What pieces or projects have you been working on lately?
Over the past few years, I’ve been working seriously on EFEGE, and I’ve also been developing content for my YouTube channel. and lately I have been working on this idea of enjoying my privilege of being a tourist around the world taking advantage of the eye I have developed all these years.
What did you learn (or unlearn) while working on them?
Through these projects, I’ve learned about patience, both in myself and in others. I’ve always been a very impatient person, and this exercise of stopping for a moment to analyze what’s happening, no matter the stress or circumstances, has been one of the most revealing experiences of the past five years.
What words, ideas or emotions were going through your head?
“You’re not young anymore; take care, enjoy.”
Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work?
I’m not sure if it counts, but there’s a fragment of an interview with the playwright Cabrujas, back in 1995, where he talks about the multiculturalism we Latin Americans enjoy. Specifically this quote: “…we are the only true universal citizens on the planet… a Venezuelan is far more universal than a Frenchman. That doesn’t mean they are more cultured; a Frenchman can be more cultured, but a Venezuelan has a greater capacity to understand humanity, because a Frenchman is simply a Frenchman, while a Venezuelan can be a Frenchman, but also a Black man, and, on top of that, an Indigenous man as well. We should make use of the cultural rights that history has given us.” Understanding that plurality makes me who I am helps me give my ideas a solid foundation.
For me, it couldn’t be clearer.
What's been the most difficult thing you've faced recently in your creative process?
I’d say it’s been the ego: not drowning in it, but also not forgetting that it’s there for a reason, embedded in us.
What is your favorite restaurant and what do you recommend we order?
Probably Taiwan Dim Sum in Monterrey. Get the char siu baos and the mixed rice, it’s the best thing in life.
If your life were a movie this month, what would it be called and who would write the soundtrack?
"From there, yet here", and the music has to be by Milo J.
Recommend one or more artists you follow who inspire you, and tell us what you like most about their work or their way of working.
Inspiration comes and goes with the stages of life we live through. Right now, Milo J’s last two albums have flooded me with a desire to create, and Lil Supa’s album Serious has been a guide for me for many years. Visually, I’ve been somewhat divorced from references due to the overabundance of information on social media, but every time I see Vivian Maier work, I feel like going out to take photos. But honestly, I’m a child of the screen, and YouTube has always been a significant part of my formation. Channels like SsisiLu and Linusandhiscamera have been lifesavers whenever I feel lost.
