5 Minutes With Amey Bell-Booth

How would you describe yourself? A homebody. A girl with a well-loved but poorly trained dog. An artist and collector of art. A devoted aunty. A lover of colour, clothes and flowers. A collector of things and moments. A listener, encourager and advice-giver. A birdwatcher. An expert afghan and scone maker.

 

How do you start your day? I have a very set routine during the week, and it starts early with some exercise. Then I take my dog, Frida, for a walk around the block, and drop her off to my parents' house - they live about ten steps from me - before I head off to work.

 

What hats do you wear? When I first read this question, late at night, I thought it was literal, so my answer was that I only have one hat that I wear when it's sunny outside. The next morning, I read it again and realised it was metaphorical - of course! But I think I'm too straight-forward to have hats. I have one hat for everyone and everywhere. I like to keep things simple.

 

What do you fear? Probably the closest thing to fear that I feel is the intense nervousness, as an artist, of presenting my work, and of people's scrutiny and criticism of it.

 

Who do you look up to? I can't single out any one person. I'm fortunate to know people from such a wide variety of backgrounds, both family and friends, many of whom have had experiences and faced obstacles and adversities that I couldn't even begin to comprehend. Hearing their stories, and in some cases living through experiences with them, I'm in awe of how they have got to where they are in life.

 

Is there a quote that you live by or that resonates with you? There is one in particular by Abraham Heschel that I have stuck to my fridge: "Awe enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine. To sense in small things the beginning of infinite significance. To sense the ultimate in the common and the simple. To feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal."