With Carlos Piñana - Portraits in Times of Pandemic
Guitarras Alhambra asks Alhambra artists from all over the world what they think and how this pandemic has affected their lives.
Interview with Carlos Piñana
1. How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected your artistic activity?
Well, obviously this pandemic has naturally affected the whole artistic and cultural sector. I usually talk to my colleagues and they tell me they are in the same situation, that all the concerts have been cancelled. In my case too, in fact, when the lockdown was declared, I had an imminent trip to Lithuania, to perform with the national orchestra. My concert was cancelled, the concerts that I had in April and May have also been cancelled and, well, this is the situation that we have at the moment. We have to resign ourselves and wait for all this to pass, so that we can all return to normal and all of us artists can return to our artistic activities.
2. Now that we all have to adapt and reprogram ourselves to this situation, in what new project are you working on?
Well, in this confinement in which we are all submitted by responsibility, to take care of our own and to take care of everyone else, basically, I have taken advantage of this time, to play, to compose and to start recording my eighth album. It is a project that I had in mind to do after the summer, but given the situation, and that we will practically be at home for a month and a half, I have taken advantage of this time to advance the work, to finish the compositions that I had pending and to get into the studio and record. In a way, this is the only thing I have been able to get out of this situation. Being at home also allows me to not only focus more on issues such as the recording of the album, but also to pay more attention to the small details, be more attentive to the family, and dedicate yourself to other things.
3. In what positive way do you think this situation is affecting the society and the planet?
Well, I would say that, at the global scale, at the society scale, at the planet scale, there is also a positive side that we all have to see. Well, this halt that has given us life, this stop, that have been given because of the coronavirus, as I said before, I think it has made us all much more responsible, much more supportive and in fact, well, this solidarity that we are all having with others, is being reflected in many different areas, in many services, in many places and I think that this has to make us reflect and think that we live in a world, in a society where we all need each other.
4. What hobby or other activity have you started doing that you did not have time for before?
Well, in terms of activities, apart from playing, composing, recording, I also do other things such as cooking, which is something I love and in fact every day I always find time to cook, to advance recipes that I had missed, to do things that the family likes. But I also do other things. This time we are at home, also allows us to focus on small details and devote more time to family, other hobbies, such as reading, movies, in short, look for a cluster of activities that keep you busy all day and especially maintain that balance between body and mind.
5. What would you advice to artists and art lovers in general to focus and be positive on this global stage that we are going through?
Well, the advice I would give in this time of confinement in which we are almost all day with our instrument, is to work the psychology of music, try a little reflection and look inside and have a global vision of how our mind works internally, when facing our work. I mean, I advise, for example, that the musician, the artist in general, should work on such important parameters always developing that positive psychological predisposition when facing their projects... always thinking positively. Also of course, to develop that consciousness of capacity that the artist always feels capable of being able to overcome those projects, using the appropriate tools and methodologies and finally and perhaps most significantly, to develop that consciousness of acceptance. Trying always that the artist accepts the final result of their work. In short, I think that if artists do not accept how their work has turned out, how it has developed, how it has been carried out, then it is when the artist becomes full of frustration, anxiety, worry, and that is what happens later, that fear arises, which in short, is what makes us block ourselves, therefore I think it is important that artists, and from here I launch this advice, look inwards, study these parameters well and work very well with psychology, so that when they come out of this confinement, they are even more prepared and more capable.
6. After the coronavirus, do you think we will have learned anything and changed our lifestyle?
Well, whether my life will change or not, this state in which we are subjected, this state of confinement of confinement at home, it is allowing us to do things that we did not do before and that really are part of our lives, especially the family, which is the most important thing. We artists, in this case the guitarists, who dedicate ourselves to giving concerts and traveling around the world, that in some way, has caused that in some moments there has been a distance between the family and us. Now then, being at home, and being with them, makes you value them much more and do other things with them that you never did before. Therefore, now, the lifestyle in my case because it will be the same, in the sense of demand, commitment and responsibility with my work, but always trying to find more time to be with them, devoting more time since that is, ultimately, what enables to continue being the important engine of our lives.
