Amanda joy Gilbert
Founder, Henna Crowns of Courage NONPROFIT & CEO, Happy Henna LLC
USA
Amanda Joy calls herself a lightworker. Since a young age, she had a heart for people. As a natural empath, she was never afraid to walk up to strangers, be intune with them and make them feel better through touch, words of affirmation and simply holding space. Through her many travels, she found a love of cultures, understanding worldviews, perspectives, and religions. She found that as people, we have two choices in every underlying decision we make in this life; choosing LOVE or choosing FEAR.
“She is a lover a people, being able to see things in people that they don’t see in themselves and help them discover their self worth.” – Whitney Bolens – Mentee
“She is extremely hardworking and talented. She has a huge heart and a positive perspective of life. She fills each room with love. I love the way she can use the power of the universe (God, Energy, Light) to connect with someone while doing henna.” – Paige (employee)
She was first introduced to the sacred art form of henna (Mehndi) while resettling refugees from all over the world. She found this artform to be a powerful tool that broke all cultural boundaries, religious boundaries and brought a transformation of healing. Since 2010, she has grown to master the art of henna, using it as a tool for healing, blessing and love.
This ancient art form creates healing that begins with the mind, with breath and, with choosing love over fear. Henna is more than just symbols on the skin; it is a representation of protection, blessings, self love, and beauty. It is meant to be temporary to remind you the everything in life is temporary. What you are going through now will naturally fade, as does this artwork.
With her 2017 collaborative ArtPrize top 5 2D entry, Amanda Gilbert changed the way people viewed women going through chemotherapy and the harsh realities of living with cancer. More importantly how these women going through cancer view themselves. Her passion for this effort, led her to start the nonprofit “Henna Crowns of Courage.”
This nonprofit is a platform for these women to share their experiences, and in doing so it also brings educational awareness of health, cancer, and the healing power of positive mindset to the community as a whole.
Nonprofit Henna Crowns of Courage adorn women and children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy by applying elaborate, personalized, lavender-infused designs on the crowns of their heads, leaving behind a stain that lasts up to two-three weeks, reminding them of their true beauty and strength. The healing experience we create also combines professional makeup, photography, and videography to help share their stories with the world. By sharing their lives, it not only encourages their fellow women who are being crowned but gives courage to others who are going through the same thing and may not know where to turn. I believe by sharing their stories they could save lives.
WEBSITE: www.HENNACROWNSofCourage.org
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/HennaCrownsofCourage
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.gilbert1