Amanda’s trajectory from studying musical theatre at East Carolina University to establishing herself as a proficient woodworker mirrors her diverse creative passions. Hailing from Raleigh, NC, Amanda embarked on her artistic journey by delving into musical theatre at East Carolina University before venturing to NYC to pursue a career in the performing arts. Eventually finding her niche in the serene mountains of her native state, Amanda, alongside her husband Blake, embraced a Victorian farmhouse lifestyle and inaugurated Cultivate Garden Shop in Frog Level Historic District, Waynesville.
Reflecting on her craft, Amanda articulates, “Crafting home furnishings is a means of embodied expression for me, seamlessly intertwining the physical and spiritual realms while also serving as a study of humanity both past and present. Despite our apparent differences, we share a profound connection with our ancestors, a bond that is often illuminated through the everyday objects and furniture within our homes. I frequently employ design, at times whimsically, to traverse this bridge between bygone eras and the contemporary, reinterpreting traditional American furniture motifs through a modern lens and breathing life into them with materials and techniques that pay homage to the wisdom of antiquity.”
