Amanda Manitach is definitely a modern day renaissance woman. Raised in rural Western Kansas and North Texas, Amanda grew up in a very religiously conservative family. The daughter of a pastor, her life was defined by the church. She and her sister were both home schooled and grew up with very deep ties to their faith.
By the age of 13 she had already completed her first mission trip to Thailand and began making trips annually in the summer. By the time she was 18 Amanda has traveled to India, Vietnam, Bolivia, Honduras, Ghana. While she’s grateful for the experience - she’s no longer in agreement with the purpose of those trips.
While growing up so close to the church had its benefits, Amanda was also exposed to other side of the coin. The not so glamorous aspects of church politics, finances and internal conflict. It was a disheartening experience that began to open her eyes to question the infallibility of what she was being taught.
After attending a religious university, located in what she described as the “Belt Buckle” of the Bible Belt and found herself very disillusioned by the end of her sophomore year. The area was filled with mega churches and there was a very intense focus the likening of money and luxury with righteousness - lessons very far removed from what she believed and was taught growing up.
Amanda eventually left the church and made her way to Seattle - what she envisioned to be the land of coffee shops and bands. It exposed her to a completely different world, new groups of people, life lessons and experiences.
After a painful loss of a loved one, she was inspired to start living the life of her dreams. She entered the Seattle art scene and hasn’t looked back. Both a visual artist and the Visual Arts Editor at City Art Magazine, Amanda and I discuss the inspiration around her work (that English Lit degree is definitely being put to use!), her various artistic platforms, how she’s grown into being an advocate for others, how she draws inspiration from her childhood. My highlight of the the conversation was learning about how she users her art to make statements, push boundaries and provide a voice from the voiceless - especially those from the early 19th century!
Some Questions I Ask:
- What is Faith Healing? (3:14)
- During such a transitional time in her life, how did you navigate such a loss? (15:22)
- How did Amanda start making art? (19:14)
- What pieces of Amanda are bought into her art? (36:10)
- What nuggets of knowledge has Amanda gathered along the way? (51:24)
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
- About Amanda’s experience as the Pastor’s kid (7:30)
- Navigating the expectations of her parents (17:17)
- A History of Stigma and Mistreatment of Women, Mental Health and Disease (21:38)
- Our experiences after leaving the church (45:13)
- How Amanda has learned to responsibly use her platform, power and privilege to provide opportunities for others
Host: Jillian J. Foster
Guest: Amanda Manitach
Resources:
- Amanda Manitach - Website
- @amandamanitach - Instagram
- Seattle Winston Watcher
- New York Winston Watcher
- City Arts Magazine
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