We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda Morton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project has been Parallax, an IP from Hedge Studio. Hedge Studio is a small indie studio that focuses on empowering underrepresented creatives and telling authentic stories. Parallax is the current creative property being worked on at the studio. I love that it’s a woman-centric story that revolves around growth and conquering fears in your life. I met the studio head Jessie Kate Bui when she taught at ArtCenter and it was amazing to learn from her again and help flesh out the amazing, diverse and beautiful world she created!

Amanda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a costume concept artist, costume illustrator and a story and design research assistant for storytellers and designers. I’ve worked at studios such as Hedge Studio and California Costumes. Much of my work is for creatives as I have researched and mentored for character designers, concept artists, visual development artists, directors and even comic artists. Most recently I have worked with writer/director RJ De León Vega on his latest and so far greatest film Pumpkin Guts.

The main thing to know about my work is that I focus on visual narratives that celebrate queer and gender identity. I make it a point to push those diverse narratives and include them in my costume designs and research. While I’ve worked in a variety of genres horror is a particular favorite of mine as it’s such a queer-heavy genre that highlights queer experiences in interesting ways.

Research is important to what I do. By using insights into historical periods, I find themes and details to make believable and engaging stories. This allows me to create unexpected but fitting details in my designs and stories.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Fully support artists and all that they do. Celebrate their skills and creativity, learn how much time and effort it takes for them to actually do their work and pay them what they’re worth. The artisans and other creatives are what make the art you love not machines or executives.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

A resource that’s tied to a lesson really. I’ve had to unlearn workflows and practices. When I was younger I worked too much and not taking the rest I needed. My workflow also didn’t work for me or my craft. I had to create workflows and processes that worked with my strengths and unlearn things that didn’t help me or hindered my creative flow. I had to unlearn that working all the time to be a good artist wasn’t true and that it was important to take breaks and experience things outside of art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amandamorton.art/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woodlandpanda/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-morton-
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theodditieslibrary/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/tomesandoddities