Meet Enrico Napoletano

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

Enrico , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I graduated as an architect, but the complexities of the discipline often hindered me from fully expressing my creative potential. In many cases, clients were not interested in the aesthetics of the project due to budget constraints. Over time, I realized that beyond the challenges I encountered in practicing architecture, there was something deeper within me that I needed to explore.

I began to understand that drawing was my true passion. I recalled winning an award at the Faculty of Architecture, but it was in a drawing and painting course taught by Professor Carlos Klaua at the time. I completed a painting in his class, and that artwork was recognized as the “Work of the Year” in the drawing school. The following year, the professor mentioned that a painter had requested that very painting as a gift. These events served as symbolic markers, guiding me toward a path I felt compelled to follow—whether for better or worse, it was something my soul was searching for. I decided to trust my intuition, driven by a burning passion that would fuel the journey every artist must undertake if they wish to navigate the jungle and emerge safely on the other side of the dense forest.

Finally, I began to discover other things, such as the deep passion ignited in me by the works of Peter Paul Rubens.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Due to my personality and the zodiac sign under which I was born, I feel the need to diversify my work. Primarily, my main intention is to produce the greatest and highest quality art possible, whether it be sculpture or painting, including my reflections and poetry, to leave an aesthetic legacy here on earth. Currently, my focus is on ensuring that each piece is perfectly finished before it is released, no matter how long it takes.

Of course, I also engage in other activities. For instance, just last month, I completed an online Master’s degree focused on Architectural Rendering, in case art sales—well, you know—don’t provide a sufficient living, although over time, I’m increasingly convinced that I will dedicate myself solely to Art., or rather, those activities that are aligned with the purpose of my soul.

There is also something exciting and special that I am focused on and studying diligently: I’m currently preparing for a course in energy healing. I found this course just when I was questioning whether there was a way to harness my extrasensory abilities, as I have been practicing this personally for many years. Now, I am professionalizing—if I can put it that way—in this field because this science is empirically demonstrable. I have even relieved my own pain using this energy healing technique with my hands. Yes, as you read, with my hands. The principle of this science is based on the theory that we are energy, and in fact, the force that drives me to create art is something I can feel; when it diminishes within me, I feel restless and weakened. The course lasts a year, and I believe my next project will be to help heal others, with the assistance of the team of specialists I am currently working with. I will start gradually; in fact, I am already engaging in my energy channeling exercises, and I want to combine this with the wealth of intellectual knowledge I have acquired over the years. If it is part of my path and God permits it, I believe it will be something beautiful and of great help to others.

This week, I am in the process of packaging some artworks that I will be sending to the Winston Scott Art Gallery in Warwick, New York, in which, I will present an exhibition of three of my figurative works: ‘Stela,’ ‘Bilancia,’ and ‘The Feathered Serpent.’ The truth is that I would like to expand to more exhibitions. One of my plans is to cover the Salamanca area. The challenge is that I am currently renovating a small village house I purchased in the Province of Salamanca. I am doing the work myself, with the intention of creating a studio of a certain scale where I can create my sculptures and paintings. But this requires both time and energy.
Finally, I am exploring the possibility of teaching drawing and painting through one of my two art channels on Instagram: @enriconapoletanoart_figurative (focused on figurative art) or @enriconapoletanoart (focused on abstract art). I believe I will lean toward the figurative art channel.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Drawing, poetry, and the piano. And I must also mention another quality of mine: the ability to make conjectures within the framework of philosophy.

The first and most important step is to find that fire that drives us, the thing that makes us feel like a Formula 1 car. When we discover what ignites us, it gives us more energy because we feel excited.

Every human being possesses a unique gift or special quality to develop and contribute to the world. The first step is to try to listen to yourself, to set aside prejudices, forget about what others might think, and ignore advice from people—in the sense that we must first focus our energy on listening to our inner voice, because it’s there, ready to be heard. These are whispers from the soul, our subtle voice speaking, sometimes quietly, because society has judged or disparaged it for so long. But it is up to us to decide what to do with the miracle of life—whether to squander it by selling it to the devil or, on the contrary, to take hold of it, nurture it, and let it blossom like a beautiful flower.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

That’s a very good and difficult question to answer. I start from the principle that we are given a strength, a gift with which we best defend ourselves. I prefer to fight with what I am until the end, even though it is very hard; the wounds make us wise and beautiful.

On the other hand, you might ask what to do about immediate realities—such as the bills that need to be paid! If, for the moment, it is impossible to invest in our strengths or build our dreams, what we need to do is diversify, but strive each day not to go to sleep without having cultivated something toward that dream. Over time, everything will become clearer, but the essential rule is that we must be constant, determined, strong yet flexible with ourselves. Just as a rope that is pulled too tightly may eventually snap, depending on the tension and its strength.

I also believe that when we do not follow what our soul is inclined to do, we are prone to acquiring some illness. Therefore, we must consider this point. The strategy, let’s say, is to always follow our intuition. We decide with the heart, and with reason, we organize and rationalize our actions. Finally, and no less important, we must clean and empty our minds every day. We need to rid ourselves of toxic external influences, return to ourselves, regain our strength, and seek inner peace each day. Every day, we should try to express our love and be love. This way, we become an incorruptible unity.

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Enrico Napoletano

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