Meet Jaime Cepero | Actor, Writer, & Award Winning Activist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Actor, Writer, and Award winning Activist, Jaime Cepero. We’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jaime, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
I love this question. I think the world would be a little easier on all of us if we asked this of each other more often. For me, what makes me happy depends on the moment. Its often the little things. For example; My neighbors have this wind chime outside their window that always makes me smile when it’s quiet at night and a gust of wind makes it ring. I guess in a sense… Music has always been something that can elevate or reinforce my mood. But Happiness is different for everyone. One thing I’ve learned for certain, is that the truth about happiness is that it’s a state of mind. I think It’s an illusion to think it comes as an effect of some outside source. Happiness starts with you and how you feel about yourself. If you are happy with who you are, life tends to reflect that back to you 3 fold. I like to challenge myself to bring my personal happiness into the  room whenever present. It’s not always easy, and sometimes my anxiety sees to it that I don’t always succeed. But in the moments I do, I’ve found that being happy can be infectious for others if you do your best to let it come from inside.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve never really been the type person that liked being put in a box. But Before the pandemic I focused primarily on pursuing acting opportunities, while during the shutdown I began to really explore my other passions more fully.  At present I’ve recieved several institutional awards for my writing and community organizing for activism, which have kept me relatively busy well into this new year (I start an artist residency with The Public Theater later this month!) But I have also come to believe and understand through my artistic career that “success” isn’t conducive to being busy, or popular or “famous”. Some days I feel successful just to have had a good meal and conversation with family. Others I feel successful when finishing a deadline for a project, or getting a callback for an acting gig. Its an ongoing process, but I have learned to seperate the success I see for myself from how visible my work is in comparison to others. I want to encourage other artists to always remember that you are the only one that can set the standard for your art and its success. There is no right or wrong way to get there – and there is no time limit to how long it should take. Remember that you always have time, and you are always special, regardless of how busy hustle culture would have you believe you should be. Every artist is different and deserves the respect of that difference. I have been told no many many times in this industry – but every yes has made it worth it even more. It’s not easy – especially for black and queer artists like myself – but if you know who you are as an artist before you enter this world you won’t feel shaken by the falsehoods that the industry can project on you about your success. Take the time to really know and trust yourself as an artist first – and the rest will be gravy.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in New York City, so the opportunities for fun are endless – but often times expensive especially in this economy. My idea of a good time involves music and art (probably because I am an artist) so If I had a friend in town, I would start by having them over to my place for lunch and drinks that I would prepare myself. (I love to cook.) Once we finish I’d suggest a museum trip. One of my favorite museums in the city is the Museum of Natural History. In NYC – you can choose to pay what you can to attend the museum, which is amazing for folks that don’t have disposable incomes. After an afternoon wandering around the museum, I’d suggest a dinner and drinks at one of my favorite speakeasy’s: Hourglass Tavern. The food and drinks are great and it’s run by some of my favorite people in the world. To end the evening – I love to see live theater. We would hop on a train downtown and head to one of my favorite clubs, The Box, for a wild night of drinks theatrical performances and debauchery with some other performer friends. We probably wouldn’t finish until the sun comes up. But that’s what makes it an NYC experience.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m not a religious person, but I do believe in honoring my ancestors and the work they did to make it possible for me to be here. My most commonly practiced way of doing this is to light a candle for them, meditate on my breath, and hold grateful & loving thoughts toward those who came before me. As someone with afrolatino heritage, there is a lot about our ancestry that was lost to colonization. This is my way of aknowlegment to those both named and unamed. None of us would be here without our predecessors, and I believe that their memory always deserves its proper recognition. After all – wouldn’t it fill them with pride to know that even in struggle we living their wildest dreams?

Website: Linktr.ee/papimagic

Instagram: @papimagic

Twitter: @jaimecepero

Image Credits
Stephen Mosher Mathew Murphy Joan Marcus