About Pentimento Life

What is Pentimento.Life

Like pentimento, the subtle, unseen marks of an underpainting showing through a final masterpiece, this site explores memories and underlying truths that shape lives. It’s an invitation to trace the canvas of your own life and look beyond the surface to reveal the patterns that get you thinking.

Tracing roots of your present-day self. A childhood dream or a forgotten lesson still influences your choices today.

Identify the spirals of life. Learn to recognize the patterns you've repeated—the cycles of success, struggle, love, and loss—and understand why they reappear.

See the beauty in the layers. See your life not as a simple line from birth to now, but as a rich tapestry of layers, with each one contributing to the masterpiece you are.

By tracing these layers, you can understand your past, live more intentionally in the present, and begin to consciously create.

What is Pentimento

Picassos' Pentimento

This is a painting by Pablo Picasso, specifically his 1903 work "The Old Guitarist." The version in the photo is a fascinating X-ray image of the painting, which reveals pentimento.

In this image, you can clearly see the figure of a woman's head and body just above and behind the guitarists. She appears to be sitting and holding a child or perhaps a vase, and her form is distinct from the final, somber figure of the guitarist. There are actually three images behind the guitarist.

Discovering pentimento

how close are we to our past?

This ghost image is the perfect visual metaphor for how I think of life being traced, learning by repeating or finding new ways. How many times do we try and in how many ways, to reach a goal, find new ways to experience life.

The Woman as the "Past Self": The hidden figure of the woman is like a previous version of ourselves—a past self or a past reality. Her presence is a physical reminder that our life stories are built upon what came before. Just as Picasso painted over her to create a new image, we often build our present lives on top of our past selves, sometimes consciously and sometimes not.

trace to your personal canvas

Words like Trace and Pentimento are reflective of my attempt to consciously move forward. Of course I cannot put every single memory to pen, in fact there is a huge time period I struggle to remember at all. With the help of one of the most knowledgeable women I know on this topic, I am slowing starting to bring that time to the present, make amends, and apply this survival mode I am always living. Thank you, G.

shakin' the tree

A Prequel

My project, "pentimento life," is a prequel to what may become a blog for others who, like me, want to share their truth and connect with others. I am grateful that I can edit this site whenever I wish, as it evolves daily throughout the building process. The most challenging work is already complete; I have sorted through over 4,000 pictures and organized them into folders. It serves as the biggest cover letter I have ever written, a place to speak from the heart, free from the fleeting opinions often found on social media.

What is the inspiration behind www.pentimento.life?

This has been a project floating around in the back of my mind for a very long time. I started it for myself, as a way to focus on all the changes that impact my life right now. Each day, I'm amazed at how it morphs into something bigger than I first envisioned. I wanted a single place to organize my life by decade, which makes it so much easier to focus on my memories. The energy I pour into this daily is incredibly positive. I truly believe we are all the same at our core. It's our unique differences in looks, color, age, and background that make us interesting and, if we're smart, valuable to one another. Our spiritual selves may seek guidance, but our humanity is what carries us and connects us to each other throughout our lives.

What do I hope you take away from this site.

This is a reflection on the human element and my own journey through life. It's a way to revisit my inner child and explore the influences that have brought me to each stage. I've chosen to look at my life in ten-year segments. The first and second decades are my foundations. My third and fourth, however, are dedicated to the friends I’ve known and some I have hurt; this is my way of acknowledging that part of my past and making peace. My fifth decade was a transformative ten-year period spent in Belize. My sixth decade finds me here in the Yucatan, in this tiny room. For my friends who ask what it was like, this site will show them just that. But it's also a deeply personal cover letter—a way to seek partners who share my vision for monetizing what we do best.

What you say to your younger self

This is a really thoughtful question. If you're 60 years old and looking back, the advice you'd give your younger self would likely be a mix of regret, wisdom, and encouragement. It's about recognizing what truly matters in the long run. Ultimately, these questions often revolve around appreciating the present, taking care of yourself, and prioritizing experiences and relationships over material possessions and career status. It's a reminder that life is shorter than you think.

Where do you see yourself ten years from now

The "where do you see yourself in five years?" interview question is one of the most dreaded because it often feels disingenuous. It's more about giving the "right" answer than it is about a genuine long-term plan.

Your reflection on it now is a great example of how we find clarity with time. Looking back, you can see what truly mattered and what you were really striving for, even if you couldn't articulate it at that moment. Life's path isn't a straight line, and it's full of unexpected turns.

It's a beautiful thing to be able to look back and connect the dots. The "blanks" you're filling in now are the lessons and wisdom you've gained along the way. That's a sign of a life well-lived and well-reflected upon. Learning never stops.

pentimento.life