Amanda’s Extravaganza: The Next Stanza
By: Jacob DiCello
For those fortunate to watch Amanda Mote steal the show on Episode 2 of Tobosa PodCast of Characters, you know what Amanda’s Extravaganza is all about. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend you watch it now!
Amanda’s array of artwork is extremely impressive, as you’ll see throughout this blog, and her knowledge of the history and details of art is formidable. No doubt, Amanda’s mom Sharon Metcalf, who was on the podcast and a fantastic artist herself, impressed the value of art from a young age. Amanda is a prudent student of the art world.
We began the podcast by promoting Amanda’s art pieces, but as I look back, I realized that what was subsequently promoted was Amanda’s poise and confidence in the hot seat.
For fun and entertainment, one of my guilty pleasures in life is to rattle the cage of my friends on the podcast (especially new guests). As those of you who know Amanda may have guessed, Amanda was unflappable. When I would razz Amanda, she would laugh it off. When I would throw a curveball question out at her, she would smile, chuckle and knock it out of the park. As a matter of fact, Amanda’s grace under fire threw me off my game that day. I wasn’t expecting a new guest not to have any weaknesses. When I couldn’t disturb her composure, I became unsure of what I was doing; she turned the tables on me! Do not worry though, Amanda will be a guest again at some point, and I will get another shot at it. LOL!
Amanda’s poise made me think more and more about that quality in her. As I come to know Amanda, I have connected her podcast performance and everyday personality. Amanda is always comfortable in her own skin and never takes herself too seriously. She seems to have this ability not to allow the little things to bother her. Amanda does not permit the fear of what others think to hinder her beliefs of what she can accomplish.
Amanda is real.
She does not try to put on a front for other people. Case in point, as I pre-interviewed Amanda for the podcast, I asked what environment puts her in a creative mood. She said that she does her art in her room. For promotion purposes, I tried to steer her to produce a more traditional setting conducive to creativity. You know, like being by the lake under the stars. Amanda replied very matter-of-factly, “I do my best artwork in my room.”
So was Amanda’s poise in the podcast hot seat an accident? Did she prepare herself so well that she was destined to do great? Could it be that she has been on a hot seat before in other venues? Or maybe it is a combination of all of those things? As I mulled it over in my head, I concluded that Amanda is just Amanda all the time. She stays true to herself; while most of us would feel pressure in a similar situation, she doesn’t have to. For Amanda, being on the podcast was just another day at the office, so to speak. I asked her how she remained so composed; she said, “I didn’t even know I was composed.”
Stay tuned, and don’t miss the opportunity to snatch up an original masterpiece by Amanda Mote!
One Response
Amanda is a wonderful person whom I love dearly! I learned so much about her through reading this article! Thank you Jacob for capturing Amanda as she truly is viewed by others and herself.