What pieces or projects have you been working on lately?
I returned to photography after stepping away for two years from everything that was supposed to define me. I went out with my family—whom I hadn’t seen in 15 years—to deliver large water jugs to the farming fields in Patole, Sinaloa, and I brought my analog camera with me to photograph life in the fields.
What did you learn (or unlearn) while working on them?
That life goes by and time forgives nothing. That a smile can be what connects different worlds. That life in the farming fields has many different faces. That a cup of gelatin dessert can be the best gift after a long day of work. And that the popsicles sold in small countryside stores taste infinitely better.
What words, ideas or emotions were going through your head?
Family, Life, Work, Sunset, Inequality, Unity, Nostalgia, Realities.
Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work?
Yes. I had a conversation while walking with my cousin, and I kept thinking about something she told me: “Tell God your plans so he can laugh at them.” It suggests to me that I should flow with whatever happens. I was also thinking about the book Killing Commendatore by Murakami. I relate to it because I stepped away from everything I thought defined me, but somehow those things return to you—or maybe they don’t. And the song that marked that trip for me was “Aguachile” by B-Side Players. It talks about the day after a hangover—about how, after everything bad you did the day before, you can eat an aguachile to recover. In a way, I think that for everything that has already happened, for everything we did wrong or that never worked out, there’s always an aguachile.
What's been the most difficult thing you've faced recently in your creative process?
The hardest part was returning to my activity as a photographer. I feel that after stepping away from what supposedly defines me—like photography or music—I’ve reconnected with who I am and understood that art simply accompanies me.
What is your favorite restaurant and what do you recommend we order?
I don’t really have a favorite restaurant, but I used to love going at 2 or 3 a.m. to Pagoda in downtown Mexico City, to eat tortilla soup and talk about life with my best friend.
If your life were a movie this month, what would it be called and who would write the soundtrack?
Tell God Your Plans So He Can Laugh at Them. Definitely, B-Side Players would do the soundtrack.
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 really like the photography of Massimo Vitali for his ability to capture so many situations in a single image—it almost seems as if he carefully arranges every person in the frame. And the photography of Enrique Metinides for how powerful, raw, and beautiful it is.
