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Andrew Anabi: The Creator of Pool House New York

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

Andrew Anabi, the creator of Pool House New York, was born and spent a significant amount of his life in Los Angeles, California. Due to his father’s employment in Arizona, he spent a brief length of time there. He moved to Arizona when he was two years old, remained there until he was seven, and returned to California. He remained in California until he moved to New York to practice law after graduating from Columbia University Law School.

The Name of Pool House New York

It represents the yin and yang concept. California, where he was born and raised, is represented by the Pool House portion, while a period of his life was spent living in New York. It highlights the contrasts between the cities. While California is vibrant and young, New York is sturdy and aged. Anabi shares, “everything I’ve experienced has always been this yin and yang principle. You cannot have the beautiful things without the bad. You cannot have an appreciation for the sun without the rain or the clouds one day.” 

Anabi’s Journey as a New York Attorney

He was always creative and found interest in making videos throughout high school. He claimed that he never had the courage to pursue anything creative. He went to university to attend medical school, but by his senior year, he had come to the realization that he did not enjoy the practice of medicine. He decided to study and take the LSAT a month before graduation because it was respectable and attending law school sounded intriguing and preferable to studying medicine. He had a strong desire to impress others at this time. Anabi discloses, “I think a lot of people live their lives that way.” 

He had a liking for studying the law and found watching TV law personalities fascinating. He excelled on the LSAT and enjoyed law school when he attended it. “You kind of lean into things that you’re good at and you get confused and think, ‘Oh, I like this because I’m good at it.’ That’s not necessarily always the case.” 

When Anabi started practicing law and saw how different it was from law school, he realized it wasn’t for him. Studying law was enjoyable and theoretical. He wanted to have a greater influence because, as a lawyer, it didn’t feel that meaningful. This eventually led to the commencement of Pool House New York. 

Anabi’s Creation of Pool House New York 

As an already practicing attorney, he tried to join a venture capital law firm and made it to the final rounds of the interview process at some companies at the top of the city. He believed he had a good chance of obtaining the position, but they instead offered it to another candidate. He tried other activities on the side after realizing that if he couldn’t practice venture finance, he didn’t see himself staying a lawyer. For a year, he searched for a way out of the practice of law, which is how Pool House got established. “It was an exploration in the beginning,” Anabi says.

He understood that because he attended law school and had written for a long time, he is good at writing and it is a skill he possesses. Although it has been an extended process, he began Pool House between the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020. It took around three years to pull it all together, and he only fully committed to it this past year.

Process of Pool House New York Content

Before, his content regarded situations he was experiencing at the time. As time passed and the business grew, he concluded that there needed to be more direction. He eventually employed staff while he was narrowing the brand. There is now a focus, and he has decided which subjects he will publicly share and which he will keep to himself and record in his personal writing. One example was dating, which was a popular topic for a while before he decided he wanted to maintain it more privately. He has now changed the focus to include work and creativity. In response to the change of content, Anabi says, “I feel like that embodies the brand a lot more than some of the previous topics.” 

His 2020 novel, Pool House: Selected Poems, was a culmination of his social media posts. He was interested in creating a physical version of his digital creations. “There’s a satisfaction with turning a page. I think there’s something magical about the physical world,” Anabi continues. 

Evolvement of Pool House and Purpose of Content 

When pursuing creativity, one’s content will always develop and evolve. Andrew Anabi discusses how social media is a challenge since users want to see consistency from the creator. He gets quite anxious about making changes because of the vocal yet small minority that dislikes the change in content. He believes that one can change directions, but the hardest part is having the courage to attempt something new when the initial enthusiasm has faded. However, he considers that our intuitions are so much smarter than we could anticipate. 

Anabi states, “maybe you’re procrastinating, maybe you don’t have any passion for this, because there’s something else you are supposed to be doing.” He continues by saying that this mindset facilitated the change of the Pool House content.  

Everything Anabi writes about is always about a personal experience. It provides a behind-the-scenes look at his life and brand. He says, “I think that’s such an intimate thing. It’s one of the most valuable things that I can share. It’s about what insight can you provide someone so hopefully they don’t make the same mistakes as you.” 

He continued with writing since it was natural and he had words he hoped to share.

Pool House New York Clothing Line 

He was always extremely drawn to clothing as a child. He loved clothes primarily because he was self-conscious. He sought to combine his interests with his skills and had to learn how to link his interests and creativity. The creation and launch of the apparel line took time. He had to communicate with a different person at each stage of the procedure, from the ideas to the cutting, stitching, and packaging. Ultimately, he also had to learn how to present the clothing on the internet. Anabi shares that “the gradual process has forced me to get good at talking in so many different mediums.” 

As the conversation ends, he makes light of how drawn out the process of launching the apparel line is by saying, “naivete is one of the most beautiful gifts that can ever be given. You need to think things are easier than they are in the beginning or otherwise, it’ll stop you from starting.” 

If you want to follow Andrew Anabi’s journey and content, follow Pool House New York on Instagram! 

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Natalie Willis is from Miami, FL and is studying Editing, Writing, and Media with a minor in Political Science. Find more through socials! Instagram: _nataliewillis_