We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amber Andrews a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Amber, thanks for joining us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?
I’ve always run my business on the side while working other jobs, but during the pandemic is when I decided to go at it full time. The company I was employed at closed their doors and I had no interest in going back to work in an office setting. So I tried to go at it full time, and in the process of doing so I brought in my friend and prior employee, Brooke, to help me do the branding. We were really happy with what we built and she decided to stay on and help freelance while deciding what her own next steps were. As we continued to work together, Brooke got as invested in the work as I did and we decided to approach the work as partners, redesigning our services to incorporate things that she was an expert at. So now we are both full time for the business!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I ended up in post production since I took to Photoshop so quickly and was driven to learn the program on my own. The program I studied in school was mostly focused on the production side of photography and video, and most of my classmates had no interest in doing the post production part. So when we did group projects, I took on the role of retoucher. We even had the opportunity to tour several professional photo studios including Sandbox Studios, Gap and Apple. And the rooms that I was most drawn to were the 60% grey rooms filled with monitors. It took me a while to find ways to use my Photoshop skills to make my own style of art, lots of time working for other companies making their photos look better. Then I started building out photorealistic composites, and that’s when I found my real interest. I love the magic of making something from nothing!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
There is no such thing as work-life balance! It’s a constant juggle and sometimes one is more of a focus than the other. I have a bad habit of working way too many hours in a day, and for a while it was something I felt like I needed to work on. But I’ve come to terms with the fact that I now love my work. So if I want to spend more time on this incredible work, then I should! And I don’t need to feel bad about it.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
That my version of financial freedom exists already. Since I’m doing what I love, it’s less important that I make as much money as I did before. The ability to pick and choose the projects I work on is more important and the flexibility to take time when I want or need without needing permission is the freedom that I was craving.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://andrewsartistry.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrews_artistry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Andrews-Artistry/100089698975028/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/andrews-artistry/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@andrewsartistry
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/andrews-artistry-denver
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewsartistry https://www.amberjeanette.com/
Image Credits
Andrews Artistry