We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amy Cooper a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amy, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Life comes with many so many challenges & uncertainties , for me, personally once I realized that I had control over the outcome of how I responded to them I felt a sense of calm. Consistently trying to find the positive in a negative and rising above it builds you up in an immeasurable way. You become resilient to it because you know it has been brought to you for a greater purpose.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
What started as a backyard hobby in July of 2021 quickly turned into a passion for me. In my time off from my career as a Dental Hygienist, I love to spend it outside, on my porch , in my garden soaking in all of the beauty & sounds of nature all while creating fresh food & drink recipes, this is how I came to create “The Perched Porch”.
I have always loved creating and have had a long time urge to start making pottery, so I started thinking about concrete and it’s quick set time. I started small with some simple tea light holders & small pots using containers I had recycled from around the house as molds and after many failed attempts I was determined to make just one piece turn out the way I had visioned it to , and when it did my fascination with concrete began.
Feeling challenged and proud I wanted to make anything I saw out of this beautiful live material. Using unconventional hand made molds for almost all of my pieces I am now creating Lamps, pendant lights, bowls, planters, wind chimes, vases, serve ware and jewelry! Trying to stay within my concept of nature and recycling allows me to create pieces with textures and colors that are each very unique to themselves.
The response I have gotten is overwhelming and I love that others love what I am doing, most importantly , what I am doing for myself and my mind. Creating takes me to a new level of passion and excitement.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Realizing that everyone will not have a positive response to your ideas and/or what you are creating & being able to accept that it is absolutely okay that they don’t.
Art shows & events aren’t always meant for you to “sell out” Being present & meeting new people is more valuable than anything monetary.
Don’t quit! Everything isn’t always going to go as planned. Step back, walk away and come back with a positive mind.
It is ok to take a break! Rest allows your creativity to bloom again!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I love to work with creatives that have the same perspectives as me. Open minded & positive. Being around people that feed your creativity is so important. Using nature in my art is also very important to me. Recycling allows me to keep moving in different directions. Seeing a shape or texture that inspires me to be excited about creating new works.
I’d love for anyone interested to reach out via email [email protected] or through social media @theperchedporch on Instagram & Facebook.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theperchedporch?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theperchedporch?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
Brittany Windham Photography
Amy Cooper
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
