{"id":4452,"date":"2023-03-20T03:16:44","date_gmt":"2023-03-19T17:16:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/news\/beneath-the-surface-with-amanda-bennetts\/"},"modified":"2023-07-04T09:29:20","modified_gmt":"2023-07-03T23:29:20","slug":"beneath-the-surface-with-amanda-bennetts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horizon-festival-wp.lndo.site\/news\/beneath-the-surface-with-amanda-bennetts\/","title":{"rendered":"beneath the surface with Amanda bennetts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-highlight-color has-text-color\">The sun has set beneath the horizon \u2014 now we&#8217;re going beneath the surface.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em><em>Beneath The Surface<\/em>&nbsp;<\/em>is a new interview series that explores the less seen (and sometimes buried) side of&nbsp;creativity \u2014 the emotions, the ups and downs, the self-doubt, and, of course, the vulnerabilities.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\/\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s 8.45 and we\u2019ve just arrived in Pomona. We\u2019ve brought Tim Birch along for the ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amanda\u2019s home is tucked away from the quiet country town and we are warmly met by two cattle dogs, Reese and Skittle, at the front gate. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We exchange hugs, hellos, and high fives, and Amanda gives us a tour of the block. The home (a grand old Queenslander) is beautiful and everything you could imagine in a building from this era. There\u2019s a wrap-around porch, a rainforest behind it, and \u2014 what seems to be \u2014 a makeshift hospital room beneath the surface of the deck. It&#8217;s a fitting metaphor for the interview.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And just like that: we get a glimpse into Amanda\u2019s life. It was time to dig a little deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Beneath The Surface with Amanda Bennetts\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LBk01p1gxrc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/7-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3930\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Intro time: who is Amanda Bennetts?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m Amanda Bennets and I\u2019m an artist living in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tell us about your creative practice.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, I\u2019m a video artist, I guess, or an instillation artist. My work is conceptual, so I look at the lived experience or the experience of people with illness and disability. I channel this into my work as I live a chronic illness and disability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How has your work changed over the years? Have you always been doing what you\u2019re doing now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Noooo, I wanted to be a painter so bad. So, I went down this path of doing abstract painting and landscape painting, but um\u2026 yeah, I wasn\u2019t very good at it [laughs]. Plus, I always came back to the conceptual ideas around art-making and what the concept can do to drive your art practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/18-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3931\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Talk to us about the younger years. When did you learn that you wanted to do what you\u2019re doing now? Were you a creative kid?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I guess I was a creative kid. But I wasn\u2019t a great drawer, or anything like that. My dad is an art teacher \u2014 I grew up in the Blue Mountains \u2014 and he went to art school in his thirties, like me. So, I got to spend a lot of time in the nineties going to uni with my dad as a young kid. That was amazing. He would volunteer at galleries, like I used to. So, going to see all these exciting spaces with these amazing people \u2014all these artists \u2014 I just got sucked in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>So, was it your old man that was the driving force behind your creativity?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, absolutely. Because he was studying full-time at the time whilst he was raising us with mum. We were always mucking around with video cameras and Photoshop. All these things were fairly new \u2014 as far as using Photoshop to create art \u2014 so he was really involved in that process with us. His artwork, back then, was so conceptual. One weird thing he did was: he would put paint on his lips and then kiss the male urinal. As a video artist, he was pretty out-there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Yeah wow, so he was pretty red hot. Was your mum creative, too? Or were they polar opposites?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nah not really. Mum\u2019s creative, but, yeah, they are polar opposites. Dad was always dragging us out to the MCA in Sydney, and I have all these vivid memories of all the exhibitions we used to go to. Even from the age of seven, I can remember what artworks were there. It\u2019s such a weird thing. Those experiences are really engrained in my foundations, I guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What did your mum do?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My mum was a cleaner at resorts and then got involved in running them as well. Then she ran a successful wedding venue business in the Blue Mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Your parents dynamic is kind of similar to your own relationship with your partner, isn\u2019t it? On the surface, you guys seem pretty different.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, I think a lot of people are shocked by that. He helps me with lots of my projects. He\u2019s that sensible electrician that I need in my life. He\u2019s always helping me with my work. I did a project for Floating Land \u2014 I mean, I had the idea, but he was the person that brough it to life. We\u2019re a good creative partnership I reckon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/15-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3932\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ok, let\u2019s go back a little. You were a creative kid, your dad had a huge influence on you creatively, and, for some reason, you decided to go down the path of HR. What made you do that?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah\u2026 so different. Well, my stepdad owned businesses and he owned resorts in the Blue Mountains. He also ran this wedding venue with my mum. So, because of this, I was sort of influenced to do something that would make money. At the time, I was living away from the Blue Mountains, so I was out of the art world. Because of this, I chose HR. At the time it interested me. I liked people. I though HR was all about people [laughs]. So, I went to Canberra and studied HR, worked in Bathurst in the Employment Industry, and ended up in Mackay working in the Mining Industry. Um\u2026 yeah it was great but looking back, if I didn\u2019t get sick, would I still be there? Probably not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When you were working in this corporate world, were you still dabbling in your creative practice? Was that keeping you sane? Or did you just park it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I parked it for a while. I was still into photography, so I would do a little bit of that, but for the most part, I parked my creative practice until I got sick. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you\u2019re comfortable to chat about your illness, how old were you when you were diagnosed? And how did it happen? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a way, I was so na\u00efve I guess\u2026 And when I was 22, I definitely thought I was invincible. I never thought illness, especially Multiple Sclerosis, was something that would visit me. I think when you\u2019re younger, you just have no idea \u2014 unless you have had an ill family member. So, I lost vision completely in my right eye for a period of time. And it wasn\u2019t until a colleague said \u201cThis isn\u2019t right. This could mean so many serious things\u201d and I was sort of like \u201cargh, it\u2019s fine, I\u2019m 22, the vision will come back\u201d that I actually looked into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2026and how long did you lose the vision for?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It wasn\u2019t long. It totally blacked out. But, thinking about it, it was probably progressively starting to get worse during the months prior. It gradually got worse, and worse, and then complete went black. And then it came back. It\u2019s called Optic Neuritis \u2014 it\u2019s swelling of the optic nerve at the back of the eye, which blocks the messages from your brain to your eye. So, when it\u2019s swollen, it just cuts off the eyesight. The eyesight comes back, but I have permanently lost some of my night vision. I\u2019ve had Optic Neuritis four or five times now. After that happened, I went through a really long diagnosis process. It was really tedious. Being under medical investigation, trying to figure out what was wrong \u2014 it\u2019s not very clear-cut. I was diagnosed when I was 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/11-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3933\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>An old schoolteacher of mine had MS and it took a while to diagnose him also. It seems like there\u2019s some grey areas around the diagnosis. Was there a period of time where you were almost in denial that it was happening to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, you think you\u2019re going crazy. You think \u201cwell, if they can\u2019t find it, is this all in my head that I\u2019m feeling numb down one side of my body, or losing vision in my eyes, or mumbling my words?\u201d. You definitely go through periods of doubting yourself and that\u2019s really taxing on your mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>So, it was a three-year mental-rollercoaster, trying to diagnose what you were experiencing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, they didn\u2019t find anything initially. So, for the first year, I just got on with things. But my health declined slowly, and it wasn\u2019t until the lesions on my brain finally showed up a couple of years later, that I started getting a few answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>And was that the conclusion that you had been chasing? Was there an element of relief in the diagnosis?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, you know what, I was relieved that it wasn\u2019t all in my head. And that I wasn\u2019t imagining it. And you often hear that from people who have gone through a long medical investigation. But then you must deal with the magnitude of your life changing. And accept that the plans you had for your life \u2014 or the path you saw in front of you \u2014 had now been taken away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/14-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3948\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You\u2019re so grounded and driven, and you seem like you live a more fulfilling life than most people I know. Has MS created the Amanda that you are now? Do you think you would have been this person if you hadn\u2019t been diagnosed?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t think so. And I often think about this. I think I live in the present a lot more now \u2014 obviously, every now and then, anxiety creeps in. But when I got sick, I decided that I shouldn\u2019t be doing something I don\u2019t like; or don\u2019t necessarily enjoy; or is taxing on my body due to stress \u2014 so that\u2019s when I turned back to art and started studying it. But there is this \u2014 and I don\u2019t know how to explain it \u2014 urgency I feel that I <em>have<\/em> to do a lot with the time I have. I wasn\u2019t this driven previously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It must have taken a while to process this.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, to be honest, the only thing I could see for my future was a wheelchair. Which\u2026 now I\u2019m ok with. You know, you can\u2019t live in the future of what might be. And that was part of my recovery. Especially for my mental health. I did mindfulness to bring me back to the present moment. And I think that\u2019s what really gets me through day-to-day \u2014 living with a mindset of \u201chow exciting is it to be here, doing this, right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/16-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3934\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I\u2019d love to hear more about your creative struggles. When you\u2019re struggling with self-doubt or going through a creative block, how do you pull yourself out of it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I love a mind map! It\u2019s so geeky. I mind map all my concepts and I constantly get stuck with ideas. For my graduating work last year, the first video I created was terrible. But the idea was there. And I feel like I go through this with most of my projects. I go through periods of loving the work, and hating the work, and loving the work again. I keep going until I\u2019m happy with it. But, yeah, the self-doubt just eats away at you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Do you stew over your works, or does it get to the point when you just think, <em>enough is enough \u2014 it\u2019s going live.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, I do that. For my graduating work \u2014 which was a two channelled video instillation that was synched \u2014 I finished the project 10 minutes before the judge came through to check it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2026yeah, you won that show, didn\u2019t you? Is that the work your most proud of?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ummm, I\u2019m proud of so many things that I\u2019ve done. Each new thing. Like getting the exhibition at Metro Arts at the end of last year after the grad show \u2014 I\u2019m proud of that. Or each step of the way that got me there \u2014 whether it\u2019s the 40 under 40 exhibition, an exhibition with Odessa, or getting into the Queensland Regional Art Awards. They\u2019re the little things, but they all add up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/8-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3935\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>So, in terms of failure. Have you failed at anything? And, if so, how have you navigated that failure?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, I was <em>really<\/em> bad at painting, like I said. Well, I wasn\u2019t terrible, but there was no passion there. And I think that\u2019s a problem if you don\u2019t have passion for what you\u2019re creating. I have such drive for the work I create now and such a passion for it that, umm, I guess failures are good in a way. They make you reflect. They make you improve. And I definitely make really bad work [laughs].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>And what do you enjoy most about the creative process? Is it the process of creating? Or is it the moment you show your work to the intended person or people?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I get the most joy out of overcoming the challenges. Like this concept for downstairs [Amanda is referring to her work for an upcoming exhibition], I\u2019ve been dwelling on it for months. I struggled with it. But when you see it starting to form and you can see how it might be placed in the gallery setting, that\u2019s what I love doing. I love refining the concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/1-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3936\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/19-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3938\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tell us about the project you have sitting downstairs. [For context, Amanda has a collection of old hospital equipment \u2014 a bed, shower chair, electronic machines, etc.]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, it\u2019s an exhibition called\u2026 omg have I forgotten\u2026 it\u2019s, ah, called <em>You Can\u2019t Always Get What You Want\u2026<\/em> The Rolling Stones song. It\u2019s with a friend and it\u2019s looking at the time things take for someone with a chronic illness and disability. So, the measurement of time \u2014 how long it takes to have a shower, how long it takes to get ready for the day, the time it takes to get to work, the workday, or manage medical appointments, or if you\u2019re feeling fatigued \u2014 is all aimed at able body people, not those that are chronically ill. When you\u2019re chronically ill there\u2019s so much added time, which isn\u2019t there. The work downstairs is called<em> I feel the weight of the minute as I bend my body towards the clock. <\/em>It\u2019s about how I bend my own body towards this time frame that I don\u2019t belong in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Is this the most revealing piece of work you\u2019ve done?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m not sure if it\u2019s more personal. There\u2019s this theory called <em>Crip Time <\/em>and it\u2019s about the time it takes to exist as a person with a disability \u2014 instead of bending the bodies of people with disabilities, we should bend the clock to meet them. I\u2019m using a shower commode, which is a shower chair, in the work and I use one in my everyday life when I\u2019m feeling really fatigued or going through a relapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Is the chair you\u2019re using in the project, the chair you have used in the past?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nah, I picked this one up at the tip in Eumundi. It\u2019s such a good chair, it\u2019s worth heaps. I\u2019ve modified it and put velvet on it \u2014 it looks so luxurious. And that\u2019s another part of the artwork. It\u2019s this idea of capitalism \u2014 this might be a little too <em>art wanky<\/em>, so I\u2019m sorry \u2014 and how the idea of time and productivity isn\u2019t aimed at people with chronic illness. This idea of always having to produce something. And if you\u2019re sick and you\u2019re not producing as much \u2014 where do you exist?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/22-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3937\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When you\u2019re in those really dark places and it feels like everything is going against you, what do you do to pull yourself out of them?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think I just try to keep busy. Because otherwise my mind just races. This last year has definitely been the most challenging, in terms of my health<strong>. <\/strong>It was really tough. But it was also so rewarding. I achieved some really great things. There was <em>Phototropism<\/em> with Warwick Gow, my graduation show, the 40 under 40 exhibition. But when I\u2019m this busy, other areas of my life get impacted. I didn\u2019t see my family as much, I didn\u2019t spend much time with my partner, yeah\u2026 there\u2019s definitely some things that slipped away. I think I\u2019m going to take a slower approach this year. We\u2019ll see, we\u2019ll see, who knows [laughs].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You\u2019re currently living in the hinterland. Are you going to stick around on the coast?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I grew up in the Blue Mountains. Looking back\u2026 it was such a privilege. And then I lived in Forbes. I love the coast and its community. It\u2019s so welcoming. I wasn\u2019t sure what it would be like joining the creativity community on the coast \u2014 but the arts community is incredible. They just welcome you in. Even the towns. Everyone is so friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Is there anything that irritates you about the coast from a creative perspective?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hmm, I don\u2019t think anything bothers me. I think if something bothers you, be part of changing it. There are so many people doing that on the coast, too. If you look at Lantana, IN|ARI, The Shelter, Little Temple Records, the galleries \u2014 they\u2019re really driving that change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Yeah, it really feels like coast has heaps of opportunity right now if you\u2019re willing to try something new.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, I feel like that would be a really good way to get in. Work out what\u2019s bothering you and then work out how to change it and be a part of that change. A girl from Coolum, that I went to uni with, is thinking about moving back to the coast because she feels like there\u2019s more opportunity here. And I\u2019m hearing, in Brisbane, that people are excited about what\u2019s happening on the coast, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Sunshine Coast\u2019s beautiful landscape is obviously fundamental to our DNA. Does place play a role in your life and creative practice? Where do you like to escape to?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, it absolutely plays a big part. For the last four years I\u2019ve lived in Brisbane and the hinterland, going back and forth. The city is always chaotic, so to come back to the coast is really calming for me. I feel like I\u2019ve created a really peaceful home here. It\u2019s kind of like a treehouse in the rainforest. In my downtime, I like to just chill out here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/23-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3939\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I don\u2019t think people realise \u2014 who don\u2019t live on the Sunshine Coast \u2014 how good the lifestyle is.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah\u2026 it feels like it\u2019s just the start of something here. But maybe it\u2019s aways just the start of something. But to be a part of what\u2019s brewing is really exciting. I feel like everyone supports each other\u2019s creative practice here. And builds everyone up. I never feel any competition from people \u2014it\u2019s super collaborative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>So, ultimately, at this stage, what do you want to get out of your life right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s really hard because you just never know\u2026 But look, if I\u2019m still practicing art in 20 years, still creating work, and having people interested in my stuff, then I\u2019ll be happy. I hope that when people think of me, they think that I\u2019m genuine and passionate about my arts practice. And passionate about the arts. I\u2019m obsessed. Maybe too much. It\u2019s all I think about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Are you proud of who you\u2019ve become?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah, I think so. It\u2019s a tough question\u2026 Yeah, I am proud. But I guess I always want more. I\u2019m still in the infancy of my arts career \u2014 I\u2019m still emerging. But when I look back at what I\u2019ve achieved, I think that I\u2019ve achieved quite a bit for an emerging artist. So, I\u2019m happy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/12-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3940\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What\u2019s next?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t know\u2026 doctors orders are to have a quieter year\u2026 But whether I do that, is something else\u2026 I\u2019ve got Project 24 coming up \u2014 I\u2019m going to be a resident there in March. I\u2019ve got an exhibition in Brisbane, too. That\u2019s all I have planned right now. Oh, I\u2019m going to New Zealand Skiing. Can\u2019t wait for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Well, that\u2019s it from us. Thanks so much for offering your time today.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My pleasure. I can\u2019t even remember what I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.horizonfestival.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/5-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3941\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:14px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The sun has set beneath the horizon \u2014 now we&#8217;re going beneath the surface. Beneath The Surface&nbsp;is a new interview series that explores the less seen (and sometimes buried) side of&nbsp;creativity \u2014 the emotions, the ups and downs, the self-doubt, and, of course, the vulnerabilities. \/\/ It\u2019s 8.45 and we\u2019ve just arrived in Pomona. We\u2019ve &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/horizon-festival-wp.lndo.site\/news\/beneath-the-surface-with-amanda-bennetts\/\">More ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/horizon-festival-wp.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4452"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/horizon-festival-wp.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/horizon-festival-wp.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizon-festival-wp.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizon-festival-wp.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4452"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/horizon-festival-wp.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5697,"href":"https:\/\/horizon-festival-wp.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4452\/revisions\/5697"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizon-festival-wp.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/horizon-festival-wp.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizon-festival-wp.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/horizon-festival-wp.lndo.site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}