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

JoJo, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I have always wanted to work with big production houses as a collaborator. It was the entire reason I went to film school and began my journey down the digital cinema path. I felt that if I was apart of those high profile companies, then I would feel truly accomplished and accepted among those I had always looked up to.

It was such a surprise to even myself when I decided to create my own production company and redirect all of my focus on my visual art. I have made the choice, and took a big risk, to instead invest all of my resources into building my own powerhouse name as an independent artist and creative.

When I created Hobo Circus back in 2014, I didn’t really have a clear idea of where I wanted it to go, for a while it was just my own personal art diary, and at that time I was working full time as a professional dancer and performer, so I also had very different goals even then.

In the last few years, my vision for Hobo Circus has gained so much clarity, that I know it’s my true purpose. It still beckons such a risk because it’s completely independent and I have to not only make it self sustaining, but successfully remain financially stable, marketable and relevant, and creatively original. Although it is a process I am still learning how to balance, it has been the greatest risk I’ve ever taken.

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.

I have been involved in performing arts since I was a child up to adulthood. It was my love for dance and movement that I was able to find my passion for storytelling. I would choreograph various dance concepts and pieces with small narratives. Through my career as a dancer, ultimately led me to the film and visual art industry.

I enrolled myself into film school in 2016 and immediately felt a strong sense of belonging. Of course, learning any new craft is never easy and there was a great deal of obstacles I had to overcome, but what always remained was my strong desire to tell stories. I had always been a writer of some sort, even in grade school, and this was such an incredible outlet to refine my words into a tangible project.

Since I received my film degree in 2020, I have been working on set as Production Designer, Art Director and Costume Designer, gaining even more knowledge and respect of this amazing medium.

As I mentioned previously, in 2014 I created Hobo Circus, which is now my own production company and visual art brand, and is registered under the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. At its birth, it was more so my own personal world of art that I only shared with myself. Now, Hobo Circus has been recognized as its own artistic entity and continues to be discovered by audiences everywhere.

Hobo Circus provides narrative film production (full feature and short form), music videos, photography, experimental visual art, fashion design and performance art. We fabricate the imagination to build the desired world and produce a one of kind project.

We explore the more abstract and avant-guard, intertwining the polarities of the whimsical and mysterious, the shadowed and illuminated, to scare and excite simultaneously. That’s the energy we strive to create within each piece, and what I believe sets us apart from other companies.

I am most proud of how unique this brand is, how it’s multi-dimensional and immersive. Above all, I am so proud and honored to have had the support of my peers and loved ones and the constant encouragement to continue on. Hobo Circus is my deepest artistry to share with the world.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society can show up for us in multiple ways – buying, investing, hiring, promoting, sharing and engaging. This might involve a bit of research, looking for the upcoming or underground, but it’s a tremendous way to find creatives who deserve to have their work seen. Most people only want to support what they know, which means they will only invest in just that and that’s where their loyalty will stay. So, it will also take a bit of rewiring that perspective and step outside a longstanding comfort zone, but it would do wonders for our community.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had been trained to morph myself into whoever an audience wanted me to be. In doing so, it ingrained the inclination to attempt at receiving everyone’s approval with my work. When I didn’t get the response I wanted, I felt like I failed, like I wasn’t doing enough or was insignificant. It really was such a terrible thought process that eventually started to taint the very passion I had for art. I have finally been able to detach from that narrative and realize my worth without external expectations and validation. My art is incredible simply because I love it and believe it is so. This is not to say I don’t welcome critique, I crave it, but I limit my space to what I know will actually help my growth and what is only stifling me.    

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hobocircusproduction.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/hobocircus?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hobocircus?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/smallshe/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/itshobocircus?s=21&t=iXnpvGWZuXgTpr2SEaEEsg
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@HoboCircus
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10526454/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Image Credits
Fabi Jimeno Bobby Zabala JoJo Guevara