We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nicolas Bruno a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nicolas, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

During the pandemic, I dedicated the entirety of 2020 to creating The Somnia Tarot, a series of seventy-eight artworks that tell the tale of the classic tarot through photography, sculpture, and costume design. Each image is woven with symbolism from my experiences with sleep paralysis – a once overwhelming condition that I’ve learned to confront through art. With the future uncertain, I spent countless hours sketching, researching Tarot history, studying Jungian archetypes, and speaking with practitioners worldwide.

With meticulous planning, I photographed each image in the marshlands and shorelines of Long Island. I chased sporadic weather patterns that consisted of heavy rain and overcast skies to establish the ominous themes in certain works. In the bright months of summer, I prepared scenes in complete darkness before the sun rose above the horizon. Conversely, I found myself swimming under moonlight in the marshland channels to capture the ideal scene for ‘The Moon’. I fully embraced the archetypes through self portraiture, even suspending myself for ‘The Hanged Man’ to experience the essence of the card.

For compositions with multiple characters, I used an interval shutter timer to capture myself in different areas of the image. After I photographed alternating postures and costume changes, I obtained enough images to merge and create the final composition. The female characters within this series are portrayed by my sister, my fiancée, and my close friends. Relics from my great-grandmother, such as her teapot in ‘Temperance’, and her sewing machine in ‘The Empress’, were woven throughout the body of work.

Through The Somnia Tarot, I hope you’ll be inspired to explore the depths of the subconscious, facing your own shadows and finding the treasures that lie beneath the surface.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Nicolas Bruno, and I’m a New York-based artist working in the mediums of photography, sculpture, and costume design. Over the past fifteen years, I’ve created a therapeutic process of transforming my sleep paralysis experiences into haunting works of art. In my archive of work, I confront my darkest dreams and reflect intensely on the archetypal stories within them. I have dedicated my life to creating artwork that inspires others to use art as their own positive outlet for self-expression. I am the creator of The Somnia Tarot deck, as well as the new The Somnia Oracle series, which just launched on Kickstarter.

My process begins with dream journaling. I document every detail of my dreams – transcribing emotions, settings, and figures that I encounter in the liminal space between sleep and consciousness. Each journal entry becomes the catalyst and blueprint for a new image. Once I choose a concept to work with, I begin creating a refined sketch of the scene. I will carefully build props and sew costumes by modifying found or antique materials.

This hands-on process is integral to my craft, as it allows me to transmute my dreams into a physical form. By photographing and modeling for each scene, I am able to overcome the terrifying aspects of my sleep disorder and relive each dream with complete control.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I began high school, I started experiencing frequent episodes of sleep paralysis, which heavily impacted my day-to-day life. From terrifying dreams to insomnia and depression, I would often stay awake just to avoid going back into this dream state. My grades began to decline, and I started losing interest in my hobbies. My photography class became my refuge, where I could distract myself with the creation of art. After sharing my troubles with my teacher, he recommended that I should begin a dream journal. After months of journaling, I began to transform these entries into self-portraits. Each self-portrait helped me express what I would suffer through each night. After sharing my story and work online, I began to receive countless messages from individuals around the world who also experienced sleep paralysis. Feeling less alone in this situation, I felt compelled to continue this dialogue through the creation of new artworks. It became my mission to use my photographs to spread awareness of sleep paralysis and help others understand this complex sleep disorder.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As I started my photography career, I often looked to professional photographers for inspiration on how to create compelling imagery. The world of camera gear can become overwhelming, especially when you don’t have a budget to work with. Over time, it became apparent that your creativity, resourcefulness, and storytelling matter far more than the gear itself. Some of my most impactful images came from working with what I had, focusing on technique rather than relying on expensive equipment to define the outcome.

In my creative process, I adhere to using minimal equipment and up-cycled materials to produce my final images. For props and costumes, utilizing resources such as thrift stores and social media marketplaces can drastically decrease the budget for your production. For modeling, I find that using self-portraits or collaborating with your friends and family creates a memorable experience that adds a personal authenticity to each artwork. With creativity and planning, you can create a unique photograph in your own backyard or local park that tells a powerful story. The most important take-away is to continue to create, even when resources are limited, so we can begin to break boundaries and redefine the possibilities of our art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nicolasbrunophotography.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/nicolasbruno
• Other: My new Kickstarter campaign:
  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thesomniatarot/the-somnia-tarot-and-oracle-series-decks

  somniatarot.com