Amanda Ewing is a Nashville-based luthier (violin-maker)—and is the first Black female luthier on record. She’s been apprenticing with her teacher since 2018, honing the intricacies of her craft—and there are many of them! On average, it takes about 250 hours and about 56 parts to make a violin. Amanda’s not only keeping a highly-detailed art form alive—she’s also changing the trajectory of a field that’s been strategically exclusive to white males for 500 years.
Throughout this conversation we discuss pursuing joy as a pathway to purpose, making your own space for what you want to do in the world, staying grounded in the midst of what you can’t control, using your platform for representation, existing in a space of allowance, and co-creating with your life.
Amanda holds a powerfully expansive vision for creating more inclusive tables for people who've been historically excluded. We're incredibly energized by her light—and we're thrilled for you to be, too.
Full show notes and a downloadable are available at empoweredhumanacademy.com/47—and you can watch the conversation on YouTube here! And if you want to take an even deeper dive, we've also recorded a subscribers-only bonus episode (available only via Apple Podcasts) where we digest the conversation's themes and swap art recommendations—it's a lot of fun.
Keep the conversation going...
Table Question: How do you feel your soul’s purpose transcends your specific line of work, and how does it feel at home in your current expression?
Journal Prompt: Write about a time when following your joy revealed something to you about your purpose.
Action Step: Make a list of what you’ve been through already—taking stock of how you’ve expanded in the past as an encouragement to keep moving forward into your future.
View the printable worksheet on Google Docs
Further exploration:
Follow Amanda on Instagram: @lovinglyamanda & @lovinglydemeoviolins
Watch I Am Not Your Guru on Netflix
Read the Nashville Scene article
Follow #luthiersofcolor on Instagram
This is a production of Lightward, Inc.
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