Today we’d like to introduce you to Ami Amore’.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
A natural artist, entertainer, entrepreneur, and creative ADHDer from an early age, I would often do impersonations, create characters, put on shows, make magick potions, and draw for hours with my friends, imaginary, real, and stuffed. My dream as a young child was to be a comedienne, an artist, a fashion designer, an oracle, or a lawyer.
My earliest endeavors included doing celebrity impersonations for family, talking my neighborhood friends into opening a “store” in our yards selling junk our parents mostly didn’t care about or want, holding seances with friends on the long summer days, and hosting art shows in my bedroom where my lucky stuffed animals had the pleasure of seeing my early Snoopy drawings.
In the 2000’s, I worked a day job for an architect and did B&W photography and murals on the side, while taking bellydance lessons, and later, getting my 200 hr required yoga training. I never dreamed that my career would take the many twists and turns it has, but I knew when I started that day job and knew that that would be the last time I worked for some else.
In 2010, when the economy took another hit and my kind boss had to cut everyone’s pay rather than letting someone go, I felt the call and decided it was time to make my break and embark on my next journey as creative entrepreneur, movement enthusiast, quirky artist and later, intuitive healer – and that’s what I have curating in my life and building ever since. Once I made it through that first hard year, I knew that I could do anything I put my mind and heart into.
I lived and worked on Cherokee Street in South St. Louis from 2010 – 2020 as an artist both visual and performing arts. I became (and still am) obsessed with movement and how movement can help heal our bodies and our spirits. I had many art shows and sold well over a dozen of my acrylic paintings. I produced many a show in that time as well, numerous art shows and well over 50 dance shows.
In 2022, I moved back to the area after a temporary move during the pandemic. Being away from home made me realize the most endearing thing about St. Louis is – the people! St. Louis is a close knit community of friends and loyal fans. I don’t know if I could ever really leave for good because they are like family.. St. Louis is an arts city and I’ll die on that soapbox. haha
I mostly retired from dance and performing now to focus more on my visual art, traveling around the country with Oddities and Curiosities expo selling my shirts, jewelry, and art, creating community on my Patreon, energy work, and movement therapy. Soon I will start massage therapy school and incorporate that into my many offerings, as well.
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Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
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Like everything in life, it has had it’s cycles and is consistently in flux.
Even though the economy isn’t the best right now and I am about to embark on, yet a another new venture adventure, I trust in myself that I can make anything happen.
The hardest time I ever had was in 2019, when my fiancée was shot when we got held up outside our apartment. But what I learned and gained from that tragedy, was truly an invaluable life lesson. I traveled to places I never would have gone otherwise, I connected to my community in a way I had not before, and it really put life in perspective for me. And movement, painting, and connecting with my inner wisdom, were what helped me process and thrive from that experience.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am known for my brand, Amorticious and am working on something called The Amorticious Experience.
I started Amorticious in 2008, after a life changing trip to a Buddhist Ranch in New Mexico. I make necklaces, earrings, screen printed shirts, and other witchy accoutrements for body and home out of ethically sourced bones, feathers, artifacts and remnants of nature. All of my pieces encompass my love of nature, the occult, and the macabre. The intention behind each piece is that whomever wears something from my line will feel empowered, supported, and confident.
The Amorticious Experience is what I am calling my in person gatherings that I do a couple times a month via my Patreon. Generally, they include some kind of movement (hiking, yoga or otherwise), nature, community, some witchy-ness, and occasionally they will involve a creative project.
As of September 1st, The Amorticious Experience will spill over into my one on one sessions with private clients as I just acquired a beautiful office and studio space in clayton, so I can start my reiki and intuitive healing practice (and eventually massage therapy) and work on paintings again!
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is creating community and the community I serve, creating relationships, and intention behind each item and experience I create. I’m really partial to people in any kind of transition – life changes, gender changes, menopause, grief. When someone comes to my booth at a show, or t=someone comes to me for my services, or I even see a customer in the wild, I want them to feel and know that a sale is never transactional to me, I genuinely care about people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amiamore.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amorticious
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/amiamore
