Interview with Andrew from fthelines.com
In this interview series of asking other creatives about their process, Andrew from fthelines.com (I liked him from the get-go with a name like that) kindly let us have a peek into his process of writing, creating comics, YouTube videos, Insta, Medium, and blog posts. Wait till you read about his “creative orbit”!
I first discovered Andrew on Instagram when he was doing his challenge of creating a comic every day for 365 days. With the name “fthelines” I knew I found a kindred creative rebel spirit in Andrew. From coaching creatives, saying creatives are rebels is a fair assumption. We don’t like coloring within the lines, we like to cross them or make up our own...
Andrew introduced me to the “creative ADHD” term, a highly creative thinker with many interests, skills, and ideas, and how he has struggled with brain fog because of it.
I can totally relate to that, as can many of my multi-passionate clients, who have similar challenges with a busy mind, not knowing what to prioritize and how. This is why this interview is so darn inspiring.
A fellow introvert and lover of simplicity, Andrew and I have a lot in common.
If you had to describe an average working day for fthelines, how would that look?
My day starts around 6 or 7 am, so I can wake up with the sun, rather than an alarm. Usually, I lay in bed for a good 15-30 minutes and let my mind stretch. From there, I get up and do a one-page brainstorm of ideas.
Whatever seems the most interesting becomes the topic for the day, and I start sketching ideas for a single-frame comic. After that, I bring the sketch over to Procreate and illustrate it on my iPad.
When that’s done, I write a 250-word blog post, which goes up on Medium, and post a shorter version of it on Instagram with the comic. Then I go for an hour-long walk to soak up some sunshine.
Somewhere between 12-4 pm, I eat my first meal of the day. Everything after lunch is creative playtime, and I’ll work on side projects like writing music, working on my video lighting, improving my processes, and whatever else I have time/energy to do.
After dinner, I’ll add a journal entry to my “Daily Log” database in Notion, along with a few basic stats (creativity, exercise, etc). I switch to warm, low lighting when the sun goes down, then I get into bed around 10 pm and read something boring to put my brain to sleep.
Do you have any rituals, habits, or perhaps a morning routine to help you begin your day?
For most of my life, I’ve been a “grazer”, but this year I stopped eating breakfast, and it totally cleared up my brain fog! What I realized is that digestion steals energy, so I’m a lot more focused if I do my deep creative work first and eat later.
Can you share a little about your creating process for writing a video script, blog, and Insta post, recording, and editing?
I call my process “Creative Orbit” because I have lots of skills, but they all revolve around my main skill: comics. Depending on how much energy I have, I’ll work my way “outwards” from brainstorming to a sketch to illustrating to writing to filmmaking to music.
Because every day is centered around one topic (comic), I can use each element in multiple ways - i.e. the comic becomes the cover image of the blog post, the blog post becomes the Instagram caption, etc. It’s much more efficient than trying to juggle fifty different side projects (been there, done that).
Do you have a creative block that comes up for you again and again?
I used to think a creative block was something I had to “push through” but the older I get, the more I realize resistance is the brain saying “YOU’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!” Instead of trying to get motivated, I make myself pause and rewind through my assumptions. Often, it’s something simple like forcing a lame idea or being sleep-deprived, but chronic creative block is a sign of bigger problems - like nutrition, relationships, or career choice. It’s important to always be evaluating.
“Most of my problems as a creative person seem to derive from doing too much, too fast.”
How do you stay creatively inspired?
A bad writer with an interesting life will beat a good writer with a boring life every time, which is why I focus more on pushing my edges and doing new things than trying to improve my skills.
When I have a fresh experience in my mind (either because it just happened or because it’s relevant to something that just happened), the words and lines flow effortlessly.
How do you look after yourself (mentally, emotionally, and physically)?
Most of my problems as a creative person seem to derive from doing too much, too fast.
For that reason, I often write the word “slow” on my thumb, so that when life begins to whirl out of control, I remember to stop and reflect until my mind begins to settle.
Once I’ve done that, the solution to my problems is always “subtraction” - letting go of people, things, and ideas that don’t resonate with me, so I can have more time, money, and energy for the ones that do.
Can you share some of your boundaries, things you say no to or have said no to that have served you and your business well?
In Anything You Want, Derik Shivers talks about the “HELL YEA” or “NO” rule, and that’s served me better than any other decision-making system I’ve tried.
Whenever I talked myself into doing things I was on the fence about, I always ended up regretting it. Trust your instinct, always.
Last question, Can you share some of your favorite tools (tech or otherwise) that help you stay grounded and authentic on your own path?
Notion, Notion, Notion! It’s like my second brain - I use it to store daily journal entries, archive my comics, plan books, document my processes, organize my to-do’s, tweak my daily routine, and a million other things.
I also love my Kindle Paperwhite (for reading/highlighting) and my Light Phone, which is both an e-ink and helps cut down on eye strain.
Finally, just a pair of simple “barefoot shoes”. They’re only 3 mm thick, which lets me feel the texture of the ground and reconnect with nature after hours of floating around in the metaverse.
I’m still taking in his self-awareness, how he creates efficiently across platforms, and his way of dealing with his multiple skills and subsequent brain fog by subtraction. His “creative orbit” is just brilliant and has given me a new strategy and visual for prioritizing my own work.
Hopefully, you feel as inspired as I do.
I didn’t ask him about his 365-day journey of creating a comic every day, but that is some achievement and must have been an interesting journey. That conversation will be for another time. Have a look at his Instagram feed and you’ll see what I mean.
Thanks, Andrew!
You can find Andrew at the following links!
Website | Instagram | Medium | YouTube
