Not Just Ladies Who Lunch: Amanda Balestreri

Posted by Amy Kitchen on Feb 3, 2014 in NJLWL

Getting to know some fabulous ladies who work in the arts!

Welcome to the Monday series Not Just Ladies Who Lunch. This will be an ongoing addition to the blog, meant to introduce you to some arts professionals. Their jobs will vary from freelance graphic designers to music composers, auction house specialists to cake decorators. Be sure to check back every Monday for a new profile. If you would like to be featured, please do send me a note! I am opened to suggestions as this piece evolves. Here goes week two:

Meet Amanda!

Amanda graduated from Mount Allison University’s Bachelor of Fine Art programme in 2008 and has been in the roaming around the maritimes ever since! After graduation Amanda bounced around a lot, including sleeping on my pull out couch in Sackville for six months but now she’s settled just outside of Moncton, New Brunswick. She loves riding her bike, doing push ups and gives the best hugs. You can find her via her website, on facebook or on her etsy site. Here’s what she had to say:

In the winter I work on freelance design work and I prepare for upcoming art shows. But in the growing season I work at Nature’s Route Farm in Point de Bute, New Brunswick.

I currently live in Salisbury, NB which is located 20 kms west from Moncton. I live in a tiny house (which looks abandoned from the outside), with my good friend Craig. Our house is full of weird collectables from the area.

1. What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I wanted to actually be a biologist, but was turned off from the path because of my grade 13 biology teacher. He bored me to my bones, so I went to school for art because I didn’t think I had any other skills.

2. What is the best piece of advice you were ever given?

I think the best piece of advice I was given was “life’s a bitch and then you die”. I thought the saying was very clever and quite true. I’ve decided to live within the moment and try to focus on my happiness, realizing that such happiness is my responsibility and life is what I make it…and life is short, so I shouldn’t be afraid to take chances and shouldn’t be afraid to fail.

3. Can you name your biggest success and/or failure in your career so far (what lessons did you learn)?

The biggest success in my career so far was when I was added to the Ottawa City Purchase Program (the city purchased 10 of my pieces for their “vault”). Another achievement has been being taken on by a publishing company here in Moncton (Perce-Neige) to create three book covers for recent, upcoming French translated novels written in the Atlantic region. The biggest lesson I have learned to stay true to myself and create work that reflects who I am, despite success.

4. Name a tool you can’t live without.

A tool I cannot live without are my Gel Xtreme 0.5 gel pen. It’s what I use to begin all my drawings.

5. Do you have a mentor/Who would your dream mentor be?

I do not have a mentor, but my dream mentor would be Egon Schiele if that were possible. I have always been amazed by his drawings (the energy, subject matter, level of skill), and I think it would have been interesting to spend my days with him, bouncing ideas off him and drawing naked girls.