When we first started talking about doing a podcast, Shannon was really into the idea of doing interviews. Luna… not so much. But then, Luna came across Nicolas Bruno and his stunning Somnia Tarot deck on Instagram and immediately sent it to Shannon saying, “This is the person we have to interview.” Luckily for us, Nicolas was kind enough to agree.

Nicolas Bruno is an artist based in New York. He works in the mediums of photography, sculpture, and costume design. Nicolas uses art as a therapy to combat his experiences with sleep paralysis. Over the pandemic, he created “The Somnia Tarot,” a 78 image series that tells the tale of the classic tarot through his dreams and nightmares, which you have without a doubt seen all over social media.

It was Nicolas’ haunting images and the diagnostic component of sleep paralysis that captivated us and made extending an invitation to be on the podcast inevitable. As we prepared to interview Nicolas, we discovered that his creative journey with The Somnia Tarot was not just a story of sleep paralysis, but also a display of resilience.

Once we started learning more about Nicolas, we became equally enthralled with his story and experience with sleep paralysis and how it lead to him becoming an accomplished artist. During our interview, Nicolas emphasizes that The Somnia Tarot, along with his other artwork documenting his experiences with sleep paralysis, were a personal way of turning something profoundly negative and terrifying into something positive and beautiful.

And this embodies our own work as therapists, and in this podcast. We seek to help people build something meaningful and beautiful, even out of life’s hardest moments. We have been deeply touched by Nicolas’ story, and his personal character.  His story is one worth listening to- even for people who don’t care at all about Tarot.   

We hope you enjoy our first ever interview with this truly extraordinary artist and human being.

Side note: Since this is the first time we have interviewed someone on the podcast, there may be moments where minor technical difficulties are apparent.

To learn more about Nicolas Bruno, his artwork, and The Somnia Tarot, please visit the links below:

www.somniatarot.com

www.nicolasbrunophotography.com

Instagram: @nicolasbruno, @somniatarot

Facebook: Nicolas Bruno Photography, The Somnia Tarot