We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jaquair Gillette a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jaquair thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I recognize my love for the arts when I was kid learning how to draw by tracing cartoons, illustrations,comic characters, and practicing scenes and skits from my favorite movies and TV shows like In Living Color and Indiana Jones.

Jaquair, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was blessed early to realize my gifts in the arts. Drawing was my first love and performing came second. The shift changed in me when I was rejected from the fine and performing arts high school in my hometown. It devastated me. Fortunately, I was able to go Academy that was part of the main high school in my city that focused in communications and technology. It opened up my creativity more and helped me realize who I wanted to be. I realize the performer and writer in me as while as the illustrator. In college I further learned the crafts I those trades and began my professional career with my first paid gig as a background actor in the film American Gangster while in college. Years later in my post college life I had to reinvent myelf after battling depression. I rediscovered who I wanted to be. I felt it was time to pursue my ambitions in acting, poetry, and produce my own projects in the arts and invest in community. It led me to not only performing in major and minor projects in film, tv and, theater,but producing in independent film and releasing my own spoken word poetry project. In addition I became part of organizations like Greenacre Community Garden and a commissioner on The arts council in my hometown.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Upon graduation I had a co-op with New Line Cinema in NYC that was going to lead to permanent position. After I graduated New Line put a hold on hiring me full time because they were beginning the process of being bought out by Warner Bros which eventually laid off most of the staff and collapse their NY division. While that was happening I couldn’t get any auditions in acting for theater or film. I had to take a night job working at a laboratory as a struggled as an artist and in college debt. It led to a dark period in my life. I felt that I was lied to and did everything right and had nothing to show for it. I felt like this for years then I had a great awakening inside of me after crying myself to sleep. I realized that I forgot who I wanted to be and the skills that I learned from my higher education. One of my best skills is research. I became a student again.I realized I had access to a world class education to help me achieve my dreams and that place was the public library. It set me on my journey and path of never giving up and being the person will always find a way because of who I am regardless of circumstances.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

First, by being honest! Our society does not value the arts and artists they way it should. Even though the creative sector is one of the largest economic outputs in our society. We see them as not valuable unless you remarkably become “famous” or generate massive wealth. Second, our schools, especially our higher education need to fully prepare them for that world. The reality of it and ways they can survive and thrive. How to get or use survival jobs to support them in their quests of the life they want in the arts. How to be professionals, entrepreneurs in it if they deem so.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.iamjaquair.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamjaquair
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaquair
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaquair-gillette-8b2a6ab4
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jaquair9455

Image Credits
Jaquair Gillette, Sean English, Greenacre Community Garden