Meet Enzo Compañ Badillo

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Enzo Compañ Badillo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with ENZO below.

ENZO , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I was diagnosed with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorderder) not so long ago and it has made such a difference in he way I understand myself.

Suddenly, most of my frustations in different aspects of my life had an unified and more tangible explanation. I started to see my life less like a neverending series of unrelated tumbles and fall-backs and more as an unavoidable struggle toward a better situation.

I would say my optimism and a sense of purpose comes from there.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I work with my brother Salvador at Lørdag & Søndag, a studio where we work closely with mexican artisans from all over the country. We design objects that merge our rich handicraft tradition, precolumbian past and even mexican modernism.

On a more personal level, I am interested in the research about the confluence of academic topics and popular culture. For exemple: We were born in an island in the state of Campeche which held the last pirate redoubt in mexican seas. Right now I am about to start a series of works on how Disney pirate themed movies and atractions has influenced over our sense of local and regional identity.

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: Drawing shouldnt be an end it itself only (as in drawing a picture)It should be like a way of processing thoughts and the first step before trying anything new. At the same time it should be something that one shoul enjoy deeply, to be honest, I dont know how one could become a good artist or designer without this.

Attention: Attention is like the guarantee of love: love for your work and love for others. It translates to the attention to details and also the sense of everything we are willing to give in order to become better at our trade. Attention is such and invaluable asset that in this day and age there is a whole industry trying to snatch it away from us.

Concept: It is tricky to define what the word “concept” truly means. In the art/design world it has become almost a synonim for “theming”. I mean, i do think that an interesting design piece should be about something: having a “theme” or even a “gimmick”, telling an interesting story… However, as culture becomes more digital and faster overall, and as designers become more prone to consuming the same kind of images, we are in danger of loosing our ability to pour “real life experience” into our pieces. I would say that a good concept relies in how information and experience is organized in order to create something new. I am still trying to figure it out.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

In accordance to a previous question, that woud be ADD. Walter Benjamin, a philosopher I admire and read quite often, used to say that the explanation behind his melancholic and distracted nature, was that he was born “under the sign of Saturn” -the planet of detours and delays.
It has been said recently that ADD is a blessing in disguise, but I disagree. It is a curse (The curse of Saturn, I call it).
It is the cross I bear every single day of my life, distraction is something I have to keep at bay constantly. Sometimes it feels like a battle with myself, sometimes it feels more like learning to operate a very complex and delicate mechanism.

But then there is also this sense of reassurence that I am not an isolated case; I feel somehow attuned with the times. Being unable to pay attention properly is a generalized ailing.

Image Credits

Alex Raduan