Carlos Fentanes
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We Trade the Ticket for the Sugar Bag
The narrative centers on self-doubt, procrastination, and the struggle to pursue artistic ambitions. Through conversations with a friend named Jorge and reflections on personal experiences, the protagonist recognizes excuses tied to past grievances and fears. They confront their reluctance to take action, guided by messages that inspire self-acceptance and boldness.
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Are You Closer to Your Promised Land?
The narrative explores the speaker’s reflections on envy and self-comparison after receiving a letter from Jorge, inspired by Virgin Mary’s wisdom. Despite their initial intentions, they find themselves distracted by neighborly envy and digital comparisons, ultimately realizing that personal growth should focus on individual paths rather than others’ achievements.
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Goodbye Yellow Brick Post-It Notes
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John, often viewed as a critique of fame, is framed by Bernie Taupin’s perspective. The song reflects the tension in their creative partnership: Taupin’s desire for distance contrasts with John’s pursuit of fame. It illustrates how art can express unspoken truths and manage conflicting ambitions in collaboration.
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All Thing Must Pass
The post reflects on the author’s complex relationship with their late gallerist, Oscar, and the challenge of balancing artistic integrity with social media trends. Visiting Jorge, the author grapples with loss and the inevitability of change while processing grief through metaphorical comparisons to outgrown shoes and the fleeting nature of relationships.
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You have Started to Smell like Ketchup
Your ketchup is leaving a bad smell in your pantry. When was the last time you poured ketchup on your food? Was it with Thai takeout or French fries? I bet it was the second. You pulled out a bag of McCain’s frozen fries, tossed them in the microwave, squeezed ketchup on top, and started…
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Should You Keep Trying of Giving Up?
The struggles of submitting for Art Calls. Here I put my reflections about being artist and showing up
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Frozen Pizza Thoughts
My mother flew back to Guadalajara yesterday with my brother (who returned to Boston after) and a nurse. She’s getting worse, and I feel that being alone now—with only paid caregivers, while her three sons live scattered across North America—will not benefit her at all. My house feels wrong without her—too quiet, too clean, too…
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Your Thoughts are like Shoelaces
Editor’s Note: This piece continues my encounters with Jorge — a chemical engineer by trade, yet a priest by chance.
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This is not Housekeeping. This is Exorcism
These are further pages from Jorge’s writings, the ongoing Conversations with Virgin Mary. I have learned to approach them with less skepticism and more attention: each letter is dense, peculiar, sometimes unsettling, yet never entirely opaque. They feel like fragments of a mind speaking across time, a mixture of instruction, confession, and something I cannot…
Carlos Fentanes 