Have you applied for an amateur card? That is the first step. Ammy level 1 and 2 refers to the experience of the exhibitor. An exhibitor can be a level 1 amateur for 2 years or until they collect 50 points showing in amateur halter classes, which ever comes later. There are people who show so much and do so well that they only get the 2 years out of level 1, while others show so infrequently that they get several years out of level 1. It's not something you have to worry about though. When you apply for your ammy card, AMHA will do the work and your card will say which level you are in when you receive it.
Though it would be silly to do so, you can choose to bump yourself into level 2. But once you put yourself there, you cannot backtrack to level 1.