We were lucky to catch up with Aileen Pujols recently and have shared our conversation below.
Aileen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I am very happy to be a creative, even with all of the rejection, and misconceptions/misunderstandings of it. I think acting/writing truly is the love of my life. There have been so many nights when I have stayed up all night writing or doing prep work on a script, and I am so incredibly happy to do it. I wake up from the little hours of sleep I get, and I think about acting and writing. I go to my day job, and find little gems in everything, even the most mundane tasks, such as doing laundry, and think about how I’ll weave them into my writing later on. My parents instilled the love of storytelling in me since I was very little, reading to me every single night, until I could do it on my own. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life. I think of my day job as something to support this lifestyle, not something I see myself fully investing in or prioritizing above my acting/writing. I always find some way to connect my day job to my creative pursuits. Every person I meet is a new character unlocked.
I sometimes wonder what it would be like to pursue a “regular” job. I can imagine that it would, in some instances, be a lot easier than facing the constant rejection I face as an actor/writer. I also find myself romanticizing the ability to be able to “clock out” from a job. Artistry is not something that is confined to a traditional structure; the lines between “work” and “home” blur easily. Work/life balance is nonexistent, and I find myself craving that balance, but I try my best to find my own unique balance with the artistic work that I do.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hi! I’m Aileen Pujols, a Dominican-American actor/writer/producer based in NJ/NYC. I first got the “acting bug” when I was in high school, but my love for storytelling came at a very early age, when I learned how to read at the age of two. I was a huge bookworm (and still am), and I found that not a lot of folks who looked like me were included in the stories, whether it was literature, film, television, or theater, that I grew to love so much. I took acting classes at my high school, and I participated in Manhattan Theater Club’s Write Now program, and that was when I first started writing plays. I didn’t think of myself a writer at the time, but then I went to Rider University to pursue my BFA in Acting for Film, Television and Theater, and I found myself writing all of the time. I was frustrated by the lack of representation both on/off screen and on/off stage. I really started writing seriously, practicing writing short plays and poetry until I finally found the words to my first screenplay, Niña Linda. Niña Linda follows the story of a young Dominican-American woman finding independence for the first time outside of her mother’s home, based on my own personal experiences of growing up Christian and moving away for college. I knew that I absolutely needed to tell this story, so I wrote it, produced it, and starred it in. The film had an amazing festival fun where it was accepted with so many welcoming and loving arms. You can watch Niña Linda here: https://youtu.be/-p4hucljz34?si=o_Yk-WG7s-qjhCai
Something that fuels my creative work is 1 Corinthians 16:14, “Let all that you do be in done in love.” Love is the fundamental principle that guides all of my work, as the stories I tell and want to tell come from such a deep place of love and appreciation for the communities of color I identify and grew up with. I unapologetically tell vulnerable, real stories centering characters of color through a loving, compassionate lens in spite of the political attacks that constantly dehumanize BIPOC.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is the extremely powerful outlet for emotional expression. A lot of my writing has really helped me process and heal from a lot of hurt in my life. Through creativity, I have been able to learn how to be more adaptable and resilient, due to the constant curveballs that come with pursuing a career in a creative industry. The creative process has also helped a lot in better understanding myself, and in turn, I can understand and empathize with others. The collaboration aspect of being a creative has also fostered a lot of meaningful connections in my life, the people I work with are also people that I am very proud to also call my friends.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I chose to answer this question because I am currently trying to build an audience on social media, but I personally don’t necessarily see it as an audience. Through building a social media presence, I am also creating a community (or at least that is my goal) with like-minded creatives and non-creatives, who I might not get to meet in my day-to-day life. On social media, we get to reach so many people, and I see that as an opportunity to be a safe space or source of inspiration for another young Latinx creative. Some things that I have learned as I am building my platform are to define your purpose for sharing on social media and choose the right platform for you. Even though it has its pros/cons, TikTok is one that I have really enjoyed posting on, and I find it to be the easiest for me. TikTok feels more approachable and less intimidating for me to post, as the general content on there is casual and, for the most part, fun! Instagram feels a little too serious for me; it has become more of a place for lookbooks and perfectly crafted posts, which I don’t think I am there yet in my content creation “journey”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aileenpujols.squarespace.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aileenpujols/
- Other: https://youtu.be/-p4hucljz34?si=o_Yk-WG7s-qjhCai Link to my film, Nina Linda!
Image Credits
Headshot: Leilani P Carr (@lpcphoto)