Meet richard chiu | actor, producer, nft artist

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

Hi richard, why did you pursue a creative career?
honestly, I don’t know. I think its how it makes me feel. I remember as a kid, I found this guitar in my parents closet. it was this solid white and blue acoustic. something screamed out to me to play it. when I did, it felt really good. like I was able to express myself fully for the first time. I didn’t look for it. it found me.

after that, music kept taking me down different paths, from playing in bands, producing bands and composing music.

the same goes for acting and film producing.

I was taking a hiatus from music and was looking for something new. I ended up getting a job at Trader Joes. Somehow, a talent agent had come into my line and ask if I were interested in giving acting a chance. she gave me her card and invited me to come talk to her at her office. at the time I wasn’t interested in acting but I met with her anyway.

in our first meeting, she had received a call from a casting director for a role to be filled. and that was my first audition. which I miraculously booked. and after that first booking I kept booking. it was mind blowing.

I just took it as a sign that this was my calling. it was nerve wracking to be honest because I wasn’t used to being in front of the camera, but overall it brought creative fulfillment into my life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
as far as branding and my story? I’ve been struggling with this question for a while. its challenging for me to pin myself down to just a musician, or actor, or film producer, etc. I don’t know why. I’ve even come to just wanting be called an artist, but even that doesn’t sit well with me. but if we had to solidify it today, I’d tell you that im an actor and film producer.

I just love to create. whether its music, a character, a film project, or drawing pictures with my son, the act of creative expression is what fulfills me the most. no limitations.

but as an artist, I’ve learned to embrace business. and business is about selling one thing at a time, effectively. because honestly, you can’t live off of art if you don’t understand business, right? business has been an obstacle in my life. because my brain wasn’t wired for it. so, I’ve spent the past 10 years re-wiring and re-learning. creating a yin and yang in creative business.

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?
these days, im more of a home body and “introvert”. so places like the beach, chill towns like Santa Barbara or Ojai are places I love to frequent. and since I don’t drink, we’d do health food runs and eat lots of Mexican food. and for dessert we’d go to a vegan bakery.

next, id probably take them somewhere in Monterey Park to savor some of the best Chinese food in LA. we’d start off with Taiwanese breakfast which consists of rice wrapped around fried bread roll called youtiao. or for lunch we’d hit vege paradise, an all vegetarian Chinese restaurant.

but if they were into Japanese id take then to rice and nori in Little Tokyo to grab some onigiri.

and last resort? mod pizza

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
over the years, I’ve had many mentors and guides. read many books that helped me along the way. but I would have to say out of everyone my current mentor, Daisaku Ikeda is where I look to for encouragement and inspiration most of the time. his struggle through life and the way he’s overcome the obstacles says it all. he’s truly someone to learn from.

for love and encouragement, sometimes its hard for me to accept any of this. but I finally learned to embrace the love from my family, friends and community based on my Buddhist practice.

I also like to add that my son is teaching me how to love myself fully. when those buttons are pushed, it just means that its an opportunity to transform myself, as long as im aware of it. hard to explain. you just gotta believe me on this. 🙂

Website: http://imdb.me/richardchiu

Twitter: https://twitter.com/richardchiu