Episode Sixty-One: The Byte - David Forlano

Whether it was the conversations David had with the woods as a child or the creative spirit that he embodies as an adult-all of it is a miracle in his book. This way of seeing has served him well and allowed him to be a channel for the sacred.

Transcript

My guest today,

David Furlano,

Doesn't take himself too seriously.

You can see this just by investigating his Facebook page.

He has a post of a very sweet monkey running around with a piece of chalk,

Drawing willy-nilly all over the pavement.

On this post,

It says,

This basically summarizes my artist statement.

Anything beyond this is overthinking it.

Our conversation is by turns witty,

Wise,

And provocative.

David is truly a Renaissance man.

He's not only a jewelry designer with a very successful line,

He's also a painter,

A movement artist,

Among many other things.

To check out his music,

Please visit his Bandcamp page.

His music is otherworldly,

Inspired,

And provocative.

He has very graciously allowed us to use some of it in this interview.

I hope you find this interview as interesting as I find David.

And now,

Episode 61 of Bite-Sized Blessings.

There is something much greater than me that insists I show up in the studio.

That,

For me,

Has been there since I was a little kid drawing pictures.

And my pictures got really weird fast in high school or early high school.

I was making acrylic paintings,

And I was doing weird things like decapitated heads in holes in this desert environment.

And they were like decapitated heads,

But they were alive.

They were like living beings or something.

And later to find out that my teachers were asking my mom if maybe I was doing acid.

Magic and miracles.

In some ways,

I kind of feel like it comes down to,

Well,

What were you paying attention to at the time?

What was in the forefront?

Okay,

So here's one thing,

Which I'm sure everyone's had this.

We had a pet die years back.

A cat died.

It was late.

She was old.

It was late.

It was Debriana's longtime beloved cat.

And we came back from,

We were out at dinner or something.

And I remember we had the instinct.

We may have thought about going to a movie or something.

We said,

Oh,

Maybe we should just get back.

And we got back and the cat was in really bad shape,

Obviously waiting for us.

And she was 21.

She couldn't hold food down.

And so it was like,

Oh,

She was blind.

There was something going on that felt urgent.

So we rushed her to the vet and found out we really had to put her down like within those hours.

And this was,

You know,

So it was going to be a late night.

And that happened.

And it was very difficult.

And the next morning,

I'm sitting on the couch.

The back door is wide open,

As we always do.

And Monkey Noodle was the cat.

And she would always kind of wander out the back door and sit there on the back porch and enjoy the sun and come back in.

And,

You know,

That was sort of her zone,

That back door,

Open back door.

And I'm sitting there.

And suddenly this bird comes hopping in.

It doesn't fly into the house.

It lands and hops in to where Monkey Noodle would sit,

Right on her spot,

And would just start chirping like crazy,

Looking at me,

Looking around.

And it was just like a trumpet announcing,

I'm good where I am.

I'm okay now.

Thank you.

And Debriana was in the back room.

And I was just paralyzed with,

Oh,

My God,

Oh,

My God,

She has to see this.

But I couldn't get her out in time because I didn't want to scare the bird by yelling.

So I tried to say,

Come out here,

Come out here.

I want her to come out.

But it was crystal clear to me.

It was crystal clear.

So it's a matter of believing it or not.

Anyone could explain that away.

And I can explain that away and make it a very practical,

No,

That's not,

That wasn't Monkey Noodle,

That was blah,

Blah,

Blah.

But why would I do that?

You know,

That's the wonder of living.

First,

I have to say that I love the name Monkey Noodle.

Yeah.

I think my most creative name for a cat was Fatty Lumpkins.

So I really appreciate,

Yeah,

I appreciate good cat names.

I also have certainly talked to many people who have lost a beloved pet.

And later that week or a few months down the road,

That pet has come to them in their dreams.

And kind of just saying,

Hey,

I'm okay.

Here I am.

I just want to say goodbye.

And so I think there's a whole level of intimacy and a different level of intimacy and love that a pet gives you because it's so,

It's the most unselfish love and you can love them.

They never judge you.

They never,

It's just this complete,

Beautiful,

Amazing way of loving.

And so I've certainly had my heart more than broken when I've lost a pet in the past.

It's kind of this grief that you never think is going to go away.

And when they came to me and said goodbye,

I felt so much better.

I think one of the things that I think,

One of the things I'm hearing or observing about you,

I guess is the right word.

It seems like ever since you were a child,

You've been kind of attuned to the wonder and beauty in the world.

And you've been kind of drawn to it.

So much so that you've wanted to interpret it for yourself,

Whether it was through drawing or making jewelry or movement work.

And I think living with that wonder and being in that wonder and bringing that into the world,

It keeps you childlike forever,

Which I think is very hard to do in this day and age.

But I think it is a superpower.

Yeah.

I mean,

Sometimes it's interesting.

Sometimes it feels like a superpower.

I like that.

I'll take that.

You know,

There are many times,

You know,

Along that journey where I've felt kind of guilty about it.

And in addition to that,

I have,

And this sounds really strange,

But sometimes I look at it and I think so many people around me have experienced such tragedy,

Such hardship.

And I never have.

I just,

I just have not.

And I look at that and I think,

Well,

What,

Okay,

So what's that?

What's that about?

You know,

Sometimes there's this wave of guilt that crosses over.

It's like,

You know,

Oh God,

It's so hard for so-and-so.

Why didn't I ever have to take that on?

You know,

I'm not,

Of course not wishing that something happens or that I,

That that comes on me,

But it's a weird thing.

It's,

It's,

It's a thing that kind of pecks at me a little bit and says,

Okay,

Well,

So what is that about?

Part of that might be that superpower,

You know,

That kind of saying,

Well,

You're already hyper tuned in.

That might wreck,

That might take you down.

If that,

If,

If X,

Y,

Or Z,

You know,

Happened to you.

I think essentially you're observing and there is a lot of trauma and a lot of discord and a lot of intensity in the world right now.

But I think your superpower maybe allows you to always re-center in this place that is hopeful.

So if that's a superpower,

I'll take it.

I guess my next question is,

Do you own a cape?

No,

But I would,

I think I should.

So here's a funny thing.

Liberace is related to me.

Speaking of capes,

I should own a really nice cape.

With lots and lots of rhinestones.

Exactly.

I should have one of his capes.

Thank you so much for tuning in to episode 61 of bite-sized blessings,

The podcast,

All about the magic and spirit that surrounds us.

If only we open our eyes to it.

I need to thank my wonderful guest today,

David Furlano for sharing his stories with me and his music.

If you'd like to listen to more of his music,

Please go to band camp and type in David Furlano.

Music in this episode is from his albums,

Blue snow,

X-Mix,

Shiver like dust,

And a landscape sheds its colors in winter for a chance at nostalgia.

I also used music from creators,

Brian Holtz music and Sasha End.

For complete attribution,

Please go to the bite-sized blessings website at bite-sized blessings.

Com.

On the website,

You'll find links to other music,

Other artists,

Books,

And change makers.

I think are hopefully making this world a better place.

Thank you for listening.

And here's my one request.

Be like David.

Live in the whimsy.

Live in the realm of imagination.

Be still,

Be silent,

And listen to the woods.

Because if you listen long enough,

The woods are sure to tell you their secrets.

He should have bequeathed one to every single person in his family.

In the family,

I think so.

Yeah.

Man,

Oh my gosh,

That's amazing.

You leave that for the last moment.

It's a weird little family detail.

Oh my gosh.

Did you ever meet him?

I did not.

He was,

I think,

Becoming quite untouchable,

Famous,

That level when I was probably when I was just born or,

Or,

Or,

Or pretty young,

A few years old.

He was at the,

You know,

I talk about those Sunday meals with my grandparents.

He was there,

You know,

He would show up there at those Sunday meals in Brumal,

Pennsylvania at my grandmother's house.

I don't remember him because it was before my time.

But we have,

I have a photograph of him standing with my parents holding my older brother as an infant.

And he was,

Even at the family dinner,

He was sequined.

This,

I think this was probably before he really got jeweled up.

So it was sort of like,

It was a mild Liberace,

But it was like,

Oh,

You could see it coming.

You could see that,

Oh,

This is going to get good.