Being a muralist is risky. From balancing on high-rise scaffolding to navigating busy public spaces, beautifying building facades comes with its own set of liabilities. There’s an art to recognizing potential hazards and putting necessary precautions in place, but unfortunately, accidents are bound to happen. 

On today’s podcast episode, Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with muralist Amandalynn to discuss the artist’s unexpected fall from a scaffold earlier this year. Based in North Carolina, Amandalynn is a conservator and art director whose large-scale murals steep cities in lush botanicals and feminine magic, providing a brief escape from crude, masculine architecture and urban anxiety.

In March 2023, Amandalynn plummeted from the security of her painting scaffold while working on a client’s ceiling. “The first thing I thought when I opened my eyes was, ‘Why is there paint all over [my client’s] books?’” she tells Scott. “I wasn't comprehending why I was looking at books. Then I tried to move and realized that something was really wrong.”

The fall shattered Amandalynn’s ribs and pelvis. After a trip to the ICU, the muralist returned home, supported by friends, patrons, and a “circle of witches” who cared for Amandalynn during her recovery. “It was incredibly humbling to see everyone come together and donate to me,” she says. “People are still trying to give me money!”

Sometimes bad things happen to good artists, but Amandalynn proves there’s light at the end of a dark tunnel. In this episode, she shares the story of her terrible tumble, how it could have been prevented, and the challenges she faced during recovery. Tune into today’s special episode of Art World Horror Stories to hear how Amandalynn turned her trauma into a learning experience. “It has been pretty beautiful in the last year since I started back up again,” she says. “I've enjoyed my work a lot more.”

Key Points From This Episode:

• The story of the fall that took Amandalynn out of commission for six months.
• Ways that this accident could have been prevented (hint: it’s why guardrails exist!)
• Reasons that artists need personal liability insurance or worker’s compensation coverage.
• What the pain was like and why it looked like Amandalynn was covered in tar.
• How Amandalynn’s ambulance ended up in a ditch on the way to the ER.
• Why ending up in ICU was a godsend and how Dr. Axelrod screwed her back together.
• The “circle of witches” that cared for Amandalynn once she returned home.
• Radical acceptance and the importance of learning to ask for help.
• Insight into Amandalynn’s recovery process, which included rigorous physical therapy.
• Lessons that she took from this experience, including the value of slowing down.

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/art-world-horror-stories-amandalynn