We had the good fortune of connecting with Jose Rico and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jose, why did you pursue a creative career?
At first, it was family members who showed me the world of music, and through the years of trying things to find myself, I realized I keep coming back to the arts, putting more thought into it I see it, I am not naturally a person of much words, and I perceive reality as very complex; the rapidness in most circumstances in life don’t allow me to truly express what’s in my mind, neither it allows for other people to listen or comprehend the messages shared, verbal communication doesn’t satisfy me, I believe it’s difficult to connect.

So, I realized that to express my fullness I needed to look for other outlets where I can project my thoughts and feelings onto the world, this way when I’m singing, making music, or stepping into another character’s life, I can free what’s inside of me without even using words sometimes, using a medium that all humans understand, the feelings, and also the arts allow us to express all types of ideas since art is the expression of the human essence, concepts that all of us have inside but sometimes keep to ourselves, so essentially I am looking for ways to fully express what’s inside of me or others.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am currently working with kids with special needs, and I like it, they bring happiness with their naïve perception and behavior about the world, and they always want to be playing and having fun, I believe this helps me to keep my inner child alive, I am learning from them to not take life so seriously all the time.

On the side, for the majority of my life, I have been working to find and build myself, trying to create a brand, a product, or a service, and I’m trying to fulfill my visions, I believe the results of years of commitment are barely starting to come to fruition, so I am excited for the present and the opportunities I keep looking to learn and create, and I am excited to see what the future will look like, once the fruits of my effort and work show greater results.

I studied business for 2 years, then I studied psychology for 4 years, and I took masterclasses on acting, filmmaking, songwriting, voice-over, composing, producing, music performance, logo design, crypto trading, and other various courses.

I recently got my certificate for taking the lectures on Shakespeare: Hamlet and The Tempest from Hillsdale College, and I am planning on taking more online courses, and to study more great writings, I just finished a singing/choir course from UCSD, and I am registered to take a course on Theater / Acting, and Short Film from UCSD as well, I’m also learning more about myself as an actor, singer and composer by studying material from the past, I am working on a third composition album, I keep auditioning for acting roles, and I keep looking for opportunities to gain knowledge on topics that will serve in my work, my artistic journey, and my own life.

It is not easy, it takes time, effort, and money, you gotta choose to do these things over others if you want to get certain results, and you have to keep doing it even when you do not feel like doing anything at all, that is the main message I want to convey to family and other people, that you able to search, find and create a version of yourself that will make you feel accomplished, I am not where I want to be, but just having that goal of goals is enough to push you to keep going as far as you can, wherever your destiny is.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It’s a tough one, but it also brings positive feelings just to imagine it all, my best friend passed away about 5 years ago, but if he or someone else were to visit and I was planning the whole thing, we would go get some Chinese or Vietnamese food, avocado smoothie, we would go for an early morning hike, a walk to catch up and remember the good old times, to play soccer and golf, maybe billiards, we would go the beach, for a bike ride, maybe to a bar or concert to listen to some live music, perhaps a museum, I would show him or her some of the things I’ve done and accomplished, we would talk about movies and music we like and we would recommend some to each other, we would play some guitar, try to write or compose a song, and find a way to keep each other in touch for future projects or a future visit, maybe even planning a trip to another city or country.

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?
To talk about every single one of the contributors to who I am and where I am would take too long, but of course, the family comes first, not only am I thankful for all the effort, support, and guidance that my parents have given me and my brother, but also I like to think about everyone and everything that had to happen for us to even exist, apart from that there are close family members, professors, friends, acquaintances, books, videos, creators, celebrities, businessmen, designers, spiritual guides, researchers, organizations who set an example and inspire, who share what they are, who live in such a way that they stay embedded in the mind and guide the course of thought and action so that someone like me can take a little bit of it all and can start creating a personal path.

My grandfather comes to mind, my uncle, my brother, and a couple of professors come to mind too, Leonardo Da Vinci and his quote “One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself”, James Allen and his book, “As a Man Thinketh”, Rhonda Byrne and “The Secret”, the docudrama “The Titans That Built America”, Al Pacino, Tom Cruise, Hans Zimmer, Johann Sebastian Bach, Frédéric Chopin, Igor Krutoy, Jose Jose, Dimash Kudaibergen, Zona Ganjah, Insite, No Shame, Thai Lopez, Tony Robbins, Osho.

There are also many photographers, directors, fellow actors, and musicians who have even given me advice sometimes, people with whom I have had the opportunity to work with on projects here in San Diego.
The list of writings, audios, videos, people, and reasons keep going and going and going.

People that I have the opportunity to share life with, and others that I can only learn from through the media but that are very important to the mindset I have, and that serve as a guide in my way of living.

Website: https://thericolifebusiness.wixsite.com/jose-rico

Instagram: https://instagram.com/jose_rico_ramos

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jose_rico_ramos

Other: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jose.rico.ramos IMDB: https://imdb.me/Joserico Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0sKiN2EsuvwVCQNdfj6Snm

Image Credits
1. IQB Productions.
2. Kat Liao Photography.
3. Diego Rico Photography.
4. Tiziano Mammana  (TM Media).
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.