We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrew Oh a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andrew, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Hell no! I’m more broke now than I’ve ever been. I moved to LA about a year and a half ago, and I’ve burned through almost all of my savings. My main creative venture right now is comics and I’m certainly not doing it for the money (there’s barely any in it).

I think my problem has always been that my creative interests are so varied. I can’t seem to stick to one thing. They say it’s good to diversify, but at the same time, I wonder if I had just focused on, say, filmmaking, if I would be further along a path to earn a living doing creative work. Who’s to say? For every person who “made it” specializing in one field, there’s another who made it by having a hand in multiple mediums. For every person who went viral at a young age and now has their own commercial empire, there’s another who’s honed their craft over decades and found success and recognition later in life. There’s no right way to do it, which is part of the fun and the frustration. I’m beginning to suspect that I might be a late bloomer.

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.

Film was my first love. In college, I wrote and directed several short films and the feature “The Book of Job.” During the COVID lockdowns, I picked up cartooning and started a weekly autobiographical comic series called “Day and Age.” I’ve self-published three books collecting my comics and have tabled at various comic conventions and zine fests across the country. I’ve also had an ongoing interest in making music. I’ve released an EP called “Beacon” and in recent weeks, have recklessly set my heart on making a full album. After that, I may end up joining the U.S. Olympic bobsled team.

My resume is all over the place. I’ve been a sound mixer for film/TV, a QA tester on “Doom Eternal,” a background actor, and one-time hand model. Currently, I am unemployed.

I’ve always struggled with not knowing how to label myself. I don’t think I’ve ever been asked what I do for a living without it causing me to stumble over my words or give umpteen addendums. If you think of something more descriptive than “jack of all trades” and less pretentious than “multi-hyphenate,” please ring me up and let me know.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The unpredictability. It can be a stressful and at times terrifying journey, but when I’m selling my comics in a Salt Lake City middle school gymnasium, or traveling cross country on a 73 hour Amtrak train, or carrying a bowling ball across the set of Young Sheldon as an extra, sometimes I just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.

I’ve also met some pretty amazing people.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The tools to make art have never been more democratized, but there is still a problem with curation. There is just so much content out there. For creators, it can feel insurmountable to get your art to stand out above the noise. For consumers, it can feel overwhelming to keep tabs on everything being released.

I hear people complain about how media is so commercialized and cookie-cutter now, and that art is not as good as it used to be. I sincerely believe that there is just as much exciting and thrilling art being made today as there ever was. While I agree that in the past, there may have been greater overlap between what was considered mainstream and boundary-pushing art, I don’t think there are somehow fewer artists now aspiring to make novel and challenging work. There are so many talented people out there, making stuff you’d probably love. The problem is they’re often hard to find.

This is all to say that I encourage you to actively seek out new art by new artists. Go to a zine fest. Go to an open mic. If you find something that really clicks with you, support it, financially or otherwise. I can’t tell you how much it means for an emerging artist to receive just one DM or email from someone who genuinely connected with their work. Give something a shot. Something weird, something off the beaten path. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.andrew-oh.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dayandagecomic/