We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrew Clark a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Andrew, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
Growing up, I didn’t have anyone close to me that I was able to learn anything too creative from. Everyone in my immediate family were either white collar or blue collar work-minded, and even though I had some creative friends, I didn’t have any friends that took anything creative serious enough to influence me to do anything more. My mother freelanced as a photographer throughout my adolescence, but never pushed me in front of one and never pursued it any further.
After a lot of years spent working in a blue collar industry, I eventually put myself through a 4-year audio production program and began my creative career and formal education I long desired for. Looking back on it, I spent a lot of time just thinking about it and being scared. I suppose I could of went earlier in my life, but I’m grateful for all the experience I’ve accumulated throughout my life. I obtain a combination of skill sets most do not have. If it wasn’t for my long career in customer service and plumbing leading up to, I would have not had some of the essential attributes and the mindset that has helped me in more ways than one going forward in my creative business.
There is always obstacles in the way of anything you set forth to do in life, especially if it’s something challenging. Trying to monetize from creative work is probably one of the more difficult obstacles I had in my life as an artist. I’ve had to go back and forth between 9-5 jobs and creative freelance a lot. But that’s the humbling part about it all. However, this will make it difficult to stay enveloped and continue to grow. It’s a constant struggle of sacrifice and prioritizing your time wisely. The discipline, and utter willt to succeed is what’s required.
Andrew, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I grew up with an appreciation for hard physical work and holding an intimate relationship with the pride that comes along with that. I always had a calling for creative work for as long as I can remember. After spending enough time within the construction industry, I finally made a big a leap of going back to school for a professional degree in a creative field, specifically audio production. I was always inspired heavily by music, Whether it be for film or just listening, I lived my life through it like a movie playing out in my head. But, it wasn;t until i decided to go back to school in 2012-2015 where I found my new community and found myself immersed in a world I longed for to be in. Founded with my girlfriend/partner, I would go on to eventually open up a media production company: Dopamin Media.
At Dopamin Media we provide exclusive media creative services such as photography, videography and professional post audio for creators, directors, models, public figures, celebrities, actors, musicians, and all artists alike. We offer more of a feel good “experience” vs a “service.” Our clients come to us with the need for new content as well as a new experience that offers a more cinematic aesthetic and approach. Teresa and I work directly, one on one with the client to offer a much more exclusive & intimate experience. Our clients get to work with a true “power couple” here in the heart of downtown LA in our creative loft studio space that we offer to everyone that works with us.
Our name is inspired by the neurotransmitter: dopamine It was fitting, as it’s what we provide to people through our creative work. And the spelling derived from the Icelandic origin out of homage to the life-changing experience I encountered through traveling to the country with my brother back in 2018.
In the past 2 years, we have been fortunate enough to continue to work with celebrity clientele, respected studios throughout Los Angeles county, as well as inspiring and influential talent across the board. We started by simply offering free photo shoots to artists in the local community, and hand selecting candidates. We continue to this day to operate with empathy and purpose within our work. Our client becomes our focus, and we remain dedicated to bringing their vision to fruition from the moment we begin working with them. Our background in professional audio paired with our visually creative talents and process enables and ensures an all exclusive production with the utmost transparency throughout to maintain complete creative control to the artist at focus.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
There is no “smooth road” behind self-success of any kind, on any level. The road I’ve been on for the last 10-11 years has been a constant uphill battle, but it’s all intentional. I decided to put myself through a different experience, to do different things, and eventually be a different person–The person I ultimately wanted to be, instead of who at the time I was becoming.
I went to both college and work full-time for four years straight. I didn’t miss once the whole time. I don’t think most could continue both plumbing full-time while cranking out classes and projects surrounding around an entirely different industry. But that’s what you have to do if you want a real CHANGE and win. You have to be willing to do the stuff 99% of the world’s population simply don’t do. It’s too easy and simply boring to just be comfortable all the time.
It was tough as hell, but it embedded skills in me I still use now and plan on using for the rest of my life. I barely would sleep most of the time due to stress of bills and just always working on something. I had to live above my work (plumbing shop) eventually in the last year of college, and for the first two, I walked a solid mile and a half every day I had class there and back to the train station. I did anything I needed to make sure I won those four years. Regardless of being broken and battered all the time, my perspective was flipped, and life was working “for me.” Aside from the technical skill sets learned, my experience over those 4 years gave me something that would increase in value as it aged, and that was a network. Despite all the personal hardships I endured throughout, I built strong relationships and skill sets, and it would go on to be the brick and motor for the foundation of my freelance career.
I’m from the Bay Area, California, and for me, living there was always seen as a permanent thing growing up, It wasn’t until deciding to go back to school to follow a passion as a career did I see relocating as a reality. It became REAL. I knew I would be in LA eventually. It wouldn’t be until two years after I graduated that I would eventually leave for Southern California. I packed up everything and moved by myself with a little U-Haul truck fresh out of a nasty breakup.
I would take on anything I could get my hands on once I was relocated. I constantly would apply to studios as well but kept getting denied due to the fact that most studios just didn’t really need the help that bad at the time. The ones that did paid crap, yet had extremely high expectations of productivity and requirements of experience.
I suffered several nervous breakdowns and anxiety attacks after moving from my hometown. But the last one was the biggest, and I knew that was the end of the line, and I was fed up. I had it while on a plumbing job, and I remember eventually breaking down and crying in my company work van at the supply house getting parts for the job. I was unfulfilled in my purpose and couldn’t bare the purposeless reality I was living any longer. I had to find the mental strength in that moment to not only get that job done but get through the day. It seemed like eternity. I set up a meeting with my boss the next day and gave him my notice. That was in the Fall of 2020. I haven’t gone back to plumbing since.
In order to grow, you must endure pain. It is part of the process. Like most, I’ve gone through horrible breakups, family tragedy, and best friend deaths, sickness, injury–you name it. I went through a lot of it while going through school those four years. Then more after. It made me grow. Forcing myself through difficult situations and intentionally challenging myself has continued to advance me closer to my goals in life, as well as ultimately achieve them one by one.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
My partner and I have been increasingly inspired by a few key individuals that are responsible for shaping, and continue to shape our habits & perspectives on life and business. A few of those key individuals would be: Andy Frisela, Ed Mylett & Bdedros Keuillian. I highly recommend to listen to any one of these men, if not all, and apply the knowledge. They each have incredible podcasts that educate on entrepreneurism, accountability, and just generally how to continue to achieve, and strive for personal greatness and excellence throughout your life, both business and personal.
Contact Info:
- Website: dopaminmedia.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/dopaminmedia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/D%C3%B3pam%C3%ADn-Media/100064595392235/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/d%C3%B3pam%C3%ADn-media/
- Twitter: twitter.com/dopaminmedia
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dopaminmedia
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dopamin-media-los-angeles?osq=dopamin+media