We were lucky to catch up with Jose Quinones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jose, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

While each film project comes with its own set of rewards, the project I’ve been most proud of has been the opening (and re-opening) of The Artists Playground. In the 11 years since it first opened its doors, it has welcomed many artists that have come to play and have fun doing what they love. Getting to watch our players feed their creative souls week after week is simply inspiring and one of my biggest joys.

The Artists Playground has also matured over the years creating original productions that have grown in quality as well as frequency. While we started out producing primarily sketch comedy, we have completed a few short films for local film competitions over the last few years. Our most recent ones: “A Subtle Kind of Murder” and “Jade” earned second and first prize respectively. We are of course looking forward to even bigger projects as well as our first feature film.

Jose, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on how you got started and what you do?

My entry into the arts was somewhat of an unexpected turn of events. I’ve been fascinated by computers since I was four years old. It was no surprise that I ended up becoming a software engineer or starting a company providing internet services. As I was growing older, my wife thought I needed to do something a little more fun and gifted me a certificate for an acting class. This was almost twenty years ago and I haven’t stopped. My first love in the arts was improv. I couldn’t get enough of it. “Yes, and” people are the best kind of people. In 2015, I traveled to Chicago where hundreds of improvisers from all over the world participated in iO Theater’s Summer Intensive program. Day one with fifteen brand new classmates from 8-10 different countries and we’re friends immediately. Hanging out with improvisers day in and day out and watching shows every night was life changing. I can’t recommend it enough.
I wasn’t even done with my first improv program when the love for acting showed up. It’s easy to think that acting is simple: you memorize lines and you say them truthfully, that’s all? Hah! It took years for me to get out of my analytical brain. I signed up for every class I could from local as well as visiting coaches. There’s something to be said about the connections created in an acting class. Learning what it feels to be in so many different situations, being willing to open ourselves to feel more strongly than we’ve ever felt, and meeting others that are also ready to jump in and do that with you… this is the way.
That said, a few years ago I decided to step away from acting and learn the ropes working behind the camera. Since producing “Coppin’a Feel”, I’ve worked on just about every aspect there is to work on behind the camera. I’ve found this to be just as challenging as well as fulfilling as acting and improv. With all the amazing connections I’ve made from acting and improv over the last 20 years, I am now lucky enough to be making movies with my friends and looking forward to producing feature films in the near future.
Also unexpectedly, this year I started leading both acting and improv classes at The Artists Playground. I am providing a place for artists to consistently work on their craft, explore their humanity and grow their acting family; just like I did. I discovered during the pandemic that those connections, and the creativity aura that surrounds all artists, is my fuel. I can’t live without it.

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

The artist’s journey is riddled with obstacles, society being one of them. It is easy to think that any kind of art is a fun hobby, and to some people, it is. To an artist however, it is so much more that the word hobby itself is an insult.

“I like how you breathe. Nice hobby. Why don’t you try something else?” A human can live without breathing as much as an artist can live without art. To suggest otherwise is akin to asking us not to breathe. Society would do itself a great favor with understanding what it is to be an artist.

Anyone that hasn’t deeply explored their creativity would be surprised to learn about the life of an artist. Understanding how terrible the world would be without art and how damaging their lack of support can be would go a long way to help art thrive.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the people you meet. It takes a special kind of DNA for someone to look at the art mountain and decide to climb it. Many stop pretty early but those that stick around long enough develop a unique sense of what it means to be a human being. Being constantly surrounded by artists has been my greatest reward for joining this world.

I am convinced that the world would be infinitely better if art was cultivated by every human being. We all have art in us. Some choose to express it while too many suppress it. I encourage everyone to dig down, find that art that warms their heart and let it shine into the world.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joseq23/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joseq23/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/joseq23

Image Credits
Tabitha Gray Erika Waldorf