Meet Hope Amico

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hope Amico a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hope, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

When I look at on overview of my artistic path, I realize I continue to to do the things I have done since I was a teen: write stories about my experiences, ask questions, and encourage others. I loved working as a art teacher at summer camps for kids but as I work more and more with adults, I notice that kids don’t need encouragement or permission to make art in the way that many adults think they do. Working with adults through art classes and my monthly postcard project, Keep Writing, I am teaching creative adaptation. Working to let go of perfectionism is a practice in accepting different results than we anticipated, and being open to trying new paths.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Through classes, collage, and the Keep Writing postcard project, I encourage collaboration, communication and interaction.

Since 2008, I have designed, printed, and mailed a postcard every month, often including a prompt for response. What began as a way to stay in touch with penpals while at college, Keep Writing has grown into a paid subscription, and collaboration with folks such at the researchers at La Cuenta, who are tallying the costs of undocumented American living, writers like Lara Buelow, who used a Keep Writing postcard to solicit questions for her recently published book, Mostly Unanswerable Questions.

I also host art meet-ups, lead workshops in creativity, & teach printmaking classes.

My most recent class offerings can be found at hopeamico.com/classes.

I am currently preparing for Collage-O-Rama, a month long celebration of collage in Seattle in May. I printed a special Keep Writing postcard for it, and artists are mailing in their responses to be a part of the show.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Adaptability and consistency are two seemingly opposing skills that have carried me in my artistic path. It is important to me to have a consistent art practice, including a regular routine for creativity. However, my schedule is always shfiting, and it helps to be able to adapt, to stick to the things that are most important about my practice, even as their timing shifts. It helps build flexibility while remaining focused.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I am always looking for collaborators, especially for the Keep Writing project. I love working with social justice minded folks who have a question they want to ask of a wide audience, especially if they appreciate a beautifully printed postcard.
Potential collaborators can email me at [email protected] with their ideas!

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