Andrew Voigt is a writer whose work has been featured in various publications such as RELEVANT Magazine, Yahoo! Life, HM Magazine, The Mighty, Fathom Magazine, and Patheos. He currently lives in the Charlotte, NC area with his wife Beth, their son Declan, and their orange cat, Pumpkin. He is also a self-renowned root beer and coffee enthusiast who has a slight addiction to Star Wars.
Originally from the Charlotte area, Andrew grew up dreaming of working in the creative arts. Whether it was making a film on his parent's camcorder or playing in a garage band, he always longed to create, to dream, and to make a positive difference in the world.
In 2006, he relocated to Los Angeles to invest in a career as an actor in the film industry. Despite moments of success, things didn't go as planned. In addition to the struggles as an actor, he was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder called OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) after beginning professional therapy. Despite carrying this disorder throughout much of his life, it was finally a chance for him to "name it", or so-to-speak. Sometimes, a name is essential when trying to face the darkness within us.
On the bright side, a few close friendships were made through his faith community: Mosaic. There were many beautiful moments while pursuing the dreams he longed for since being a child, especially when standing on a film set in a studio.
Unfortunately, an increasing amount of financial debt was also included in the package of living in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. After evaluating his living situation and the lack of a steady income, things came to a screeching halt.
After spending two years in Los Angeles, he returned to his hometown of Charlotte with unmet expectations and broken dreams, desperately wondering if he was a massive failure destined for an empty existence. Upon returning to Charlotte, he moved in with his parents and did what every failed artist does to make money: he got a job at Starbucks.
Over the next several years, life changed in ways he never could imagine. He met his wife at Starbucks, he began his journey of writing, and he revived an evolving spiritual journey with Jesus.
Redemption is possible, even for the most broken of souls.
As a follower of Jesus, he has wrestled with the stigma of mental health in the Church, as well as what it means to find healing in a world that is desperately broken. As we know deep inside our bones, we all need to be reminded that we have hope for a better future beyond the present pain. For Andrew, that involved his faith, a few close friends, professional therapy, medication, and quite a few visits at the movie theater.
In 2012, he was prompted by a close friend to begin writing about his journey - one filled with dreams, anxiety, depression, faith, doubt, hope, and the constant struggle with grace.