Meet Trailblazer Amanda Vela-Charbonneau

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Vela-Charbonneau.

Amanda, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I discovered my artistic style in sobriety, as I began my journey of recovery from addiction, I started seeking a power greater than myself that could help me and exploring meditation; I started conversing with my Creator, putting the echos of those conversations, my prayers, and visions on paper with micron pens and creating designs with the intention of transmitting the fruit of those conversations- hope, peace, joy, harmony, serenity, power, strength, refuge, bliss, contentment, gratitude…

At the time, I did not have the awareness of my ambition to make art my career, not consciously anyway. I think I did have the dream of being a professional artist in my heart, buried deep down under the weight of the fear of failure, the feeling of not being good enough, and the crippling anxiety I struggled with. But God knew the dreams I had even before I did. And as I grew closer to Him, slowly, my insecurities drifted away. He began to replace my fear with faith, and give me courage. I began to put myself out there and present my artwork to the world. I did small art shows on the weekends while I was working full-time.

Eventually, I left that office job with a small bit of capital I had saved and boldly decided to invest it in starting up my art business. It was so much more challenging than I could have imagined, the money I had invested had disappeared long before I ever made a profit, it seemed I was always in debt and trying to catch up. My struggles with anxiety intensified, and because of the years I had spent in active addiction, I did not even know how to communicate or connect with people, let alone have any knowledge of how to run a business, how to market that business, or build a brand. All I knew was that I couldn’t give up.

So, I persevered, with my Creator by my side, I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, I focused on my recovery and learning about business through trial and error, allowing myself to accept my failures as the path to success, just as I had found hardships a path to peace. I chose to focus on gratitude and remembering not to take anything too seriously, that my dreams always come second to showing up for others and being a vessel of God’s love.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No road in life is smooth, but they say smooth waters never made skilled sailors, and that has been my experience. I have had many struggles along the way, mostly in my own mind, feeling discouraged when things are tough or not going my way, battling the voice inside my head that tells me “I can’t do this,” or “I’m not good enough,” or “things aren’t the way they should be.” But today, I recognize that those thoughts are lies. Today, I recognize that God loves me like He loves all of us and that if God loves me, then I am worthy and I am enough, even when I don’t feel like it or when things are difficult. Today, I know that there is a reason for my struggles, and I am grateful for them because I know that there is where I will grow, and that there is where I will gain the experience to help others. My advice to young women starting their journeys is to always remember that you are good enough, that you are powerful, and to connect with a community of women to support you and encourage you, and to remember that your journey is not just your own, you are here to help others around you and build them up as well, so when things are hard, think “this is what I get to overcome so that I can have the privilege of helping someone else overcome it; because of my experience, they will have hope.”

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I think what sets me apart is the intention behind my work, the desire that people would see it and simply be blessed by it, that they would take a piece of the hope, and peace, and joy that I have poured into it, and seal that into their hearts, and that they would carry those with them and that like seeds they would grow in their life.

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
Spotify! Haha, gotta have my jams! I also like to listen to sermon of the week podcasts by bethel and elevation churches while I work. Photoshop and lightroom apps are so helpful, and of course Etsy, Square, and miles trackers. The book The Raggamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning and The Shack by William P Young my favorite, they changed my life. Another really valuable resource for me has just been getting plugged in with a community, connecting with others in my industry, and prioritizing collaboration and partnership. I have found that together we can accomplish so much more than we can alone and that we don’t need to be in constant competition with one another but rather we can come together and produce something extraordinary.

Pricing:

• Special pricing on commissioned art starting at just $500
• Free shipping available on orders through Etsy

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.SpiritPervadesMatter.com
• Phone: 720-879-4185
• Email: spiritpervadesmatter@gmail.com
• Instagram: @AmandaVelaCharbonneau
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SpiritPervadesMatter
• Other: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpiritPervadesMatter

Image Credit:
Andrew Charbonneau

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