Amanda Aida Savannah Jeng
Born 1998, Sweden.
I grew up in a tough environment where you learned early not to show too much. Being emotional was seen as weakness, so I became guarded. I didn’t trust people easily. I thought being hard would protect me.
For a long time, that mentality felt like strength. But it also left me disconnected. Not open. Not truly happy.
Creativity has always been part of my world. I come from a family of artists and musicians, and even if we don’t talk openly about our emotions, we express them in our own ways. I believe there’s something in that, something inherited.
My grandmother was the one who first put a brush in my hand. I used to paint animals, landscapes, and little buildings for her, and she would proudly hang them in her home. Painting felt so natural to me from the very start.
There was a period when I stopped. Years later, I found myself depressed. The tough facade I had carried for most of my life no longer felt like strength, it felt heavy. I couldn’t find the calm I needed, and I didn’t know how to express what I was feeling.
In 2024, I picked up the brush again. I sat for hours, testing techniques and styles that had inspired me for years. For the first time in a long time, I felt calm. It felt obvious, like I had returned to something that was always part of me.
Today, my work reflects that return. A reminder that you can be strong and honest without becoming hard: and soft without being weak.