in Stockholm. I’m taking the Anglicized route on her name for search purposes, but to be proper it’s Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström. She is a true woman of the world, born in Nigeria, educated in the United States, based in Sweden. She’s a huge success by any measure, as a travel writer, photographer, non-fiction author, and novelist. See the full rundown here.

It had been more than a decade since I first ran an interview here on the Travel Writing 2.0 blog, so it was time to catch up and reconnect, many awards and books later. 

How did you get started in the travel writing world? What first opened the door for you?

Before becoming a fulltime freelancer, I worked as a GIS application developer/System Architect for 12+ years and have a Masters degree in Information Systems so my background is very technical. But I’ve always had a creative side as well. I also was active as a published cartoonist and and an oil painter.

I’ve always been a passionate traveler but it wasn’t until 2002 when I spent three weeks in Fiji with the Eco-challenge expedition race as a volunteer field journalist did I get turned onto travel writing, specifically writing about “place”.

As a field journalist on their web team, my job was to follow the competitors as they navigated remote parts of Fiji, writing up stories about different villages, landscapes, doing interviews, and writing up press releases for the website daily.

In terms of actually taking that budding interest to the next level, I found Matador Network in late 2006/early 2007 where I got to publish my travel stories and photographs online which added another layer of visibility to my work. From there it began to grow.

What would you credit your success and biggest breaks to?

There have been a lot of factors. From following my goals tenaciously and not being afraid to fail to people mentioning my names in rooms I’m not in and being brave enough to evolve out of comfortable spaces. There isn’t one specific route because there are too many people, rejections, and opportunities to count.

But I am a woman of faith and truly believe in God and vibrational energy, and I believe in manifesting your dreams out loud through prayer.

You’ve done a lot since we first talked, from speaking to books to more bylines. What accomplishments are you most proud of over the past few years?

It’s been a wild journey so far but one that makes absolute sense considering my visual storytelling voice. I’m grateful I’ve broken into a whole new audience base through my nonfiction and fiction books. Reaching a much wider audience required taking risks and daring to evolve.

I am also proud of the visual storytelling project ÅFRÖNỌ̀RDÍC which started with the ÅFRÖSWÈ̩DÉ̩ that has been critically acclaimed, exhibited around the world, and shortlisted for the Global Peace Photo Award.

I am still a travel writer and travel photographer contributing to several publications each year, but I no longer share every single article I write to prove it.

What advice would you give to someone near and dear to you who wanted to become a freelance travel writer—assuming they had zero credits to their name?

First, identify why you want to be a travel writer. Is it for press trips/free perks? Is it because it sounds like a glamorous lifestyle? (I personally try not to glamorize travel). Are you truly passionate about it? Because if you’re not passionate about something, whatever it may be, you won’t have the resilience to stick through the tough times.

Don’t quit your day job. I didn’t quit mine until I’d been freelancing for years already on the side. If you’re passionate about something, you’ll do what it takes to keep that passion alive on the side until you feel you’ve got enough traction to pursue it full-time.

Visibility is key. Get your work out there so others have the opportunity to see it. If you’re still journaling offline without any web presence, such as a blog for your travel musings, how are potential editors/partners ever going to discover your talent?

Even if you have zero credits, focus on themes and subject matters you’re naturally interested in. Share your work on social media and create your digital portfolio. Make it easy for the right people to find you. Nowadays, those credits can actually come to you organically without you chasing them down.

You live in an expensive country, Sweden, so let’s talk about money. What are your biggest sources of income these days?

My basket is carrying a lot of eggs. Off the top of my head, I run a creative visual storytelling agency, which covers commercial client work, teaching, and keynote speaking gigs. I get royalties from my books (including some lovely advances when they were sold originally). I still take on photography and travel writing assignments so income still comes in through those routes.

I also got recurring income from film/tv rights bought by a major studio for one of my novels, but the studio ultimately did not greenlight the project four years later.

What are you working on next and what travel plans are on deck?

I currently have a new manuscript with my agent, which I’m incredibly excited about. I have many travels planned including Antarctica with Aurora Expeditions as their guest, and I’m planning my next 2027 trips and retreats through my online academy.

 

Author and travel photographer Lola (Akinmade) Akerstrom has photographed and dispatched from 70+ countries for various publications. In addition to contributing to several books, she is the author of multiple books including Lowell Thomas Award winner for best travel book, Due North, and bestselling LAGOM: Swedish Secret of Living Well, available in 18 foreign language editions. She has been recognized with multiple awards and nominations for her work, including a Pushcart Prize nomination, and was honored with a MIPAD 100 (Most Influential People of African Descent) Award within media and culture.

Top headshot photo © Jessica Wikström, others © Lola Akinmade.