“The Fool: The fool on the hill”, a commissioned piece about solitude, wisdom and new beginnings

I recently finished a commissioned painting inspired by a scene from the Beatles ‘The Fool on the Hill’, which appears on their 1967 EP and album Magical Mystery Tour. This was allegedly created upon McCartney’s experience with Tarot readings and “The Fool” card, as he began to see through the surface meaning of this word. The lyrics describe a solitary figure who is misunderstood but is actually wise. He felt as though gurus were often undervalued and his generation should appreciate them more.  

Here’s a synthesis of common interpretations found in various tarot sources:

The Fool is the first card of the Major Arcana in tarot, numbered 0, representing both the beginning and end of a journey. It symbolizes limitless potential, innocence, and the unformed possibilities of life. He embarks on a journey with few possessions, stepping forward without fear of the unknown. Regarded a free spirit, detached from material concerns and societal expectations.

In a reading, it reminds us of the urge to trust one’s instincts, embrace spontaneity, and take a leap of faith. However, it also carries a cautionary note—moving forward without awareness or preparation may lead to folly. The card represents the balance between embracing the unknown and being mindful of risks.

Philosophically, The Fool embodies the paradox of wisdom through ignorance. While some see the Fool as naive, there is a deeper wisdom in their willingness to walk paths untraveled, suggesting that true growth comes from venturing into the unknown.

Youtube Vlog

After years of randomly recording my studio with my camera, I never really thought of starting a YouTube channel, I merely did it to keep a record of my surroundings and hopefuly later assemble mini art documentaries about it, just to complement my exhibitions. I’ve always been a little anxious of what others might think, whether I seem to be this way or another, or if I’m being misunderstood or severely judged, etc. As an artist, it’s not easy to decide what approach you want your work and your persona to have: am I being serious enough?, am I boring if so? How much of yourself are you allowed to be? Are you comfortable in your skin? What mask are you going to wear? It takes a long way to decipher and unravel all these answers. Ultimately, it all comes down to the eagerness each one has to learn and become a greater individual, by recognizing the faulty patterns that drag us down, oftentimes unknowingly.

In the recent past, I’ve gradually become more self-assured, I guess unlocking certain misconceptions of the world has brought incredible sensations of relief and clarity I didn’t see coming at all. These new states of mind are allowing me to express everything more freely, with less fear of judgement, hence the openess I’ve found in a medium such as vlogging. I won’t lie, I’ve been watching a bunch of art vloggers, and personally, in the beginning, I truly found the peace and quiet my brain needed in the moment. The first one I discovered was Valerie Lin (www.youtube.com/c/valerielin) , a german art student so enchanting that not only will she show you her technique and tricks, but take you on trips to museums in Berlin and give you insights on her experiences as a creator in general.

I  had enough material already, so I sat down & took some Premiere Pro lessons, began assembling this first vlog and also produced some music in GarageBand (it’s hard to find decent no copyright background music). I was so stressed about not having a clear idea on the video’s subject I just took the mic and started improvising. It took me about 3 shots to finally catch a decent flow and there’s the whole take with some adjustments. I’m excited to make more music to go along with these vlogs and see how this new processes can add to my regular ways of conceiving art.

La desintoxicación del mundo actual

Los objetos de los que elegimos rodearnos concentran un peso abstracto, y al igual que otros seres, aparecen y desaparecen, se ensucian, se caen, o en momentos de desesperación los despedimos para siempre. Nada en el mundo desaparece por completo, la energía que despiden con cada vistazo al pasado nos persigue (o acompaña).

En otras noticias ayer abrí mi feed de Tumblr después de ¿años? de no abrirlo, y experimenté una sensación de calma, de volver a lo familiar; un regreso al pasado que me contextualiza con un presente de letargo, de hiper consumo digital embriagante.

"M3ta", esta nueva "mega-multi-plataforma" en la que vivimos está tomando todas las decisiones por nosotros, a un punto que la comodidad de no conectar neuronas nos está fundiendo el cerebro, y nos aplasta en esta posición de consumidor permanente. Aunque sin ponerme muy pesimista, sólo quería recordarles lo bello que es trasladarnos a esos momentos del pasado donde más ávidos nos sentíamos: de creación, inspiración, conocimiento, entendimiento.

Vivir el mundo actual es enfrentar nuestra difícil realidad: tenemos adicciones, las cuales creíamos que eran "aceptables", sin embargo, el tiempo y nuestros cuerpos nos revelan muy lentamente que aún no sabemos utilizar nuestro poder como humanos, y que hay un umbral que no decidimos cruzar puesto que no lo vemos del todo claro.

Con adicciones me refiero a la adicción a la pareja, al café, al tabaco, el alcohol, el instagram, al cortejo, a los "likes", a los "DM's", a la marihu2na, c0caina, s3xo, tik tok, n3tflix, la p0rnografía, el azúcar, la grasa, la comida procesada, la sal, el odio, las tiendas departamentales, las joyas, los autos de lujo... la mesura y sobriedad en todos estos aspectos podrían darnos formas muy libres e innovadoras de vivir.

Desintoxicarnos de nuestras diversas adicciones es algo que está infravalorado, y con lo que todos requerimos empujones y ayuda, pero nunca puede ser tarde para intentarlo.

❤️