We had the good fortune of connecting with Amelia Burns and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amelia, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Art is a risk. When asking people to take their photo, I am always afraid they will say no. Often they do! When I share my art, I am always risking something. I think being an artist, or being a fully self-expressed human, involves risk. For me to create work, I have to risk it being bad. I have to risk when I get up in the morning, that I may do my best and still fall short of what I intend. I think for me to be successful, I need to risk something. The scarier it is, the more important for me to risk facing that fear. The more risks I take, the further I discover who I am and who I can be as an artist. I am always pushing myself. In full disclosure, I don’t feel I take enough risks in my career and work, and I am changing that.   

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

I am excited about my current work. I just released the first issue of my zine, “Natureland” which is available on my website and through Instagram. The zine is work from this past year, which I suppose for all of us has been transformative in some way. For me, it has entailed looking deeply at who I am in the world and how I want to change that for the better. My work speaks to solitude, pain, joy, humor, sadness, the spaces around us, beauty, and the natural world. Most of my current work is the urban landscape of Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, and my hometown, Ithaca, NY. In the last three years, my photos and work have changed. It has become quieter. I like the work I have been producing lately and how it fits together and speaks to the world around me. I try to come at all my work with complete authenticity to my truth. I am kind of an odd duck, silly and fun, with serious and driven undertones. I like to think my work reflects that. My life journey certainly has not been easy, however, my one constant is that I am always creating. I have overcome the challenges in my life by having a strong support system in place and placing my physical, mental, and emotional well being as a priority. I always hope my work allows people to look at the world in a new way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love echo park lake. I would probably start there. It is a beautiful representation of LA as far as humanity goes. Also, you can go for a ride in the paddle boats! Of course, in a pandemic, things are a little different as far as where we can go! LA also has so many beautiful historic housing areas to visit. DTLA, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, and Leimert Park are all destinations for sure.  

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would give credit to my amazingly unconventional family of artists. I grew up with musicians, actors, dancers, and artists of all kinds. I had a really broad range of influence around me from a young age. They have always supported me and my work. I will also give credit to Art of Freelance, an accountability course for all types of creatives! I encourage all artists, full time or otherwise to check them out. They are on IG @artoffreelannce.

Website: www.ameliaburns.com
Instagram: @burnstorm
Twitter: @ameliaburns
Facebook: Amelia Burns

Image Credits
All images ©AmeilaBurns 2020

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