Meet Carlos Garcia

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

Carlos, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
I think that my optimism comes from my dad. He taught me to laugh a LOT. Growing up, he would always make funny faces or funny voices at me. And he loved making my friends laugh. That infectious need to bring joy to others brought a sense of optimism with it. It taught me to never let the laughter go from my life.

I also am able to stay optimistic because I know that I am lucky to be able to follow my dreams. I spent so many years in jobs I hated. Hoping for a path in life that allowed me to be lucky enough to entertain people. Now, I am lucky enough to be in that path. Which keeps things in perspective, whenever life gets tough.

I also know that many people find themselves in situations where they wish they could also chase their dreams. But feel like they are trapped and unable to do so. This inspires me to push forward to let those people know that they can do it.

Optimism is a contagious feeling. So if I can help others feel it, the way it was passed down to me. I am all for it.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a Venezuelan born actor and stand up comedian based in the New York City area. Prior to chasing the dream out here, I spent many years in the Baltimore area.

I think the most exciting part of stand up is being able to feel the electricity of a live audience. Feeling a crowd full of people laughing at something you wrote is an electric feeling that is hard to top. I also love that stand up comedy gives you a sense of instant gratification that you can’t get from other forms of entertainment. I can write a joke on my way to a show and find out if it’s good on the spot! That is something you can’t really get in the world of acting. Where things take more time due to editing, writing, etc.

The most exciting piece of the acting world is seeing a vision come together, at the end of the project. As an actor, you work very hard on perfecting a character. But you don’t often get to see the vision of the director until the work is completed. It takes a village to create something great in the world of acting. And you are really able to see how a great team can make a project great, first hand.

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?
The three qualities that were most impactful in my journey were:

1) Perseverance: Learning to hear “NO” without feeling like my world was collapsing was a huge step in the right direction for me. In the world of entertainment there are a million reasons why someone would get picked over you for a role or a show. And most of the times it has nothing to do with you not being talented enough. It’s more about being the right fit. Don’t give up when you hear a few No’s. It’s just part of the game.

2) Drive: I’m driven to constantly keep growing and evolving. I have a friendly competition with myself, where I want to be as good as, or better than, my peers. That keeps me constantly wanting to improve. I’m also driven to find opportunities for myself. The entertainment business is very difficult and no one will hand you anything. It’s good to get out there and try to get it yourself.

3) Learning to breathe: This one may sound silly but learning to breathe brought upon the biggest change and improvement in my life. When I started out in entertainment, I would always get a panic attack before going on stage or on set, before an acting gig. It led to a fight or flight feeling inside of me that would take me out of the moment and would lead me to go, almost, into a manic state. The problem was that the fear would make me STOP breathing altogether, which would lead to a panic attack. Learning how to breathe allowed me to help conquer my fears. It allows me to stay calm and give my brain the necessary oxygen to make decisions on stage and on set. It also allows me to be present, which is VERY important in both stand up and acting. If are not present, you can’t react to what’s happening in front of you. So learning to breathe was huge in my growth as an actor and a comedian.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
As a comedian, actor and writer, I am very open to collaborating with others.

Whether it’s other comics to perform on shows together with, writers to help create content with, directors to work with, online creators to do sketches with, or interesting people to have on my podcast, the FratChat Podcast. I am ALWAYS looking to find other artists to collaborate with.

You can always follow me on Instagram and TikTok via @CarlosDoesTheWorld and reach out via there. Or email me at CarlosDoesTheWorld@Gmail.com or FratChatPodcast@gmail.com, if it’s related to the podcast.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Headshots credit: Justin Gill. Everything else, N/A.

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