My Journey: From Music to Anthropology and the Connection with China

My professional journey has traversed many paths, from music to the digital world, but all these experiences have naturally converged in my current work in translation and cultural consultancy, with a special focus on China. In this post, I share how these stages of my life intertwined and culminated in my doctoral research, representing the convergence of everything I have lived and studied.

First Job and Music

I started working at the age of 18 in a pizzeria in Rio de Janeiro, but I soon became interested in the digital world. I began as a programmer, which quickly led me to digital animation and then to video editing. I worked in digital production companies in Petrópolis and Rio de Janeiro, where I learned to transform ideas into visual projects. Check out one of my video animation projects below:

Simultaneously, music has always been present in my life. At 14, I started learning to play the guitar, and at 20, while attending the Villa-Lobos Music School in Rio de Janeiro, I expanded my skills as a guitarist. In Petrópolis, I played with bands and began directing music for the Satura theater company.

After gaining experience at various production companies, I decided to go freelance in 2012, focusing on video editing. This decision gave me creative freedom, allowing me to combine my digital work with my passion for music. However, something more was on the horizon.

The Impact of Taoism and the Connection with Chinese Culture

Since adolescence, I have been deeply influenced by Taoism, a philosophy that, while not representing the entirety of China's cultural diversity, had a significant impact on shaping my personality. Through books and practices such as 太极拳 (Tàijí quán) and 八卦掌 (Bāguà zhǎng), I began to connect with this philosophical tradition, which later shaped my worldview and sparked my interest in China.

Understanding Taoism provided me with a unique perspective on Chinese cultural and spiritual dynamics, leading me to explore China more deeply. Although China is a vast country with 56 ethnic groups and immense cultural diversity, my initial interest in Taoism opened doors to a broader understanding of the complexities of Chinese society. This interest motivated me to study Mandarin on my own and seek ways to integrate this knowledge into my professional life.

From Visual Anthropology to a PhD: A Convergence of Experiences

After the 2013 protests in Brazil, my interest in Visual Anthropology and social issues grew. I decided to pursue Social Sciences at UERJ, where I delved into studies of ethnicity and performance. When I decided to focus my anthropological work on China, I felt that I was bringing all my experiences together: from video editing to musical direction, and through ethnic studies.

In this sense, my PhD thesis, which explores the cultural and political intersections in early 20th-century Chinese cinema, is the culmination of everything I have lived and learned. In it, I use my background in performance anthropology and my deep interest in China to understand how ethnic relations shaped the political and cultural dynamics of that period.

My journey is made up of multiple layers, each contributing to the other. Whether in the arts, digital media, or academia, each step has brought me to where I am today. I invite you to explore more about my current work and see how these experiences have shaped the professional I am today.

As I complete my PhD, I am preparing to officially launch my translation and consultancy services. Although I am still in the study and preparation phase, I am dedicating my time and energy to ensuring that, when these services become available, they will be offered with the highest quality and precision.