Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Justine Stock. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Justine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

Great question, thank you for asking that. I don’t get that question often, it’s a very real one and I appreciate that.

Let’s begin with, “Are you happier as a creative?”

I’m typically a happy person chemically, so no matter what I do, mostly “happy”. I infuse creativity in everything I do, in the micro moments. I live creatively, not eccentrically per say, I seek out uncommon moments or exchanges, look at nature in awe, on a quest for opportunities to feel alive (in a safe way & sometimes by default painfully). We artists are bloodhounds for it. That’s why we get taken advantage of, because people know any chance to freely BE creative in public, is our antidote.
We FEEL ALIVE when we practice our medium, the laws we practice are the intangible, the memory, the emotional human experience, so society can’t place a full value ($) on it. Because we have not yet developed the language of our souls, we stifle our souls all the time in the modern world.
Being a creative is truly a calling. It is something you can’t deny, you can try but it will come back to howl at your front door. The irony of it all is WE ALL ARE CREATIVES, we are actively participating in the process of creation just by being and moving, everyday. Notice those moments…

Do I sometimes wish to take a regular J.O.B.?
YES, I tried to stop, for 10 years I did take a “regular job”. Not just any job, but went from one extreme to another, from life of an actor/producer to full time corporate america; pantie hose & pearls, breastfeeding while on a conference calls.
Throughout my over 30+ years as an actor or Producer, I have tried to negate this part of myself, to muzzle the wolf, to tell it to get back in it’s cage. I was a single mom and had to make some very grounding decisions. It’s all in the timing and I came back to a life in the arts, and started New Canon Theatre Co. It is my second child. It is almost 2 years old, growing, striving & thriving. Thus YES, I can’t think of any other way, it’s hard to stop.

Artists are the bravest, most innovative people I know. They are our culture creators, society depends on us; our front line conjurers of new thought & multi-dimensional thinking. We are vulnerable and our antenna is always up, it can hurt deeply to be these receivers of so much energy.
It is a gift to be a conscious artist, actor etc, but sadly our country has not yet learned to value it’s artist fully.

You can involve yourself in the arts in other ways, not just on stage etc… I always say don’t wait for an opportunity, produce your OWN work. Creative people know other even more talented people, they are your biggest asset.
If you live for their compliments you’ll die by their criticism, so trust yourself, you’ll know if/when it’s time to get a “regular job”. Your heart will tell you so, but you will always have a dirty little secret, you are an artist, and can do almost anything. ;)

Justine, 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 have been acting since 8 years old, growing up in “Magic City”, Miami, FL. By the time High School rolled around I was on the “wrong track” as they say, you can’t soar like an eagle if you’re surrounded by turkeys. I was directionless, very caught up in Miami’s nightlife and all the vices that come along with it.
I auditioned & was truly saved by New World School of The Arts High School; a magnet school, much like a conservatory program for the arts. Making the move from Miami to NY, attending SUNY Purchase Theatre & Film Conservatory, meeting more brilliant artists who I love & admire to this day. After graduating college, I was not booking at a sustainable level, living in NYC can give you so much, you gotta be hungry, it’s the truest thing, if you can make it there you can anywhere. I realized my best allies for work, especially work that I wanted to do, were the people I already knew, my incredibly talented, inspiring actor/director network & friends. I was tired of waiting…waiting for a call, for a gig, for a chance to do what I loved more than air. I started producing; theatre, film, anything that was juicy and any interesting opportunity presented itself. I learned by doing. I took a continuing ed class at NYU on producing, then I realized I didn’t need the class to tell me what I already knew. How to connect dots, build relationships & have an eye/ear for a good idea with the right crew.
I LOVE producing! It’s like birthing a child, start to finish.
Fast forward to now. Currently having started a professional theatre company that I Co-Founded & am the Managing Director of; New Canon Theatre Co. Once again, not waiting, doing the hard work that needs to be done, so the theatre can remain a source of lifeforce, a place to lose yourself and celebrate the human experience, and how truly connected we all are.
New Canon Theatre Co is a non-profit, pop up theatre co based in the Monterey Bay area. Which means we perform in found spaces, such as a winery; Blue Fox Cellars, where we just did Much Ado About Nothing or rented theatres where we bring a minimalist, Peter Brook style approach to the work. Sometimes, all you need is an empty space & a group of talented players!
Our mission; to re-imagine the classics like Shakeaspeare and also produce new plays by new emerging playwrights for a modern audience by our New Canon Theatre Lab.
We started New Canon because we saw a gap in what was currently being produced in our area. This area of Central Cali is surrounded by dramatic coastline, craggy mountains & a history of music & arts. Myself & Artistic Director/Co-Founder, Justin Gordon said, let’s try to bring quality storytelling to an already stunning destination. Theatre is a tremendous culture creator and anchor for any growing town.
New Canon, after only a year, has produced 6 shows, including one world premiere we just closed; Finding Chase, by C. Wright. Audiences who had the pleasure of seeing this performance, left the show each night bereft, with incredibly moving feedback & begged for an extension.

Season 3 is approaching in 2024, go to www.newcanontheatre.org and subscribe, so you can be part of this wave New Canon is creating.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

YES! Shakespeare’s Plays
The Seat of The Soul
The game of Chess
My Mother, Father & Grandfather; ALL entrepreneurs, they are some courageous humans.
The Empty Space, by Peter Brook
My daughter

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

Respect the artist as you would any other professional position, a Doctor, professor etc… Reject the notion of the “starving artist”. At New Canon Theatre that is a corner stone. Why should anyone starve, why the artist? I have been thinking about this lately, it’s almost like to do something you love in this country, it should feel like a punishment, because we need to manufacture, production of stuff, and it has to be quantifiable, so artistry is not real work, as it doesn’t produce a tangible cog. But it DOES. It’s currency on a multi dimensional level. There is a lack of reverence and respect financially and realistically when to comes to our nations artists. We have a warped sense of what being a working person in the arts is and what sacrifice (that should not be so great) has to be undertaken.
It would serve us to look through a Medici era appreciation for or artists, as we are the ones who humanity looks to for innovation, inspiration on a daily basis & human connection; be it music, dance, art or film/theatre acting.
Covid is a shining example of our world calling on its artists to save their spirits.
Pay them a living wage. The SAG/AFTRA strikes are bringing more attention to that. This country does not value its artists fully, they see us as disposable and do not really understand the study of the art & what we did to get his knowledge, or hone our craft. Fund raising for the arts as well needs to shift… on all levels. From the donor, to the grant orgs and teaching our next gen about philanthropy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.newcanontheatre.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newcanontheatre/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newcanontheatre/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMW1lFr6y_40iBgb-e2dePA

Image Credits
Glen McDowell Photography