Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you
I am a human of the female gender. I was born and raised in Spain but have now spent more than half of my life in Montreal. I am a visual artist. I started developing my own photographs when I was 13 years old. I wanted to be a fashion photographer –I love fashion- but quickly moved to portraiture which I continue to do today. In 1996 I adventured myself into oil painting as an autodidact. I never studied fine arts. I refuse to get instruction in what I can learn by myself.
Your current job :
I work in both disciplines, photography and painting. Lately my paintings have started morphing into sculptures. I don’t sketch or plan my work ahead. I guess sometimes I dream about it because, the second I am awake, I know exactly what I am going to do next. I love it when this happens. I tend to create a body of work like in a dominoes effect. One piece leads to the next, often working in several pieces at a time.
In which city are you located?
I live and work in Montreal with regular trips to Barcelona to impregnate myself with the Mediterranean light.
A word to define what kind of worker you are :
I’m a workaholic. A perfectionist.
What tools are essential to your life (app, software, etc..)
That’s an easy question. Camera with film, paint, brushes and pure turpentine. And of course, a guitar or a piano.
What does your office space look like?
My studio is bright and spacious. I need room in order to think in a bigger scale.
A couple of years ago I temporarily rented a studio twice the size of mine to see whether it was going to affect my perception and therefore my production. I realized I was wasting too much time walking around from one working table to another. So I realized it is also possible to have too much space. I am very happy in my corner unit with 6 windows but in a prefect world I will have indirect light coming from the ceiling, like at the DIA Center in Beacon NY.
What kind of music do you listen when you are working ?
Music is very important in my life. I can’t imagine life without music. if I have to narrow it down to genres I will say Jazz, Blues, Classical and of course Flamenco.
Do you have a way to organize your day to maximize your work ?
As I said before, I am a workaholic. 24 hours per day is not enough time to do all I would like to do. I rarely stop working to eat lunch. I eat something, whatever it is the easiest and fastest, and only when my body starts to feel weak. But even if it works for me, I can’t recommend this to anybody. People tell me it is not healthy.
What tips would you give to improve productivity ?
Leave your cell phone home.
You’re better than your colleagues to :
I can’t answer this question. I don’t know whether I’m better or worst but I hope I am different.
What is the best advice anyone has given you ?
Follow your dreams and whatever you do, do it the best you possibly can. Overnight success it’s an oxymoron.
What is your best tip for saving time ?
Can anybody tell me? Please!
What is your routine start and end of the day ?
I don’t have a routine. Some days I sleep 4 hours and others I sleep 9. Some days I am in the studio until the wee hours and some days I don’t go at all. My life is very anarchic. I love it this way. It is the only way it works for me.
Aside from your computer and your phone, what gadget can you not go without?
Do my glasses and cigarettes count?