Today we’d like to introduce you to Andie Arbo.
Hi Andie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I moved to Los Angeles from Norfolk, Virginia to be a dancer in music videos. I’ve loved pop music and music videos for as long as I can remember. I grew up in competitive dance, and since I didn’t have any exposure to sets or production growing up, dance seemed like my path to it all. I was very much an artist as a child, but for some reason, I didn’t see a career path in that, so I moved to LA to major in dance. I pretty quickly realized I didn’t have the same passion for dance that my friends had. We’d get home from 10-hour dance days and my roommates would still be excited about what class they wanted to take that night. I’d often stay home painting or sewing or self-submitting to get cast in music videos. I did that for a few years and got more exposure to working on sets and eventually came to realize that dance wasn’t my path and I dropped out of school. It’s now 10 years later, and I’ve slowly found my place in doing all things visual art for singers and pop music. Most of my work now exists through music videos, whether it’s making props, sewing costumes, or building set pieces. I’ve also made a lot of merch, album art, and directed two music videos last year!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The most difficult part of this journey was the time right around dropping out of school and quitting dance. I still knew that I loved music videos and the entertainment industry, but I struggled with feeling like I had just “wasted” years of my life on something that I ended up not wanting to do. I lost touch with a lot of friends as a result of just not being around or in classes anymore. I didn’t know how to explain to family or new people I met what I was doing or striving for. It’s only in recent years that I see the value in my time spent on camera. I got so much set experience in those years, and it’s especially important in directing to fully understand everyone’s roles on a set. I love that I know how to speak to and work with dancers, and nowadays, it all feels very full circle.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in making things (sets, costumes, props, album art) for singers. More specifically, I love working with women in pop music and, ideally, in the realm of silly, surreal, & colorful. Recently, I’ve felt especially connected to the idea of girlhood and how we’re expected to lose our love of cute, girly things as we age. I love set design that makes me giggle or feel somehow connected to the little girl in me.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up as a visual artist all the way, and I always excelled in my art classes. I had a collection of Chuck Taylors that I custom painted, and I’d often wear mismatched pairs of them to school. I once made a dress out of shopping bags and staples that I proudly presented to my elementary school art teacher. I was also always a natural leader, gathering friends from my community theater group or dance classes to make music videos together, perform flash mobs, and participate in trends like the Harlem Shake (lol, what a different time). I also played piano growing up, which I think stemmed from my love of music. There’s no version of me that didn’t end up as an artist in some capacity.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/andiearbo
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh3Xf7hFyjk
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsandiearbo
Image Credits
Jordan Howell
Emma Grosjean
