Episode 18: José Cotto - Creator, inspirer, and cultural entrepreneur across scales

José Cotto makes his life around creativity, inspiration, and support at all scales. He’s a serial cultural entrepreneur with a perspective that the world needs more of. He talks about how his life has shaped and continues to reshape that perspective and shares thoughts to help you think about your own.

I’m joined today by José Cotto, someone who defies categorization but inspires at every turn. José grew up in a housing project in Worcester Massachusetts and throughout his childhood cultivated a desire to create which landed him at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He graduated with a Bachelors in Fine Arts in Architecture. 

He then traded his home state in Massachusetts for that of his father’s family, Louisiana, specifically finding a new home in New Orleans. After earning his Masters Degree in Architecture at Tulane University, José embraced NOLA as his new home and has become a bedrock of the city, enriching it and its citizens through art, public works, and his passion for community empowerment. 

In the eight years since arriving in New Orleans, José has filled roles across dimensions as diverse as education, design, and public works. A few of those include: Design Director at the Arts Council of New Orleans, Owner and Founder of josecottoCREATIVE, a photography and design practice, and a Project Manager at Tulane in the Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design. 

José embodies selflessness, leadership, and creative community every where he goes. He is one of the wisest people that I know and has a sensibility that I wish I and everyone shared. This conversation is about the development and continual evolution of that sensibility, in a time when it could not be more important.