HOPE JOY ALCHEMIST
Make lemons into lemonade.
After the rain comes a rainbow.
The glass is half full.
Blah blah blah.
People are programmed with these inspiring little anecdotes full of happy-go-lucky hopes and apple pie dreams.
And unfortunately, I think we've forgotten the point. Just as "thinking outside the box" has ultimately boxed in the creative mind, all of the phrases we've heard millions of times don't get at the true meaning of hope and change.
For me, it's so beyond those kitchy pieces of culture. It's thrilling to me to embrace the ugliness and make something beautiful. I can't tell you how many times I've picked up some sort of forgotten trash at a thrift store and marvelled at the endless possibilities.
"People actually didn't want this thingamabob? But it‚s the BEST thingamabob EVER!"
Or moved to a city knowing nobody (3 times) and found my most favorite people in the world happened to be living there.
Or got an assignment on my desk for a direct mail piece that nobody wanted and got a spark of electricity that ran up my spine.
"This will be the MOST AWESOMEST direct mail piece EVER!"
It's one of the things about me that I've never wanted to change. My proudest accomplishment, I suppose. It's not something I can hang on my wall or put in a bullet-proof case on my mantle, but it's my magical power.
People are obsessed with what's around the corner and how much better it will be. But it's ok for things to be fantastic amazing beautiful just the way they are. You don't have to add sugar to make lemons good. And rain is one of my favorite things. And the glass IS half empty. But that's good. Because it probably just means you drank the other half.
(Click here to read Amanda's Professional Bio)