"Life is about trusting your feelings, taking chances, going into the wild, finding space, making changes and moving forward to make even greater change for communities. Through the arts, you can #FEELYOURWAY through your rough patches and develop your hidden passions."

-Amanda Usher, Founder

AMANDA USHER

FOUNDER | HEAD OF FEELS

Creative writer, content creator, 360 event planner and ex actress who studied at Barnard College x Teacher’s College at Columbia University. Her mission is to scale her work at a higher level: so that we can use the arts to help deal with our real feels.

STEVI

PHOTOGRAPHER

Stevi Sesin is a BFA graduate of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. New Jersey born, Argentine bred, and part-time world frolicker, she's one to seek new adventures and inspiration every chance she gets. Even though her focus is fine art photography, she has shot a lot lifestyle for the likes of heymama, Marc Fisher, and Old Navy. #Feelsherway through fine art, photos and clothing

Community + Past Partners

#FEELYOURWAY

Tap into your real feels, create stories and build strong communities

SINCE FEELING IS FIRST IMPACT MISSION:

At age 16, our founder started creative writing after her high school boyfriend committed suicide. She coped with his death by writing poetry (the first poem she ever wrote was called "Puppet Theater"). She later became a writer at Columbia University and a teacher at schools like Stuyvesant and East Hampton. Her mission was to scale her work with kids at a higher level: so that they can use the arts to help them deal with all their REAL #FEELS as adolescents. She put her own creative writing on hold, though she hopes to write a book and a play on her hardships, passions and overall experiences of #FeelingHerWay, growing up in Montauk, surfing, acting and writing.

OUR FOUNDER CREATED SINCE FEELING IS FIRST to remind people that their emotions and senses are to be explored and embraced. Our company's goal is to build a thoughtful community, and to give back to the next generation: to help them deal with big and small issues by creating creative outlets in schools.

SINCE FEELING IS FIRST brings creative writing + artistic workshops like DJ classes by Billboard Dance Founder Matt Medved + art discussions by artists like Cadence Hooks to high need schools. We serve as creative mentors for students and teachers. We also provide much needed notebooks, pens, cameras, etc. to schools.
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SINCE FEELING IS FIRST goal is to encourage kids to WRITE + SHARE their FEELS to #FEELTHEIRWAY through life.