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

Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

One of my biggest heroes is Ms. Maureen O’Hara. I grew up idolizing her, the beauty, the strength, the talent, and of course the red hair. When the opportunity arose for me to actually work with her, I was completely star struck. Through many conversations with her I learned a great deal of how to navigate a career and be successful and one of the things that really stood out to me was when we were talking about her time on sets. She would say that it was very hard and she always did the work, even long after others had left. She earned every step and stood toe to toe with them all, meeting them eye to eye and how she always made sure she looked elegant while doing it. This resonated with me and has been something always in the back of my mind when I approach any situation.

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?

I am a mother to 7 daughters and one of the biggest things that drives me is to show them that they are not limited and can achieve their goals through hard work and determination.

I had grown up in the spotlight, doing commercials, modeling, beauty pageants, theater productions, many years of dance both private studio and professionally before choosing my career path. I had attended BSU for a degree that did not suit me so after a direction change, I decided on attending Cosmetology School. I graduated from New Images Academy in 2003 and began my career. I had a lot of success before personal tragedy struck our family with the loss of our daughter Emma. I stepped away for 4 years before returning to the industry in 2011 and have not stopped since.

I have had the privilege to work in the widest array possible of things to challenge my skills as an artist such as Films, operas, ballets, weddings, runway shows, photoshoots, and haunts to name a few. I have taken the opportunity many times to educate myself with everything I can, to constantly be learning new techniques and honing my craft. This has also led to the chance to share my knowledge with others, giving perspective and mentoring. I have utilized my skills as a leader, educator, and organizer to develop many projects on the production side as well. You will find my name proudly attached to many different departments on projects.

And while there is a vast amount of things that I am capable of achieving independently, the most important lesson is to always be a team player. The cohesion of the whole will always lead to the success of the goal.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

What I had to unlearn was not taught as a malicious lesson, but rather a way of thinking that had to be rewired. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have, you can always be taught something new to make yourself better. Too many times the attitude is that if you have years of practice that you are superior and this is far from the truth. You should be constantly learning and growing, honing your techniques to make things more efficient. I have worked along side individuals that were only a few months in the field that knew a different approach I would have never imagined that was better and asked to learn from them. There is always going to be something new so you must be open to the notion that you do not know everything and allow yourself to be moldable.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There are several instances I can think of but one that is close to my heart was on a particular set where I was the lone hair and make up artist with no crew to assist. It was a very large undertaking as the cast was extensive and it was physically and mentally exhausting as we shot over the scheduled days. At one point, an artist that had been hired to provide an SFX look was no longer available and I had to step up to create a look to which I had no plan. This character was a pivotal one for the film and the weight was palpable to achieve a memorable appearance on top of the already heavy work load I was carrying for the production. After a mental reset, I utilized every skill I had in my arsenal and was able to accomplish the final result that the production was proud of!!     

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/amandabenhamwoods?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.woods.96558?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
David Darbin