Meet Amanda Majors

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Majors.

Amanda, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was born in Texas to a very sweet older couple and raised in a typical one-story house in the suburbs.
I was attracted to rebels and to the avant-garde and I naturally longed to know what else was out there. There was an attraction to the taboo, to stories outside of my own realm, and ultimately: I was interested in both how I existed and how the people around me existed. I’ve always loved storytelling.

In my teens, I started having deep crushes on women and I wanted to exist in a place where I could live & explore my sexuality without it being taboo, where I would be nurtured, in short: a place where I could thrive. I had always been fascinated with the history of California, but as someone solidly from southern middle class, it was a difficult jump to be able to financially make it here and because of that, I was between California and Texas for years as I tried to establish a career, a chosen family and as I coped with my own sexual identity.

A huge portion of my work centers around a mental health breakdown I had when I was 20 and for lack of better words: it is about my re-birth, recovery and acceptance of self before and after with fantasies of the future.

We’d love to hear more about your artwork. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I am fascinated by the human experience and I find photography a way to connect. With skills in transcending barriers, a love of the underdog, an appreciation for the counterculture and a flare of creativity, my focus is to bring self-expression and empowerment to my subjects through collaborative, mutually beneficial photo shoots. I love androgyny and I love difficult, deep explorations of relationships and social interactions. In particular, I find alternative sexualities including: BDSM partnerships, ménage à trois scenarios, gay/lesbian/trans/bi/queer relationships/identity and moments of female empowerment captivating. I also think work revolving around alternative lifestyles can be affirming for people within the community that are not used to being represented. I adore the unseen and the unvisited.

There is a deep ode to cinema in my photography. A hybrid of crass Euro Sleaze fantasies mixed with posh philosophical Italian work like that of Fellini and Bertolucci are a deep source of inspiration.
In addition, I strongly believe in the importance of fantasy. Many of my photos are shot at home with collected antiques, latex & old items. My self-portrait series allows me to re-establish a power that isn’t always present in the real world and to have moments of catharsis.

What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
Three things are very important: Endurance, Sustainability & Luck.
In particular, it is important to me and I feel validated/successful when I create photos subjects can be proud of that are mutually beneficial.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
6 portraits out of a series of nearly 35 can be seen in the lobby of the Nuart Theatre. These are portraits I have taken from the talent that has passed through during Q&A’s.

I also have a comprehensive website and I am curating a photo legacy memoir with one of my best friends, Sheree Rose.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amandamajors.com/portfolio-category/portraiture/
• Email: amandamajors@alum.calarts.edu
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandamajorsphoto/

Image Credit:
Subjects: Sheree Rose, Leon Vitali, Marlee, M, Marval A Rex, Panteha & Marval A Rex, Righteous, Self Portrait, Profile Photo of Me Taken By Robin Dunlap

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