Hello, I’m Amelia! I’m an independent journalist based in Portland, Oregon reporting mostly on travel and outdoor recreation. I’ve also been known to write about sheep. I started my career as a reporter and editor at newspapers and magazines, but in 2020, I quit and went out on my own as a full-time freelancer. Working for myself gives me the freedom to design my own schedule and tell the stories I want to tell. Honing Her Craft is where I document self-employed life, share my other creative practices, and interview artists. Thanks for being here!
What is Honing Her Craft?
Honing Her Craft started as an excuse to ask my friends and 30-plus other female artists about their creative businesses when I was first going out on my own in 2020. Then I started writing abut my own creative practice—like generative seasons and cycles, learning through experiences, following my intuition, things capturing my attention, and taking care of mind and body. In 2024, I resurrected interviews, this time to spotlight Portland artists in the STUDIO VISITS series.
Other things to know about me: I occasionally sew my own clothes and I like to build things out of wood. I’m married to a fellow writer named Steve. I’m a proud dog mom to a shepherd-cattle dog-boxer-greyhound named Kona. I used to be a crime/breaking news reporter. I identify as an HSP. I feel the most myself outside.
These are some of Honing Her Craft’s regular columns:
Monthly updates: Recaps of my months with mood boards, recommendations, and my latest published stories (most popular!)
Things I like: Design-centric dispatch with links
Studio visits: Q&As with artists in Portland
Behind the story: Sneak peeks into the process of pitching and writing
Freelance digest (paid only): A weekly journal entry about life as a freelancer
New here? Introduce yourself to the other Honing Her Craft subscribers!
Free subscribers receive occasional public posts. Paid subscribers ($45/year or $5/month) hear from me twice a week.
Here’s everything a paid subscription includes:
Full archive including personal reflections, columns, and offerings
Weekly digests about what I’m dealing with as a freelance journalist
Access to comments and discussion threads
My eternal gratitude for showing up and supporting me
My intention with Honing Her Craft is to create a container for my reflections on showing up in the world as a curious and creative being—sometimes that means as a freelance journalist, sometimes as a person who’s trying to make sense of the world we create for ourselves. However you found me, I’m grateful you’re here.
Instagram | Website | Email: amelia.arvesen@gmail.com
Logo designed by Alyssa Evans
Photo by Lauren Beane
