Creative Humans - Andrew Wilkins
Andrew is one of those guys that you can easily hang out with and never have to worry about an awkward, stunted conversation. He likes to chat. About anything. He also likes to eat my food, so we became instant friends. When it comes to his work as a videographer, Andrew is modest. It took me a little while to realise that he shot the official video for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, 'They Were Wrong'. You can imagine my reaction when I found this little piece of information out. Yep, definitely my friend.
What projects are you currently working on?
It feels like ten million, but that's most likely because I have the organizational skills of a ten year-old. Actually, I have to split this answer into two categories: work projects and side projects. It would be cool if these categories could synthesize into a super awesome, mutant category, where low-budget art-house films were box office hits and unicorns could be adopted at your local PetSmart; but at the current time of writing this has not happened. About 85 percent of my projects are so called "work projects," and they take up the bulk of my time. I usually have about three or four of them going on at once, and they usually take about a week to complete. I have one rather large side project that is currently in preproduction. I can't say much yet, but it involves caves.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
That's difficult to answer. Of course, there are plenty of films that have helped to forge my identity as a filmmaker. But, when I think of inspiration, I think of it as, "what inspires me to create." And that sort of inspiration comes about spontaneously--it tends to bop me on the head randomly like a fruit falling out of a tree. I might be driving in my car listening to the radio; I hear something that catches my curiosity and suddenly a little bulb will spark. I will say, that the most consistent place I happen to chance upon inspiration is the internet, particularly, Vimeo which hosts an incredible amount of portfolio work. If I'm ever looking for ideas, that's usually the first place I'll go.
What is a typical day like for you?
I work as a 3D artist at Crop Creative Media, and the bulk of my work can essentially be broken down to designing and creating visual elements that help to support stories in the broadcast and digital medium. It sounds kind of unadventurous when I phrase it like that--especially if your day job is wrestling albino alligators--but the incredible thing about my job is that there is the potential to create anything you can imagine. After work, I'll generally exercise for a few hours, and then I'll head home and work on my side projects until it's way too late and my eyes are tired, at which point I'll flop onto bed and fall asleep.
If you could travel to any part of the world right now, where would you go?
Right now. Patagonia.
What is your favorite meal to cook at home?
For me, the opportunity and cost of cooking a beautiful and tasteful meal does not outweigh the ease of preparing a well-made and delicious sandwich.
What is the most difficult part of working in the TV/Film industry?
Separating my job from my life. You need to have outlets. You need to have a place where you can relax, and leave the burden of your daily problems at the door. It can be an incredibly stressful job sometimes, and I find it necessary to have a meditative outlet.
The best?
The potential to create anything you can imagine. If you have the ability; you are limitless.
What do you love most about Jacksonville?
It’s a day’s drive from the Smoky Mountains, and a day’s drive to the Keys. You get to have the best of both worlds here. The little neighborhoods by the beach, Riverside, the patches of protected forests—people take Jacksonville for granted. It’s a wholesome place.
What are your sweetest daily moments?
At the end of the day we sometimes gather together to watch a final edit. When you work collaboratively on a project with a group of individuals, you'll invest a lot of time and energy into a certain aspect of that project. I love seeing all of the parts come together. It's like finishing a jigsaw puzzle, and seeing the picture for the very first time. There's a unique solidarity for those involved. It's a nice feeling.
