19th of November, 2021

My dearest friend,

Tomorrow I will have my first lesson at an atelier. I will take your advice seriously and concern myself more in enjoying the time there at the company of other artists and being in a creative place instead of focusing only on techniques and insights. If I found a professor there with half of your talent, I will be satisfied.

In order to inspire me, I had with me today a book with the paintings of master Bouguereau. If there is any truth in what people say, that beauty inspires beauty, it's quite possible that I will come back home with a decent piece, worthwhile of being hanged at the wall.

You said to me that no other artist knows how to paint hands and feet like him, and now, the only thing that I see is the little fingers present in all his paintings! Do you know what is more curious? Inside the book are some photographs of the real models, and all of them posed with the little finger that way!

Very kind of you to ask about my new piece of work.

I must say that I haven't felt this excited about something in a long time. I'm carrying my journal and my fountain pen with me again, and I'm already seeing the changes. Sometimes, even (or especially) during a trivial day-to-day task I'm hit by an idea when I'm facing the simplest things. Suddenly, any conversation catches my attention and doesn't matter if I don't know what they are talking about, their voices, their words, and the way they spoke are enough to unveil to me an idea that was hidden and that I probably would never have known otherwise.

The common, sober, and mediocre day is an inexhaustible source of creative material for anyone who dares to observe.

The days have been cold and cloudy, wey different from the days in California (or maybe not so much), but today, just like my humor, the sun shines over the snow and let things a little more beautiful.

Don't forget to send me some pictures of the paintings you have done these days. Your work has been and will always be a source of inspiration to me.

I wish you wonderful days.