Hey y'all,
At IMI HQ we are in full 'Fest mode' right now, gearing up for IMI Fest 2024 - which is just weeks away! While we work on finishing up crossing a few t's and dotting the i's (and the umlauts), here's what we want to do next.
We have long wanted this newsletter to be a platform to celebrate a diverse collective of exceptional independent creators and their work. We want to offer insight into people's creative process and explore ideas around the current state of the creator industry.
Who am I?
With that said, it only makes sense to start from the very beginning and introduce...well, me.
Hi!
I guess I'm gonna have to interview myself. I hope you'll humor me in the vanity project that is this specific newsletter - all in the name of future content. After all, I've kept pretty quiet about myself up until now...
Creator Spotlight
My name is Andrew Lavers, and I'm a 28-year-old filmmaker from the UK. I live in a small village near the sea in Cornwall in the Southwest of England. It's very quiet. And quaint. The sort of place you might see on an old postcard.
I've had the privilege of working alongside the fine folks at IMI for over a year now and have been writing these very newsletters since May earlier this year.
That's right, these newsletters are written for independent creators by an independent creator. Pretty cool, right?
The village where I live. Our house is 10 paces away from the pub.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got started in creating?
I grew up in an old market town in Cornwall - a county in the very southwestern corner of England, surrounded by sea on 3 of its 4 sides. It feels very isolated and cut off from the rest of the UK—far away from the hustle and bustle of city life. I’ve lived here all my life, and it’s certainly shaped me as a person and the work I do.
In my teens, I got interested in photography and video and would take small cameras on holiday with me to film clips wherever I went. When I got home I’d edit these into awful little montages that only I would really see. I’d make videos of me and my friends playing football. I wasn’t really thinking about it, it was just something I enjoyed doing, and so kept doing it.
I started my own videography business in 2017. I relied on word-of-mouth and friends of friends to find work, where I’d shoot videos for charity events, local churches, terrible little promotional videos for businesses - that kind of thing. I shot and edited my own YouTube videos on the side - and that was the stuff that I really cared about.
I started a twice-weekly newsletter in 2022. I type it on my typewriter and hand-draw little scribbles and things that I then scan onto my computer. I love tangible mediums and enjoy mixing them in with digital work. For every Friday newsletter, I share three recommendations of art that I’ve enjoyed that week. I’m a big advocate for human curation and recommendations over algorithms.
In 2023 I set myself the challenge of sharing one video a week, and so made a series about overcoming creative block on YouTube. One of those videos was about why I enjoy Van Neistat’s videos—which was the catalyst for Stuart & Elaine from IMI reaching out to contact me initially, and I’ve been so grateful to work alongside them ever since.
These days, I do freelance video editing work, write on Substack, write IMI’s newsletters, and make YouTube videos.
How do you find inspiration for your videos?
I try to pay attention. Ideas can come at any time, from anywhere, so you have to be ready. I carry a pocket notebook around with me so I can scribble down an idea immediately.
If you stay tuned in and live a life open and aware of the world around you and create space to continually soak in the work of others, your subconscious helps churn out ideas.
Right now, I'm feeling challenged by the whole idea of primarily making self-focused videos. I'd like to make things that are a little more outward-facing. In fact, that conversation itself would make a good video, right? Let me write that down...
My desk is usually cluttered with a random array of things - just the way I like it.
What’s your most important tool?
Does a notebook count as a tool? I have a terrible memory, so I have to scribble everything down - otherwise, it’s gone.
By carrying it with me wherever I go I’m subconsciously saying to God (or ‘the muse’ or whatever you choose to call it), “I’m listening.”
If I choose not to carry my notebook with me it almost feels like I’m saying that I’m not available. And that’s when ideas dry up.
What motivates you to keep creating?
I can’t not.
It’s just something I started doing, and now I can’t stop.
Show us your YouTube homepage!
It feels really weird to do this. I often joke with my wife that my YouTube algorithm knows me better than she does.
But if I'm gonna be asking other creators to show me theirs, it's only fair that I show mine first...
There's no cheating with this feature by the way. You have to share it as it shows up - no editing. No refreshing. You can tell I haven't edited mine, because I definitely would have hidden that Call of Duty video...
Would you say your YouTube homepage accurately reflects what you watch—or what you want to watch?
Mostly, yes. There are always one or two videos that I'm not that interested in, but most times I look at those first ten videos there are two or three that I will add to my Watch Later playlist. (Currently 2,802 videos - but that's another story...)
Based on the ten videos above it's recommending me the following categories: gaming, tech, music, TV, music analysis, notebooks and reading. So, yeah, that's pretty accurate to the kinds of things I'll watch.
The YouTube homepage is like holding up a mirror to the things that we pay attention to. It's weird having other people see those things. But it's a good way to see if you're on the right track, and paying attention to the right things.
What are your recommendations for things to watch/read/hear?
Being Dead is a great band from Austin, TX. They've just recently released an excellent record called Eels which I'm listening to a lot at the moment.
Just today I came across Felix Hernandez - a scale photographer who makes these incredible miniature landscapes and takes otherworldly photographs of them. They take me back to being a kid and being blown away by model villages. Felix's photos are really wonderful. He also shares behind-the-scenes clips on Instagram, offering a peek into the practicalities involved in creating such stunning images.
I'm a big fan of Austin Kleon and his work. Start by reading Steal Like an Artist then work through his other books. They're great, and faithful companions to the creative life. I owe a lot of my creative output, inspiration, and perseverance to Austin.
Where's the best place for people to find/support you and your work?
My website is a catch-all place for everything I do. You can find links there to my Substack, my YouTube channel, and other bits and pieces there.
Thank you...me...?
And thank you for reading, and allowing me to participate in this painfully self-indulgent exercise.
Seriously though, I think it's important that you know the person behind the words that you read here, and I hope that this has given you an insight into my own motivations for sharing the work of others here.
I'm really grateful for the work of Stuart, Elaine, and all the wonderful people at IMI who give a platform to independent creators like myself and help us to keep making things. It's really exciting to be connected with like-minded people who are also passionate about celebrating and sharing the exceptional work of independent creators.
As I continue to write these newsletters, my hope is that, here, you will find an authentic voice that champions the work of a variety of artists and creators across the internet, and you'll leave with a load of cool recommendations of books, films, podcasts - and creators - to enjoy.
Staff Picks
 Stuart Co-Founder   bonzo starting from zero again is a beautiful thing |  Elaine Co-Founder  Phil Edwards The secret economics of Google Street View |  Kyndal Chief of Staff  Dan Carlin Dan Carlin's Hardcore History 59 The Destroyer of Worlds |
 Dan Head of Partnerships  Vsauce The Science of Awkwardness |  Amanda Media Production  Tales of Mere Existence What My Brain Thinks I'm Doing |  Rob Editor & Producer  Sarah Z The Narcissist Scare |
Until next time 🤠
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