Meet Amanda Oleander

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

Thanks for sharing your story with us Amanda. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I started creating art at a very young age. At around age 5-6, I was taking private art classes and frequently going to the nearby Children’s Art Museum. I’ve always loved art and it was something I was always drawn to. I ended up moving to North Carolina at age 16. I graduated with a fine arts degree from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.

Shortly after graduating I traveled to Los Angeles for what I thought would be a short 1-week trip. A friend of mine that lives here told me about an internship opportunity on Sunset Blvd at a creative design agency. I hesitated at first because I was just visiting but I went to the interview just for the experience, not expecting to get it. Before the interview was completed, I was asked: “When can you start?” I ended up interning with the design agency for three months.

Then I worked a couple of jobs for about 6-7 months until I was hired as E! Entertainment’s first full-time in house illustrator. I worked there for about a year until I was let go. That was 2015. I have been my own boss ever since working from home. I have been sharing my art on social media with my artistic community of over 1 million followers across all platforms. My work goes through seasons like most artists. Three years ago I was working on an endangered species collection of paintings. Since August of 2017, I have been working on small drawings inspired by every day life. I have created 436 drawings to this day as part of that collection. I am also in the process of turning many of those drawings into big paintings. In addition to drawing and painting, I also speak at conferences on following your passion and cultivating an art business in our era without the help of galleries. My latest talk was a TEDX talk at SDSU and my next talk will be at California State University, San Bernardino.

Has it been a smooth road?
Moving to Los Angeles was bittersweet because I left my whole family behind on the east coast to pursue the opportunity I was given. Moving away from family was the biggest obstacle of all for me. Living in Los Angeles is no joke when it comes to living comfortably on a low-income wage. I’m a hard worker so I juggled three jobs at once for a couple of months before I worked for E!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Amanda Oleander – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I paint and draw what inspires me daily. Then on Monday’s I sell prints of my work for 24 hours on my site. Every week I release new prints and then rerelease old favorites. I am currently also working on a new painting collection and collaborating on a children’s book with hypnotherapist, Grace Smith.

In addition to painting and drawing, I co-host a podcast with my Fiance, Joey Rudman. The Joey and Amanda Podcast. We use the platform to talk about our journey as artists and interview others on their creative process in hopes to entertain, inspire and motivate our audience.

I am proud of the amount of work I am constantly making and I am also so proud of the beautiful, kind community that has stuck by my side throughout these years. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I fell in love with Los Angeles. I have never loved a place as much as I love Los Angeles, not even my home town of Fort Lauderdale which I love very much.

I love the people. I love the restaurants, the views, the beaches, the creative culture. I love that most people that I meet here are following their passion.

What I like the least: how hard it is to find parking.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.amandaoleander.com
• Email: contact@amandaoleander.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandaoleander/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaOleander/
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AmandaOleander/

Image Credit:
The first image of myself with all of the drawings on the floor – Holly Parker.
https://www.holly-parker.com

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.