We recently connected with Maria Jimena Gastelum and have shared our conversation below.
Maria Jimena , appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
In October of last year, I had been a part of a play, shot two short films and graduated from a 2-year conservatory program running on fumes. The self-tapes I was submitting were good but not by any means, outstanding. I found myself for the first time in many years, completely bored and somewhat jaded with acting. During this “dead” period of my life, it was easier to be harsh on myself. Vile and untrue thoughts swam around my head. My artistic well was truly dry. I’d sit in front of my notes, reading them and not truly being able to decipher anything of meaning in them. I threw myself completely into other people’s work. Forgive me for being pretentious for a moment here; I listened to Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly”, went to the Getty Center an unhealthy amount to stare at Van Gogh’s “Irises”, read this self-help book, that self-help book & religiously listened to Rick Rubin’s podcast Tetragrammaton. Everything seemed to be a quick fix. I’d feel good for a few days at best and then that same “dead” feeling in the center of my chest would come back full force.
In an effort to “distract” myself, I came up with a brilliant plan…I would live my life until the “dead” feeling went away. I caught up with old friends, went out to concerts, traveled with my family and then, but only then, did the pit in my chest start to swell with something even more beautiful & stronger than before.
The issue of burning out, is believing that your creativity is static. Only when we truly accept that we are part of a universe in a constant state of creation do we realize what that actually means: there is a time for everything. A cycle. Life, death & rebirth. A pattern. When one feels alive, ideas flow, energy is high and more often than not, we feel confident enough to show our work to anyone willing to peek. When one feels dead, your sense of self is impaired, self-esteem is low and very rarely, when we are in the trenches so to speak, do we truly believe that we have anything to say. How can we have the courage to be born again?
As a child, which is arguably the most creative era of your life, you weren’t thinking about the value of what you were creating. You were simply in the moment. One minute you were playing bandits in the Wild West and the next, finger painting after recess. The rule of life, death & rebirth is followed because it is not questioned or fought against. Your intuitive creative process is not cut off or interrupted. It simply is. Therefore, to keep your creativity (and by extension, you) alive, one must, in my opinion, be accepting of the timetables of life. My advice -if you are open to taking it- is to see your world, your work, your life, with uncorrupted, childlike wonder… Even when you are in a “dead” period. Find the beauty in a wilting flower no matter how somber it is. I promise you, that if you are patient enough to wait out a harsh winter, your spring will bloom with colors you didn’t even know existed.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Maria Jimena Gastelum (She/Her), born in San Diego and raised in Tijuana, Mexico; began
acting at the Centro de Artes Escénicas (Center for the Scenic Arts) musical productions such
a “The Wizard of Oz” as Glinda, The Good Witch presented at Centro Cultural Tijuana (Tijuana Cultural Centre). She then collaborated with non-profit theatre company CAMAFEO, that fundraises for causes in her hometown; she
performed the roles of Tiger Lily/Mrs. Darling in their production of “Peter Pan”.
Maria is a graduate from The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (LSTFI) where
she was enrolled in the Associate of Occupational Studies in Acting program. She recently
appeared as June-Adele Taylor in “Southern Girls” by Sheri Bailey and Dura Temple
presented at the Hudson Backstage Theater and directed by Zadia Ife and in South Coast Repertory’s West Coast premiere of Sandra Delgado’s “La Havana Madrid”, directed by Cheryl-Lynn Bruce.
She is currently branching out to film with two new shorts: “Irma” directed/written by Roger Torres & “Comet Orphan” directed/written by Hyejin Grace Park.
She loves coffee, books and Star Wars!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Trust your intuition! Most often than not, making the “right” choices, comes down to making the best you can, to the best of your ability, with the information you have at the time.
2. Being open to other people’s ideas, can only make whatever we are creating richer! Where does what we have in mind line up with what other people see? Where does it differ? Flexibility is durability!
3. Have fun! Remember why you love what you do. Go back to that source.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
As an American born-Mexican raised person, nuance is written into my birth certificates. How can I be true to my experience while figuring out who I am in a global market? This is a question that I keep mulling on and I think won’t have a definitive answer. For now, I can say that whatever interests me, whatever rings true, is what I am exploring.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://msha.ke/mariajimenagastelum
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starrrmaaan/
- Other: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/maria_jimenagastelum
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
