We were lucky to catch up with Omar Quintanilla, Jr. (MR. OMAR KING) recently and have shared our conversation below.
Omar, thank you so much for making time for us today. We can’t wait to dive into your story and the lessons you’ve learned along the way, but maybe we can start with something foundational to your success. How have you gone about developing your ability to communicate effectively?
Well… I knew I could speak. Say basic words such as “Hi!”, “How are you?!”, “Nice seeing you today.”, “What do you think of the weather, today?”, I learned that and stuck with it, and time went on, I learned that saying these phrases, over and over again, those kinds of phrases that everybody says were getting boring and pejorative to me. It felt as if we were– wind-up toys, repeating the same words on Groundhog Day–not human at all. Just— was not getting anywhere at all, didn’t know what to say after words. So, I decided to shut up and just listen to what others have to say, really pay attention, rather than think about what to say next to keep the conversation going. To communicate effectively, I just simply listened to others have to say.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Hello,
My name is Omar DeJesus Quintanilla, Jr, but you can call me “MR. OMAR KING”, (King-is easier to say, and it is clever nod to the first four letters to my last name-Quin).
I live in Gardena, California (the “Freeway” City) with my sister, two teenage brothers, and my mother.
I have Autism. Been diagnosed with Autism-Neurodivergent behavior (not a disorder-but my way of life. I mean I have to live with it for the Pete sakes.) since age of 18 or 19. I think it was 18 years of age when I finally and officially was diagnosed of Autism.
I am 23 years of age.
Sometimes, folks get taken aback by the way I speak. The way I speak, I do not speak like others. I speak the way I speak which makes it unique to me. I’ve been told by others that I speak “southern”, “older”, or “vintage”, or “trashy”, or “spooky”. Like I said, I speak the way I speak, and I don’t know anything else other than I know how to speak Spanish. Other than that, that is pretty much it for me.
I work part-time at the Home Depot as a Parking Lot Associate. At the Parking Lot, my duties are to retrieve carts, clean the parking lot, help customers load heavy objects to their vehicles, and etc. It is a very nice, it keeps me busy and active, and I enjoy what I do.
At the Home Depot, I have acquainted and made friends with half of the people at the store, everybody there have been so kind to me and respectful and have embrace me as part of the gang. Being there feels like being feels like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, but if Wonka was a hardware store.
When I take my 15-minute break, I go to the break room, plopped to the couch, and glue my eyes on the TV to whatever is being played (sometimes Seinfeld, Big Bang Theory, or The Simpsons). Or nobody is watching TV, I have the opportunity to go on the REELZ channel (Channel 238 – Direct TV) and tune in to COPS! Oh golly, I love COPS! One of my all-time favorite shows. It never gets old for me. COPS and Jerry Springer and Scooby Doo, American Horror Story, Mindhunter, and TWIN PEAKS are one of my all-time favorite shows to watch.
I would sit there on the couch with a plate of PB and J/Ham sandwich on my lap and just transfix by the TV. Watching TV was my portal to another world much more adventurous and… uh… I suppose exciting than reality. We need to escape reality sometimes, who wants to feel the intense anxiety and other BS that life tends to throw at us from time to time. To make it short, TV or anything else, are coping strategies.
While I am not working. On my days off. I am either going to school or I am at home working on an art piece or writing on my current manuscript on the computer (or sometimes playing computer games.) or watching TV to kill time and catch up what I missed.
Every now and then I’d be in my house, pacing back and forward, in my Livingroom, trying to decide what I want to do, or where do I want to go, and while I am thinking, I look out the window and watch cars drive by, and that seems to distract me for bit… and suddenly an idea comes to mind and I pursue it. I will go to the mall! Yes, the South Bay Galleria Mall, that is.
I walk one street to the get to the mall, and that last me an hour or two to get there. What an adventure it is to get to the mall. Lot of interesting things to see in the mall. There are places like food court that is located on the third floor (above), and there is Sponsor’s adult novelty store that I frequent to, time to time (on the third floor) nice little place, dark, smells of black licorice, interesting smell for a novelty store (at least it doesn’t smell of rancid candies at the Hot Topic next door). Then there is Cinnabon (on the third floor), Red Robbins (on the first floor, the same floor where Game Stop used to be located, now it is gone and that space that Game Stop used to be is now, I believe… a fragrant/sunglasses shop), and the AMC.
I love the little AMC movie theater (located on the third floor). It has been an awhile that I step into the AMC movie theater or to an actual movie theater in general. The last time I’ve been to the movie theater was in 2022, at the Cinemark located at the Del Amo Mall in Torrance, California. My father, Sister Marilyn, and I both went to that movie house to see the “last” (so they say) Halloween movie. “Halloween Ends”. I think it’s spooky and entertaining. It was strange that Michael Myers was not much in the movie, and that focused on this new character I never heard of before, become the lead of the movie (the third film went 360), quite strange indeed; but hey, at the end of the day, it’s just a movie, and I trust that the movie makers behind this picture knew what they were doing and let this film be its own thing and tell the story for itself. At least we got to see a movie.
Other than going to work, staying at home, or frequent to the mall. I have gone out and ‘bout. I’ve explored my
horizons.
I understand Ive talked about this before, but I. can’t never stop talking about it, what a night it was.
March 8, 2024, at Last Projects Gallery.
I’ve attended Christopher Zeischegg’s (formerly known as Danny Wylde) release/launch party for his wonderful and graphic book, a collection of stories: “CREATION: Of Art and Unbecoming” (published by: Apocalypse Party Press).
When I met him and his wife in person, they were kind and friendly to me. Chris was happy to have met me in person and I the same. Luka Fisher (the artist and subject matter of the book CREATION) was there and I met her. Nice lady. I enjoyed her art pieces; graphic pictures of people, nude, in vulnerable and provocative positions.
Friends Steven and Sebastian and I all had a swell time there.
I happy went and support my new friend Christopher Zeischegg. I have to say that his new book is quite personal and graphic piece of work. It has kept me engaged for couple months straight. My hat goes out to my friend, Chris. He has done a wonderful job writing this piece of material.
Anyhow…
I’ve been to couple of Car Crash Collective’s poetry readings. One in West Hollywood and Another in Chinatown.
I had interesting time at the West Hollywood reading with my Leo (who companied me to the party that Tuesday night) and golly I have to say it felt like being in a high school cafeteria setting. I met the writers, nice lady of Erin and Britney, they were kind. Funny enough at that joint, I met a bartender named Carly who is a dead ringer to Drew Berrymore (she gets it a lot).
And then another reading in Chinatown, I had an awesome night there. I was at this book shop called: “Tomorrow Today” where the poetry reading took place. I went with my job coach Jesse; I ran into Leo there and I was happy to see him there. Didn’t think he’d show up, but he did and it made my night seeing my friend there.
People there were nice to me. They treated me like I was man of the hour or some bizarre Hollywood socialite because of my odd and strong personality and happy disposition, they think it’s cool and out of this world to which I would reply… “no.. I’m from Gardena, California.”
I like going out to these kinds of places. It makes my night and just worth going.
Would like to go back and meet all those people again. And embrace all and say thank you for your hospitality and generosity and kindness. Salt of the earth they are.
Once in a while, I get ask by my friends, family, or associates, I get ask what I want to do with my life? Or what do I dream of doing? And that is very good question, I am glad they are asking because… what do I dream of doing? I pause and I couldn’t answer them what I want to say or what they think I should say. Out of an anxious pulse I tell ’em: “I am sorry, I am not so sure, I don’t know?” and then I leave and continue to go outside the parking lot and make my rounds as I always do.
Boy, that question has gotten me perplexed. I ponder a lot of- and… jeepers I think in the box and to the point that I have to get out of the box and then I think again, I step in and out, in and out, in and out, in and out to the point of madness!
And eventually I beat that demon up and I have clarity in my mind, and I think about what I dream of doing? What do I want to do with my life?
To answer the question there are a few things I would like to do while I am still living and breathing and walking on this earth.
And that is… number 1: publish a book! Well, first I have to write the damn book to get it published. Many years ago, I have always had this thought what it would be like to write a book and publish it. I understand that I may not be the best writer or be a piece of shit writer (excuse my French–cut me some slack, I am learner, little by little, I know I will get there eventually), I am doing the best I can. I want to do that while I am still here and cognitively present.
2: In the past, I have sold a couple of art pieces at a Bar or some music/venue little event where they have vendors selling food and art and trinkets. They are fun to do once and awhile.
I have this idea that I would have big art exhibit of all the art pieces I have done over the years (and I am talking about years of doodling on a carboard box and white sheet of paper and poster board and canvases and computer stuff) and all my friends and family and people across the seas would be at the exhibition to see the show. I want to have least one art show, at least one show I can be present in before I pass (who knows when I do pass, anything could happen, I want to act now while I am still around).
3: Make a movie and have a movie shown. As a little kid I have always loved the movies from watching “The Wizard of Oz” as little toddler to watching David Lynch’s “Eraserhead” as impressionable teenager. I just had this idea in my head to make a movie, a nice movie, a dramatic, sultry, exciting, and melancholic (at some parts) movie for folks in the dark room to enjoy. It is important to tell a story with visuals and inspire others to pursue their ambitions. If I can do it, why not them. Just got to believe myself and let the good lord to show me where I need to step to make that make dream of a reality.
I know deep down in my heart that those dreams will come true. If not a year perhaps in a couple of years to come.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
BALANCE!!! Balance is the key.
Don’t take yourself too seriously and just go with the flow and enjoy life. We live every day and die once (or twice), why not enjoy the fruits of our labor while we still have the ability to do so. But that also applies the other way around: just because we are having fun doesn’t mean we don’t have responsibilities. It is a yin and yang kind of thing.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
“Hi, I am looking for a..”–Well… like a friend, I want to know who they are and what they are about. I want to get to know them. Also, I am looking for someone to trust. Know that I can trust their judgement and trust me with mine. Like friends there will be moments when we will draw the line and break apart on a project that we don’t agree with, well, it’s okay, we can work something out, if there is a will, then certainly a way. Of course, there will be love-hate relationship moments that we won’t agree and that is to be expected. But we get the job done. I want my collaborator to be my friend and confidante.
Contact Info:
- Website: Blog – “The Black Abyss” blog spot site – https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwelcometotheblackabyss.blogspot.com%2F2022%2F12%2Ffriend-fiction-black-hole-at-assylum.html%3Fm%3D1&e=AT3hk73eqAPdqfLP0oPssNAeZFZsbhE0jwlGWlXk0v_6fik_VtXpjsIJiaFQ6S-iLGaTepuUoyALuxYx4IZc14Ry0Lk_oV6XnyxkHlWjIrzHggrEbvf0rw
- Instagram: ahsintheblacklodge – https://www.instagram.com/ahsintheblacklodge/
- Twitter: omarking0924 – https://x.com/omarking0924
Image Credits
Pictures taken by Joey Duke and Ella Clover (me at bar)
Pictures taken of me and Jake Fraczek together (taken by Jake)
Picture of me at the Tomorrow today book shop (taken by my job coach Jesse)
Picture of Christopher Z and I at the Last project’s gallery (taken by me)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
