Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Edu Díaz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Edu, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I’m lucky that my purpose -I call it ‘wild passion’- found me organically when I was a kid, and I used to perform for my family. Then, I found a theater tribe at my school, where we created the most revolutionary shows.
When I was 18, I listened to my parents and studied for a degree, neglecting my purpose for more than ten years. I still remember the day when, late at the office where I worked as a marketing manager, I looked around and realized that I would be unhappy if I kept neglecting my artistic pulse.
Then, I sat down with a great life coach, and we designed a plan B. She asked me a simple question: ‘How do you see yourself in the future?’ That was enough to realize I needed to quit the office and return to what I love.
That’s why I don’t have a romantic relationship with my purpose. In a sense, I see this ‘wild passion’ as a curse, especially when I’m in one of my creative dark journeys. Sometimes, I would love a regular job and no artistic ambition. However, I already know that the ‘purpose’ is not a position I can quit.
At the same time, I only create material based on stormy past passages of my life; the purpose is also the most powerful tool of healing.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m a Fulbright-awarded actor, performer, theater producer, and writer with a background in marketing and communications from The Canary Islands (Spain) based in New York.
I was a theatre kid, but when I was 18, I left my island (Tenerife) and went to Madrid to study for a Degree in Advertising and Public Relations. After working for over six years as a Marketing manager for PRISA, the most extensive media company in Spain, the passion called, and I returned to the theatre.
From 2014, I produced over ten shows in Madrid. The adventure began with the successful ‘Amores Minusculos,’ a romantic comedy that had an extensive tour over Spain. I kept producing shows for other artists, such as ‘Sole Sola’ or ‘Tus Otros Hijos No Te Olvidan’ as I took acting courses and performed in films such as ‘Smoking Club (129 normas)’ and in theater.
In 2019, I won the Fulbright Grant in Performing Arts, which brought me to New York City to develop a show at an acting studio. The award made me focus on my artistic path as a producer, creating shows for myself as an actor. The pandemic interrupted my project, but I returned to New York and premiered my first solo show, ‘Fantastic Mr. S,’ at the United Solo Festival in 2022.
I’m currently based in New York City, striving to become part of the city’s artistic bustle. As I shoot films as an actor, I’m part of two theatre companies, ‘Hormigas NYC’ (improv in Spanish) and ‘A Really Real Serious Collective’ (improv in English), and I produce and host the monthly ‘Clown Open Mic.’
Since June 2023, I’ve been devising ‘A Drag Is Born,’ a new solo show to premiere in April 2024 at the NYC Fringe and in May at the Orlando Fringe. The show addresses a question I asked myself when I turned 40 years old: ‘Who am I as a Queer man?’ I’m creating it to honor my private side -so far- as a drag performer, as a response to the latest homophobic attack I suffered a year ago, and as a political statement against the far-right speech.
As I grow as an artist, I’m highly interested in spreading what I learned about acting and producing theatre. My goal is to provide valuable tools so artists can feel less isolated and can trust that building a career in the arts should be exciting, healthy, and fun.
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?
Resilience is my premium skill. My life has been harsh, especially marked by the loss of my core family. I’ve been hopeless and lost many times, but in one way or another -and with a great therapist- I have always been able to regain strength and fight for what I want.
My past as a marketer has undoubtedly enriched my journey as an artist, especially in producing theater. I not only met amazing people and professionals, but I also learned essential tools that make my path as an artist navigating a complex industry easier.
My perfectionism is a natural skill that usually tortures me, but it has also allowed me to learn from prominent masters in acting and producing. I’m always looking forward to learning new approaches and facing new challenges.
Pieces of advice:
Just take a big breath and check if you are okay with what you are doing. When you take the time ‘to be,’ your guts will tell you what is happening. This is a great tool to know if you are following your purpose.
Avoid torturing yourself with one of the capital sins for artists: to compare to each other. Everyone has a different context, circumstances, and paths. Save your energy to focus on yours; you will need it.
Find a supportive artistic tribe. As an only child, I used to do everything independently. But theatre is a social art form, and other points of view might enrich your vision. Also, healthy tribes support and need each other.
As an actor who trained intensively with method acting masters, I learned the importance -and responsibility- of artists to learn from different approaches to acting. Leave your ego behind and open up to keep learning; your craft should be made of pieces of knowledge that will serve you in a particular way.
I know that this might sound cliche, but an acting career is a never-ending journey with plenty of ups and downs that involve your complexity as a human being -and a nasty industry. Only when you accept the nature of it can you focus on growing, learning, and fighting for your purpose.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
The last 12 months have been an absolute revelation for me as an actor/performer and human being.
I began in 2023 in the absolute darkness. I spent Christmas isolated because of COVID, and I had a theatrical disappointment with ‘Fantastic Mr. S;’ the show did not work as I expected, partly because I had the most frightening experience in a rehearsal room with an aggressive director. I even asked myself if I should return to The Canary Islands and give up on my aspirations.
Then, I took a drop-in lesson at Clown Gym, a NYC school for clowning and physical theater created by Julia Proctor. There, I did not only have fun. I learned how to access my vulnerability more healthily, I became part of a unique and supportive community of artists, and I found the performer I have been trying to hide for many years.
I have performed more than my whole life in the last twelve months. Meeting new people (artists and audiences) around New York City has been exciting, and I’ve been wearing a wig and lipstick for most of the gigs. My next show is called ‘A Drag Is Born’ for a reason. I have become a very particular and campy drag performer, which I’ve done since I was a kid, only in private. 2023 is the year in which I took my mask off and put a wig on.
All my experiences this year made me connect with the inner child. The one that created stuff with zero judgment, just for fun. My artistic career is no longer in a grey area in which I’m unsure what I want to become. I finally understood -after many years- that I have limited time to go for my purpose. Of course, I might have bad days, but I go all out. I am filled with hope and feel that exciting things are around the corner.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.edudiaz.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edudiazactor
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/EduDiazActor/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edudc/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/EduDiazActor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@edudiazactor
Image Credits
1. Pic by Petter Skanke
2. Pic by Carlos Velasco
3. Pic by Jordi Torrent
4. Pic by Madeleine Joice
5. Pic by Rod Gamella
6. Pic by José Botella
7. Pic by Gaspar Márquez
8. Pic by Gaspar Márquez
