AN: I encourage all people to explore different interests. People are multi-faceted and I think are happier doing a variety of interests. It can be very boring if one tries to be a one-dimensional person. So, I don’t view the facets as contradictor. I see them as different facets of my life and together they make me.
CJR: As a sort of inverse question to the last: Do the recipients of your “services” have anything in common, i.e. the young fighters you train, the people you counsel?
AN: Yes. People are people. They are all multi-dimensional and have many different aspects to their life. People in all walks of life have lots of positive aspects as well as some problematic aspects over time. People in general have a lot more in common than they have differences. Sometimes it’s really important to identify the strengths of each and build on those. Each person has their strengths and areas that could benefit by improving them. Each may have a different interest area that they would like to develop. It is very important that people develop the confidence to be comfortable in who they are and learn to embrace that person.
CJR: What does art do for you?
AN: I’m not really sure but I enjoy being able to sit quietly alone and work on a blank canvas and come up with a recognizable painting. I also enjoy the teaching and art therapy aspect. I hear from people that “I can’t paint, or draw anything” — that self-doubt carries over to other areas of life. When people sit down and in a few hours of sessions leave with a painting that they have done that looks good you can see them gaining confidence in other areas of life. In a group setting I may have six people sitting around a table and painting the same objects, I usually use a red apple, a green one and a lemon. We end up with six different renditions of the same thing. “Which is the correct one?” I ask. The response is all of them. It helps build confidence in doing something we may have never done before and to also allow ourselves to be correct yet respect another’s viewpoint and perspective.
CJR: Has there ever been a time when you regretted your career choice? Your boxing life? And in terms of your artistic pursuits, why wouldn’t you have pursued only that?
AN: Well, we all have our days but overall I have enjoyed my career and career choices. I have made a living and enjoyed the work. I believe in helping people when we can and have had the great fortune of working with tremendous people who do really good work and make me and the programs look good. I have people in my life who lend support and allow me to more easily do the things I do.
CJR: Another way of asking that same question — are you somehow more fulfilled by being a “divided” man than you would have been a man devoted to one thing: a boxing trainer, an addictions counselor, an artist?
AN: I don’t see it as divided. I think developing different interests at different points in our life and enjoying them is a key to happiness. At least it has been for me. The need to be “normal” is ever elusive. I think that people need to get comfortable with their own quirks and personalities. Being within normal limits is nice but we can still enjoy those personality differences that make each person unique. We should embrace that.
CJR: What are the last five songs that played on your music list?
AN: Lake Street Dive, “Bad Self Portrait” and “Go Down Smooth”; “Come As You Are” by Nirvana; Blues Travelers, “Run Around” and “But Anyway.”
