Meet Andie Naar | Writer, Producer, Actress

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andie Naar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andie, what role has risk played in your life or career?
In hindsight, the moments I was willing to take the biggest risks were the moments that were life-defining. Sounds a bit cliche, but it’s true. I was a young single-mom in Germany, barely finished high school, and certainly felt like I was losing my artistry to the bare struggle of making ends need. I remember this vivid dream where I told myself “You are an artist, Andie.” You wanted so much more” – and when you’re open for this kind of serendipity, suddenly you see opportunity where there was nothing before, and so I created one by taking the risk of moving to the US, accepting a job in NY that I wasn’t even trained for, and simply believing that by giving my best I would be able to create a better life for my young son and myself. It wasn’t easy at all, and very very few people understood or approved. But the struggles paid off and I am so grateful that my passion and love for storytelling stayed with me and motivated me to move mountains (and continents). So yes, I think one should definitely take risks, standing still is not an option. That doesn’t mean it will be easy or it will work out in that moment, but the struggles along the way are the tales we can tell to inspire and uplift others.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My driving force as an artist is the power of healing – a story, a song, a film can bring so much hope and inspiration. The best stories are universal, and people can somehow sense what they need for their own personal growth. I reflected a lot on this, and no matter how different my projects are, it all boils down to a message of “you matter, you can do this, stay, stay for another day. Don’t give up.” Has the journey been easy? Well, absolutely not. It’s been full of adventures, obstacles, hurdles, “no’s”, disappointment, self-doubt, humbling reality checks, and then the occasional “oh wow, this one worked out somehow.” And it’s exactly these moments that bring just enough inspiration to keep on going. I love that nowadays we have all these options to teach ourselves new tools of storytelling. I started with playing in theater, writing poetry and songs when I was about 6 or 7 years old, then added short fiction, and eventually screenplays. My recent short film “See you at Sunrise” tells the story of a young boy who goes on a road trip with his terminally-ill mom. It was the first screenplay I wrote to teach myself formatting. Years later I had long transitioned to writing features, I found the inspiration to produce the short film, I loved this experience so much. It premiered at LA Shorts and we just won the Young Artist Academy Award for leading young actor. I am incredibly grateful for this recognition and the friendships that came along the way. How did I overcome challenges? By simply not giving up. By allowing myself to be human, to feel every feeling that comes up. By reminding myself that perfectionism is humbug, that one can fulfill their wildest dreams at any age. That no one in this world knows what they are doing. It takes away some of the self-doubt that creeps in sometimes. But no matter what, my artist voice is always talking to me and I have so many more stories to tell and movies to make.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Whenever I have a guest from Germany, I am so excited to show them my chosen home. Yes, that includes touristy places like the Hollywood sign, Rodeo Drive, Walk of Fame and the Santa Monica Pier – but after that I make sure to take them for sunset drives along PCH and in the Santa Monica Mountains, I show them the gritty Hollywood they don’t expect, take them to Urth Cafe on Melrose for a little Entourage memory, drive along the Sunset strip to prove that music isn’t dead, take them downtown for a Laker’s game, show them how friendly people in Cali are and make them fall in love with our beautiful city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I will dedicate this to my son, since he is the one who trusted me enough, despite being a young child, to cheer for me going my way and being an artist. He knew I have his back always, and my love for him kept me motivated when nothing seemed to work out and times were dark. And of course, there are those people you meet, sometimes for a brief moment, sometimes for a long friendship, who somehow inspire you to grow. Even those who challenge you, who disapprove. They are great teachers. And then there are the ones who cheer for you, who are real and caring, who check in when you’ve been awfully quiet for some time, to see how you are. They all deserve a shoutout here.

Website: https://www.andienaar.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/porschecalifornia/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andiejnaar/

Other: https://www.growstrongproductions.com