Meet Amanda Woomer

I used to be a deeply pessimistic person (or, as I called it, a “realist”). But enough bad things have happened in my life to transform me into an optimist. This may not make any sense upon first glance, but once you have experienced enough lows, you come to also realize that they are temporary, impermanent, and that they will end and be followed by highs. The cycle will continue. Knowing this has made me an optimist in life.

While most of my time is spent as an Environmental Peacebuilding practitioner, I am also an artist and photographer. The focus of my work has changed over the years. While I used to shoot a lot of concerts and do some portrait work, I have enjoyed sharing more of the beauty and joy of the outdoors recently in ways that I hope will inspire people to take time to get outside. In my art, I have been asked to do more pet portraits recently, and I have been doing a lot in Procreate. After a busy period at work slows down later this year, I’m also excited to dive back into oil painting and explore aspects of light in landscapes. While I wouldn’t say my art of photography itself is anything unique, what is interesting about it is the intention behind it. I struggle to create sometimes, adding more “stuff” into the world, but my motivation comes from a desire to connect. That might be connecting to different people, and in fact, I’ve made a few good friends on Instagram this way by not just sharing art or photography but sharing the sentiments, feelings, or motivation behind it. It could also be connecting people to the world around them, which I see as more and more important given the amount of time we spend in front of screens. This desire to connect is also part of my day job as an Environmental Peacebuilding practitioner, where I connect environment and climate work with managing conflict and developing social connections.

The three things that have been most impactful in my journey are persistence, openness, and a sense of humor. Persistence is key in the face of challenges, including the ways we challenge and question ourselves. Openness is to our ability to be open to the world and the ways it is trying to change us as well as openness to new ideas, especially about ourselves. It is so important to be open to the messages we are receiving, to reflect on them, and to be willing to go places we never thought we’d go if it feels right. So many times we hear people say, “I’m stuck,” or “I can’t do something differently.” That’s almost never the case, however. What they usually mean is that they can’t be different or live differently while holding onto the same ideas about themselves and their life. Change can happen though if we are open and willing to reconsider everything. And finally, I find that a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at the ridiculous and hard things in life can keep you going and make the journey fun.