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In 2024, I returned to the same university where I had graduated in Advertising more than 20 years earlier. The old campus, a new stage. Everything felt familiar and, at the same time, different. Including (mostly) me.
Getting into my PhD was difficult. Okay, I don't think anyone expects it to be easy. But for me, the hardest part wasn't moving to a new field, spending years developing a research project, managing my nerves during the selection process, or overcoming the frustration of unsuccessful attempts. The hardest part was understanding - in fact, accepting - that a PhD was necessary.
For someone who teaches at a university and has just finished a master's degree, getting a PhD is the "next step" to growth. But, in mid-2017, I wanted to grow in other ways: I wanted to dedicate myself to drawing, to flesh out my portfolio, to find a creative identity. And the journey of a researcher seemed to be taking me down a different path - somehow, I felt "less of an artist".
So, after my master's degree, I went to study drawing. I learned the fundamentals, refined techniques, and built up a body of work. Little by little, I felt like I was filling a gap in my education, paving my creative path.
Growing as an artist helped me grow as a drawing teacher as well… although this growth, so significant in practice, didn't do much to help me “officially” advance in a so-called academic career.
Despite that, I felt fulfilled by being able to nurture artistic practice as part of my personal and professional identity.
Until my son was born. And everything changed. In mid-2021, the need for plans for the future was loud and clear. And my doctorate echoed in tune with these plans. Fatherhood can really put a lot of things into perspective.
But I still wanted a path that would allow me to “continue being an artist.” Would it be possible to embark on a new academic journey without distancing myself from art? When I first contacted the professor who became my advisor, I risked being assertive: “I want a research that dialogues with my drawing practice.” I was lucky enough to receive the answer: “I’m in!”
That’s how I began to study the relationships between people and environments. My research is leading me to draw “live” in various different places to investigate how the creative process is conditioned by the experience of the environments with which I interact.
Practicing "in situ sketching" in the ambience of the campus
And why Psychology? This may not be an obvious field for those seeking a doctorate that engages with art. But the obvious paths are not always the ones that answer what we are looking for. What I saw was that the “science of the soul” makes it possible for us to look at all the issues that make us human - including art. On this journey, I am grateful to have met people who saw me back, welcomed me, respected me. I have learned a lot so far. Not only about the world of research, but about opening up and accepting, allowing myself to be surprised and overcoming my our own blocks. We're still in the beginning, but I feel that there's a fertile ground to explore my ideas.
Is it possible that my paths in art and research will converge?
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