Meet Andrew Snorton

We recently connected with Andrew Snorton and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

One of the thing that helps me is understanding there will be times where I AM the only one in the room.

When this happens, I have to remind myself why I’m there in the first place. In no particular order, my skill sets, work product, and body of work allow and align me to be in spaces and places where at times it truly may be me and my shadow. I also have to understand it’s an opportunity not only for personal growth and learning, but collective growth and learning for the audience in that there’s people across the board with the capacity and where-with-all to simply do more than just being there, but can do so in a highly capable and proficient manner, so if I can, there simply MUST be others who in principle are like me.

It’s having that mindset of “why not me” versus “why me” which helps me. Add a little faith, perspective, and understanding that people known and unknown have fought and advocated for opportunities for me and others to not just be there, but to set the stage for continued growth and access allow me to do what I do and do what I can for something greater than just my personal “shine” or achievement.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

The work I’m doing covers education, press/media, and a published author.

On the education-end via Creative Community Solutions, I student coach/tutor students in-person and virtually (mainly middle and high school), including test prep for the ACT/SAT (including a few schools and community organizations); on the press/media end, I’m credentialed to cover college/pro sports, members of Congress, and I also work with different organizations and events with their engagement strategy (i.e. television, radio, newspapers/magazines, podcasts, and related media platforms).

As an author, I’ve published 4 books and released an audiobook series (5 audiobooks) since 2017. As an extension of my writing, I have a collaborative coffee brand with Fante’s Coffee, the #AuthorASnortonBlend (decaf, light, medium, and a bourbon-infused coffee/roast).

What makes the education services exciting is simply the young people I get to work with; through their hard work and dedication, a number of students end up going to college (4-year or 2-year/junior college) and becoming leaders and positive presences in their respective fields and community. On the media end, it’s about helping identify some amazing story ideas, a number of which are making an impact beyond the playing field or event, so being able to speak with these positive game-changers and share their narratives is truly important and inspiring to my audience (myself included).

As an author, it’s about utilizing different formats (i.e. poetry, interviews, etc.) and topics (from my time covering baseball to think-pieces/journals) to draw connections with readers and the larger community; if one of my books, thoughts, or ideas can connect with someone in a positive manner, it can be a good and creative thing which hopefully drives others to see what creative mark they can leave in the lives of their families and communities.

And as for the coffee, it’s a blessing to work with tremendous people who see something in you that you may not have seen in yourself; if that can happen for me and allow for my holistic growth, think of what it can do for you!

Again, be it the coffee or the books (quote and notes – something’s on the horizon [which is the think-piece/journal], nothing Minor [which focuses on my coverage of minor league baseball and a has a special section on different players and the Negro Southern League Museum], 9 stories of faith: volume 1 [testimonials from people who are overcoming life’s challenges], and Deeper than your deepest sleep: thoughts on love with Joseph Snorton [a poetic retelling of a family conversation on the energy of love]), or other projects in the works (stay tuned – as any author will tell you, there’s something we’re working on), I’m just excited to build on the work I’ve done along with what’s on the horizon.

Actually, there’s my upcoming author’s talk on June 14th at Maracas Bar (Tucker, GA) and I should have some events on June 21st (Hunt for Foundation in Lincoln, IL) along with others, so just stay connected and stay tuned!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge which impact me and my journey including (but are not limited to) strategic management (i.e. time, concrete action-planning, budgeting, and related items), the importance of continuing education (i.e. any workshops, festivals, speaking engagements, and related classes), and just being as balanced as possible (i.e. it’s ok to take time to pause and rest and there’s times you may have to extend yourself, but not all the time). Just being aware of these and knowing they are constant areas of focus and growth truly helps me to get better, let alone committing to getting better each day.

If anything, I’d suggest to people as simple as it sounds, write it out and make things concrete; there’s nothing wrong with thinking creatively and getting caught up in the image, but writing things down makes a difference. It helps you to stay accountable and focused, let alone charting your progress and the adjustments you need to make for you to reach achieve your short, intermediate, and long-term goals.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me is simply speaking life into me.

It does not mean they always agree with me and my approaches, but if they see I’m pursuing things aligned with my holistic growth, they’ll be among those rooting for me and then some. Even looking back at the growth opportunities they provided through community-service programs, sports, school, and the faith community, they provide a foundational approach for things I can seek out and put my own spin on that allows me to evolve along with making positive connections with people.

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