We recently connected with Amanda Carney and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I think about this question a lot, especially as I get older or when times are tough in the frame shop. I have never held a job that wasn’t involved in the arts in some way. I’ve done freelance work, big and small art retail, teaching and tutoring, all within the art field. I think, if I had to make a change in careers, like if my frame shop couldn’t support itself anymore, whatever I would do next would be in the arts. It’s just natural for me now. Am I happy? Sure! I’m not looking to change anything anytime soon. But working as a creative, like any job, has its ups and downs. A lot of them maybe more personal than if I were to take a ‘regular’ job. I put my heart into my art and my work! They go hand in hand. I consider myself successful if my work is doing well. If people are interested in buying art or having something framed or asking me to help them tutor their child in art, then I feel like I’m doing something right!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Amanda Carney. I run a little custom frame shop in Wheeling, WV. The shop was originally started by my great uncle over a decade and a half ago. His wife, my great aunt, is a painter and she was becoming frustrated with how expensive it was to frame her work. So my great uncle learned to frame for her. He did everything by hand so the cost was just in the raw materials. My great aunt eventually told her artist friends about what he could do and a business was born! A business that I took over when I left college in 2013. I had plenty of framing experience by then and I wanted to stay in West Virginia to help cultivate the arts scene here, rather than go to a city where one was more established. I have been drawing and painting for my entire life, which led me to study illustration in my local college. Once graduated, I took over the framing business and have been keeping it going ever since. Not only do I frame, I use the space as a teaching studio. I’ve taken in older but useable art supplies that are no longer wanted by artists and offer them to people who might want to try a new medium but aren’t sure about making a big investment. When I’m not running the shop I try to sell my personal work in galleries and art shows. I also make smaller prints and more affordable artwork that I sell online. On top of all that I make money by painting murals around town for city projects and personal businesses. I’m practically always busy! And I’m always trying new ways to make art. My favorite medium for personal projects is gouache paint, but I have experience in so much! I think, if I had to talk about what sets me apart from others, it’s that I can’t really settle on just one way to make art happen! I want to be involved in the arts so much that I jump at any opportunity to make something, even if its in a medium I’m not entirely confident with.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’ve taken on three new students recently and all three of them are young girls. In them, I see the exact struggle I recognized in myself that took me WAY too long to overcome. Nothing can be perfect! Like them, I used to have this idea that if I couldn’t do it right the first time then it was a failure, or it wasn’t worth doing. That’s insane to me now! Of course we have to fail and fail and fail in order to succeed. Failure wasn’t something I wanted to think about, let alone try to establish a working relationship with. It took a long time for me to come to terms with the idea that failure wasn’t an end, it’s just another step forward. It’s an important part of learning and growing. I want to encourage everyone to push themselves just a little bit outside of what’s comforting and open themselves up to the idea of not succeeding in the way they might think. It doesn’t make you less of an artist, or a person. If anything, it proves that you’re human, fallible and resilient. My students have told me that sometimes they prefer working in digital mediums because of the ease of “going back after a mistake”. Whereas, in more traditional art making, mistakes can ruin. Lots of people think this way. I used to think this way! But now I try to see mistakes as new opportunities. Instead of trying to take them away, build on them! Let the chaotic nature of the paint, or clay, or whatever you’re creating take over for a little bit! And, if in the end, you still feel unsuccessful, there will always be another opportunity to create again.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Something I hear a lot when I’m displaying my work or tabling at art markets is the word “talent”. Talent, to me, implies a sort of natural predisposition to being an artist. Something that, if you weren’t born to do it, you will never be able to do it. I understand that the phrase “You’re so talented” is really just meant to be a way to compliment, and I don’t take any offense to people who are looking to be kind! But, what I really think they mean to say is “You’re so hard working” or “You’re so dedicated to your craft”. I don’t like the idea that art is something exclusive. In my business I try to offer options for everyone of all skill levels and budgets. Art making is a personal journey, and how much you are willing to put into it reflects exactly what you’ll get out of it. There aren’t any miracle children that are born with the ability to paint a masterpiece, but there may be some with a good attention to detail and a strong sense of patience that allows them to sit, reflect, and observe until they are ready to start the process of creating. Something I also hear a lot in the retail art business is that the materials you use will make you better at art. And that good art requires a heavy monetary investment. In my opinion, while a more expensive set of tools might make the job easier, they still require knowledgeable hands to move them. Successful art can be made anywhere at any time as long as the artist puts in the time and dedication. It’s not in the wallet. It’s not in the blood. It’s in the soul. And a human soul can be inspired to do anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ohmandaz.carbonmade.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohmandaz/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaintByManda
• Other: https://linktr.ee/ohmandaz