We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jarquale Stewart a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jarquale, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?
This question hit pretty hard because there is no other unexpected problem i’ve experienced in the amazing 11 years of pursing acting that would completely stop my creativity other than the lost of my mother and my grandmother a week apart from one another in 2019. My mother was killed in September of 2019. I immediately had to leave LA and go home to NC and literally the following Thursday after mom transitioned my grandmother passed. i was truly hurt broken and devastated but I returned back to LA that Friday because my dad knew that if i didn’t come back i may not have ever returned to LA to continue living out my dreams. Upon returning back to LA i was literally snatched away of my mental ability to create and even perform my art. Grief and depression really kicked my ass. I couldn’t open my laptop, submit and audition, read a book or anything. I felt myself drifting away i was fully aware that the driven, risk taken, craft perfecting, talented Jarquale i once knew wasn’t there anymore. Here it is 2022 and i finally am back on my journey stronger, wiser, and READY but it was soooooo hard getting back to this mental place.
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
Im the amazing, gifted, award winner, talented JARQUALE STEWART lol. I’m originally from Charlotte, NC (Beatties Ford EXT. 37) and i’m an Actor, Comedian, and Writer. If i really think back Film and TV has been apart of my life as early as 5 years old. My dad has always been a VHS/DVD collector of films that vary from Western, Comedy, Drama, Martial Arts i mean whatever you can think of he had it. So i would always be imitating scenes i’ve seen from movies. So throughout school i was in theatre and arts. It was until i graduated High School i realized it didn’t have to be a hobby and i could actually call it a job lol. I booked a local tv show and quickly realized how much i actually loved acting. With no mentor or direction i up and decided to move to Atlanta where for 8 years i learned all i could working on sets as background, stand in and production assistants. It wasn’t until 2018 i booked my first theatre released feature film “Zola”. That to date has been my biggest accomplishment career wise. I’m super super proud of myself and i use that as a way to remind myself that i can literally do anything. When i’m being human and questioning myself and if i’m good enough (because i do think those things) I think about me doing background work and then immediately of me working with Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nichlous Braun, and Colman Bingo telling myself wowwwwww you are a real actor lol. I really want people to understand without getting my full story (ONE DAY THE WORLD WILL) but i’ve been through a lot of shit, some things i never thought i would recover from and some things i wish i wouldn’t have because the pressure to know you have beat the odds really doesn’t allow you to cheat yourself no matter how tough things get. I can literally be so drained mentally and tired physically and want to give up i’m talking tears in my eyes and all lol then be like yea but you got through that one time or this ain’t as bad as that other thing and literally have to force my own brain and body to keep fighting. It’s all a mental cycle which is why taking care of yourself and protecting your energy is so important yet i’m still trying to do so (i’m so human at times i hate it LOL) however i understand and understanding is like the the air to our lungs it literally helps function as a human being.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
They can allow us to be us. I’m so sick of the world telling creatives how they have to create or express their creativity. It’s like i cant tell a chief how to cook, or a lawyer how to win a case, or hell even you how to conduct an interview. Why? because i’m an actor. I’m a creative artist that creates and should be able to do so without it offending you (an adult) or the way you live your life. Also paying us our worth and not always trying to get a discount or freebie or even stealing our shit because we use a lot of our own mental power to make money. It’s not like a typical American who goes to a 9-5 and clocking in with full confidence you will get your check every week. Artist and creative literally have to hope someone believes in us enough or likes us enough to spend their hard earn money on us or with us. So support the knowledge of knowing that and give us what we tell you we are worth.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
For sureeeeeee I mean i wish i knew about therapist or better yet knew that as a black person how ok it is to have one and that it doesn’t make you crazy to see one. A lot of the things i know now and learned throughout my journey are from trail and error. Literally praying to God for answers as to why things are happening and experiences to know how to deal with things when they do happen so that i fully understand life as a whole in which helps me understand my journey so much easier. There are therapist (Black therapist) who understand and specialize in Releasing generational trauma, exercises with anxiety, mental health reforming things like that in which most Black urban creatives need for sure.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @iamjarqualestewart