About this Event
Turning pain into inspiration in art is a transformative and cathartic process that holds the power to heal and ignite profound creativity. By channeling our personal pain, challenges, and hardships into our artistic expressions, we harness the ability to transcend adversity and create something truly meaningful. Pain becomes a wellspring of inspiration, fueling our artistic endeavors with raw emotions and authenticity. Through the act of transforming pain into art, we not only find solace and catharsis but also invite others to connect with our shared human experiences. It is in this alchemical process of transforming pain into inspiration that art becomes a powerful catalyst for personal growth, empathy, and profound artistic creations that resonate deeply with both the artist and the audience.
24 OCTOBER, 6.30 PM TO 8 PM, 6 NIXON STREET, GREY LYNN, AUCKLAND
Convenor of the night:
Amanda Betts – Mentor, Coach, Inspirational Speaker, Programme Facilitator
Amanda Betts, a resilient phoenix who emerged from the ashes of profound trauma. She is a versatile force—inspirational speaker, mentor, coach, workshop facilitator, writer, brand and visibility coach, entrepreneur, and designer. Amanda's journey is one of turning adversity into empowerment.
A survivor of unimaginable challenges, Amanda's experiences fuel her mission. From high school dropout to model and co-founder of a prominent talent agency, she now speaks on resilience, turning pain into purpose, and transforming trauma into opportunities. Her story resonates with how creativity and purpose saved her.
As a mentor, Amanda's work focuses on challenging cases within Oranga Tamariki, supporting at-risk youth and women transitioning from incarceration. Her entrepreneurial ventures include co-founding Red11 Models and creating HeartSpeak, a transformative platform that combines fashion with storytelling to raise funds, visibility, and awareness for causes.
https://www.amandabetts.com/
Panelists:
Simonne Butler – Author, Intimate Partner & Sexual Violence Educator, Webseries Host, and Holistic Trauma Therapist
Simonne loves helping people restore wellness, inner safety, creativity, and joy, creating tailored pathways of reclamation, empowerment, healing and self discovery. She's passionate about using her experiences and voice to create social change, reduce stigma, and show people experiencing abuse that they aren't alone. Her true crime survivor memoir Double-edged Sword The Simonne Butler Story, was nominated for a Ngaio Marsh Award for best non fiction, and she hosts Breaking Silence, a webseries dedicated to domestic and sexual violence awareness and education, telling stories of life beyond violence, and shining light on survivor lead solutions in Aotearoa.
Valerie Dambaeva – Tattoo Artist
Valerie is an Auckland-based tattoo artist whose heritage is a fusion of Russian and Buryat (Mongolian) roots. A choice made nine years ago to move to New Zealand has transformed the picturesque land into her cherished home.
Her creative path has encompassed diverse roles – from her days as a TV designer to engaging in graphic design. Notably, she found gratification in imparting design wisdom as a college instructor in Auckland. Creativity has always coursed through her veins, transcending the realm of mere vocation to intertwine with her very essence. Life took an unforeseen twist when a car accident inflicted a brain injury, ushering in a year of dedicated rehabilitation. Amid the formidable ordeal, drawing became her sanctuary and wellspring of resilience. This transformative chapter ultimately paved the way for her journey as a tattoo artist.
In her current capacity, she revels in forging close connections with diverse individuals and being privy to their narratives. Facilitating the metamorphosis of personal ideas into poignant tattoos is a profoundly rewarding endeavor. Each day unfolds as an occasion to honor life, embrace the realm of creativity, and share her artistic expressions with a diverse audience.
Nocturness – Performance Artist, Avant-Garde Burlesque
Performance artist Nocturness is unsettlingly sexy with her Avant-garde style of burlesque.
Her ritualistic stage presence and abstract imagery derive from personal experience. Confronting as she may be, her primary motivation is not to disturb or offend you, but to use her flesh vessel as an outlet for her inner psyche.
While Nocturness is well known in Aotearoa for her horror based performance art, she is in fact, multi-faceted! She will wow a crowd with stunning costumes in classy classics perfect for the corporate world. Each of her acts are completely realised and polished down to detail. From gore, to glitz and glamour, she has it all!
With her statuesque height, and ample assets, she’ll have you eating out the palm of her hand.Having a background in theatre, classical ballet, and modern types of dance, Nocturness is no stranger to the stage. Nocturness' professional performance career began as a dancer, and teacher for one of her home town dance studios.
She later played mentor in the art of tease. Her 12-year long carrier in the adult entertainment industry let her discover and explore human behaviour on an unprecedented level.
Nocturness frequently lends her flesh as a canvas for body painters and SPFX artists. She has been turned into an array of creatures, mostly by her talented friend Maxine Skipper.
In 2016 Nocturness founded ‘Nocturne Sanctum’ wherein she directs and produces Avant-Garde performance events.
To see a group of performers and spectators come together to explore their vessel and express themselves, as well as to celebrate, pay homage and make offering to the muses and deities absolutely stirs her soul. She thrives of helping to create a safe space for people to exercise (spelling "mistake" intended!) their demons.
At the very least, she’ll make you think.
Sponsored by Ockham Collective
www.born-to-create.org
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
6 Nixon Street, 6 Nixon Street, Auckland, New Zealand
NZD 15.00