The beginning of a great journey

What pieces or projects have you been working on lately?
I returned to Montevideo, Uruguay, on September 20th, after ten months in Barcelona studying the postgraduate diploma in Creative Illustration and Visual Communication Techniques at EINA.

During that time, I lived and developed the identity of my graphic work. For several months, I’ve been researching and personally exploring the form of flat, graphic drawing in certain themes with the pulse of my hand: birds, rocks, musical instruments, ceramics, and more. Recently, I’ve been actively exploring the flat, two-dimensional form of fish, inspired by my month-long stay in Portugal, where I encountered fish as a powerful visual motif in every corner of Peniche.

My working process consists of taking A6-sized sheets and, with a black round-tip marker, drawing more than ten sketches (as many as possible) along the edge of the page in just a few minutes, very quickly, to merge the conscious with the unconscious. That is the core of my work; it is a unique discovery that becomes 90% of everything. Without that process, my work would not exist, and that is how I built it.

What did you learn (or unlearn) while working on them?
Throughout this period of study and personal discovery, I realized that the “errors” we carry as human beings in our own hands are the only marks that make us unique. I categorize this as direct experience in the development of a recognizable, unique, and powerful graphic identity.

This allowed me to embrace a second fundamental lesson for my professional growth: to feel with love what comes out of my work and perceive that others feel it too and share it with me. From there, I took a crucial step toward building self-confidence and pursuing a visual path, a body of work that defines me.

Proudly, in this new stage, I also unlearned the way I had been working before. Today, I make decisions based on simple reasoning, from my own unique will, internalizing pure graphic mechanisms in execution. It’s a different perspective than the one I had been convinced of before, and it now fully defines me. I identify with it because I feel it: I want a chromatic energy, a positive, active attitude in the face of any adversity, always honest and embracing my genuine mistakes to turn them into something better.

What words, ideas or emotions were going through your head?
The sensations I experience while creating my work come from the happiness the production process gives me. It is real, genuine, and entirely my own. The love I have for my creative process is more valuable than anything else; it is the one thing that truly allows me to express myself: thinking, moving, deciding, dancing, singing, opening my eyes, tiring myself, and being happy.

This process has been intense, exhausting, and challenging, especially in terms of my own control and handling of the graphic material. Meeting myself through this work has been one of the most important experiences, allowing me to see the world and draw it as losdibujitosdepablo does, and there I discovered my “true self,” with my own voice, tools, and possibilities.

Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work?
Yes, many things I’ve felt connect to my own identity and helped shape it. Specific influences have a strong impact on my work, for example the film The Darjeeling Limited; I find it raw, austere, and direct, which fascinates me, interests me, and feels fresh.

Musical artists play an important role in my process: Seu Jorge, Vanessa Da Mata, Djavan, Stevie Wonder and Nina Simone, help create a harmonious sense of self where everything flows and connects with musical warmth. They bring me to another level and allow me to feel a shift throughout my body, enabling my hand to flow freely in the drawing process.

In particular, Jorge Drexler is an artist who has greatly influenced me. I’ve listened to him since I was a child at home; his musical warmth and, above all, his Uruguayan identity resonate deeply with me. His impact in Spain, his connection to Uruguay, and his lyrics made me feel very connected to him during my time in Barcelona, far from home

What's been the most difficult thing you've faced recently in your creative process?
I think I follow a personal philosophy at this stage, where I step away from difficulties and face challenges mainly through my canvas. There is a lot of work to be done and little time to deal with other aspects of life. What is challenging for me now is managing my hands during the creative process. Not in the sense that I can’t achieve what I want, but every time I make sketches with effort, my hands offer more options than I initially imagined or planned, and I have to carefully choose without overdoing it.

What is your favorite restaurant and what do you recommend we order?
Majide, a Japanese restaurant on Carrer dels Tallers. I like how intimate it is. I recommend the daily menu, which includes hot and cold dishes full of flavor, with quick service. I had a great time there; I went with an Italian friend, and it was wonderful.

If your life were a movie this month, what would it be called and who would write the soundtrack?
The beginning of a great journey, without a doubt. The soundtrack would be by Jorge Drexler, definitely.

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.
I don’t know them personally, but I’ve been following them for a long time, and they inspire me. I appreciate the work of Nick Dahlen and Marcello Velho. I am also very inspired by Cristina Spano, whom I had the chance to meet personally as a student in her course at the EINA postgraduate program in Creative Illustration.