We were lucky to catch up with Rafael Pere recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rafael, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I believe that the way one approaches learning a particular craft is an art in itself. In regards to music, I remember having the idea that progress would come naturally and that I would slowly improve the more venues I played; of course, while true in some regard, the real progress came through countless hours of solitude, through deep moments of reflection, and most importantly, through the simple act of discipline. Music was something I figured I would do for all my life, and there was a point where I began to question, “what if I am better at something else?”

At the time I was still studying music and living in Boston. I was obsessed with the movies of Fellini and Stanley Kubrick, and inspired by the way they captured what they saw within their mind, I embarked on the pursuit to do just the same. After studying music for a long time, and having spent years in love with only one craft, I recognized that each field in the world of art had multiple components that work with one another to create a desired effect. In the films of Stanley Kubrick, I was mesmerized by his use of colors, and the way everything seemed to be taking place in a completely separate reality. I studied the way his films were made and spent my free time watching behind the scenes footage to see what this looked like as it was being shot in real time. I learned that the almost cartoonish, “otherworldly,” quality I desired was acquired through the use of wide lenses and specific camera angles; the vivid use of colors and the striking image they conveyed was a matter of lighting and color theory.

After studying films on my own time and getting aquatinted with the the craft of photography, I realized that no matter how fantastic the image may be, no great movie may be immortalized within the mind without a great story. At the time, I had started reading the works of Hunter S. Thompson, which led me to read the works of Hemingway, and other well known authors. Here, I was to adopt the beginners mindset once again, and identify what parts of the story triggered these feelings of pleasure. In the works of Hunter Thompson, it was his subject matter; in the works of Hemingway, it was the strikingly simple images that conveyed so much emotion without telling you what to feel.

Every craft had to be broken down in that matter of, “what is appealing about it to me?” As well as, “how can I replicate that feeling?” Sometimes it is a matter of technique, sometimes it is a matter of what tool you use, and other times, it may just be your subject matter; whatever the case may be, it is important to note that you are the audience member for which you should be writing, painting, writing, etc. Learn what characteristics are particularly attractive about the art you consume, and then learn how to replicate that same effect.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

In 2018, I was part of the conception of The Band Pear, and went onto tour throughout the areas between Ft. Lauderdale and the Florida Keys until the pandemic in 2020. We went onto release a few projects, host a number of fundraisers, and take part in a handful of local festivals. The pandemic marked an important pivoting point in my career, as it was during this isolation where I began to realize that music may not be my calling.

In February of 2021, I moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music, where I began to take portraits of musicians who I came to call dear friends, and whose stories were more fascinating than anything new on TV. After two years in Boston, I decided I would pursue a different life, one where I could meet countless others such as my friends up in New England. Journalism seemed the sensible answer; though if there is anything I have learned these last few years, it’s not to hold onto any version of the future.

I moved back to Miami and got myself a job, starting over my college education and learning as much about the world as I was learning about myself. In this transitional phase of my life, I launched The Funky Monk, an online blog where I publish articles on a variety of cultural topics every week. To write about these various cultural topics gives me an excuse to dive deep within worlds which I would have otherwise never gotten to see, which to me, has been almost like a drug. The idea of the blog is to incite curiosity and to show others that there is vast and deeply bewildering world to explore. There are a multitude of hidden stories that can inspire us to try new things, or to see things from a different point of view. Hopefully there is a story that may strike a chord within the reader’s heart that encourages them to dive deeper in their experience of our planet.

Above all, I wish to encourage others to explore their talents and their interests to their full extent. I was not an artist, I was not a writer, and I was not a photographer, but I chose to be and did what it took to make it fun – not perfect. We all have a magnificent fountain of untapped potential, and if there is one thing the reader may take from viewing my work, it’s that there is as much to explore within the mind, as there is to explore within the physical world. Once we know what we seek from the world and from ourselves, the opportunities open up and we realize that the world was far bigger than it previously seemed.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Perhaps, though the more I ponder on this question the more it seems there is. When I was young, the idea was to have some sort of, “big break,” and that life would enter this maintenance phase where everything would be taken care of. As I’ve grown older, and explored more areas of our human experience, I fear nothing more than committing to one concept of what life should be and letting it become my ball and chain. Perhaps it is a simple goal, but my goal is to always stay curious, and to forever experiment with different methods of creative expression. I wish to meet other creatives, to learn from other creatives, and to share the different perspectives of our particular experience.

Art is part of our nature, and is an integral component in our sense of community. It reflects different parts of the world as well as the way that different people experience them. Perhaps that is to be the most interesting part of this creative journey: to see how much of the world I can experience and to dive deep within what it all might mean. For me, the creative journey is not one of status or financial wellbeing; it is a matter of exploration and discovery.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

In a recent interview with NPR, Steven Spielberg called his movie, “The Fablemans,” 40 million dollars worth of therapy, and it made me smile because I saw myself as well as every other artist I’ve known within that statement. We tend to live our lives in autopilot, not making much sense out of our emotional ailments and brushing them aside in the name of productivity. Art has, to me, always been a way to untangle this knot within our brain and to unravel an image; a revelation of sorts. It’s not easy, and most creatives know that feeling when we finish a piece and recognize we created for the sake of creating, as opposed to exploring the depths of our condition, or rather, the depths of a theme. To me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is having that, “aha!” moment where everything comes together; both subject matter and medium, along with the understanding of what it all means. When a piece is born in such a way, it feels like the emotional weight has been taken off your shoulders, and all that left is but a shadow of what hurt you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rafaelpere1108.wixsite.com/thefunkymonk
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thefunkymonkmedia?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-per%C3%A9-396a5120a

Image Credits
Rafael Pere