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

Hi Valentina, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?

When you are an artist, there are going to be a lot of times when you feel like you “should” stop. Most of the times these thoughts come when you aren’t making money with your art or when you feel like no one is attracted to what you do. I think, the moment when you should “give up” is when your art, career, etc, is causing you more pain than enjoyment. When your art isn’t causing you to smile, liberate or just feel joy (anything positive), then, it might be time to let go… ALTHOUGH, in my opinion, you can always come back to it. Being creative is nothing about a quick race and that’s it. Being creative requires patience and the willingness to fall and get back on the horse and KEEP GOING!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been acting for almost 10 years now! Half of that has been studying it and the other half has been being out and about in this crazy but magnificent industry! I love acting and I’ve loved the journey it has taken me through. I love creating from scratch or from someone else’s script. I was trained through the classics and nowadays I do a little bit of everything! As an immigrant my schooling was a little challenging due to my accent. I was put on probation (even if I technically had great grades) because of it. That was a big hit for me. Knowing that I could get kicked out by an institution because my way of communicating wasn’t reaching their requirements was confusing and hard to accept. My self-confidence as an actress was very affected but I decided to take it as a gift (since they allowed me to Audit for a year while I improved). I had more classes, new teachers and new experiences that I wouldn’t have if I had a normal 4 year University Program. From there I got one of the most important tools in my life… It wouldn’t matter how many times I was going to hear “No”, I was going to keep knocking on doors and build my own doors!

Along the way of experiencing the acting craft I realized how beneficial it was to me as a human being! So, For several years now I’ve been finding ways to use acting or an actor’s lifestyle as a tool for EVERYONE! And that’s what’s in the oven right now… as I continue to ACT (film, tv, commercials, Voice Over, Improv…) I will share through ACTivate with Vale (Upcoming) the magic of ACTING and it’s surrounding lifestyle! Along with that there are several other upcoming projects both as an actress and some acting based ideas, as of know I would love for everyone to check Impromundeando (our Spanish speaker Improv Team based in Los Angeles with shows on FB Live on Wednesdays) and MALPENSANDO (a Community and School were we use Comedy to make everyone a better communicator)

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many interesting places in Los Angeles which is one of the reasons I love this city! You can find so many different “vibes” depending on your style, what you love and what you’re interested in. I call it the buffet city, a little bit of everything for everyone. I would say some of the must go spots would be divided between the “touristy” and the gems. For touristy I would definitely start with a hike to the Griffith and go by the Trails Cafe to get some food. Then go for a Hollywood, walk of Stars Stroll (there are several interesting and “famous” spots there), then go downtown to the Farmer’s Market, go to Little Tokyo (get some Ramen or sushi), go to see the art in Arts District (also great breweries!), then go to Chinatown and Placita Olivera! Then head to Santa Monica and stroll through the Pier, also go to Venice! Now… a different and least common LA experience would be adding Cafecito Orgánico at Silver Lake as well as many other restaurants and bars, go to Echo Park and enjoy a walk around the lake, go to Culver City Stairs for an interesting view of that side of the city… I have so many other places and honestly it’s hard to choose but those are the ones I can think of!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people who I would love to give a shoutout to! I’ve encountered several mentors in my life, support systems, inspirations… One of my biggest partners in Acting Crime has been Mario Barra! From doing little sketches, to attempting to host a show, to creating an Improv team, he’s been an energy that I love by my side and that inspires me to continue creating! And if I can add one more person it would be Juno (Georgina Nifosi) who has been flourishing more and more as an artist (Actress, voice actress, musician, painter, runs Neko’s Little School) and she’s doing AMAZING things with all of it! 

Website: www.valentinaolarte.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valentinaolartea/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Valen_Olarte

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valentina.olarte1

Other: https://linktr.ee/ValentinaOlarte

Image Credits
Mariangela Quiroga, Alex Zuñiga, Pin Lim

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA 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.