The Joy of Life: An Interview with Paulina Cassidy
Taking a break from her busy, well-populated creative world, Paulina Cassidy offers some remarks on her tarot decks and opens up the world of her joyful inner child.
QJ: Please share a bit about your background with our readers. What kind of artistic training do you have? And what originally drew you to the tarot and inspired you to create original tarot decks?
Paulina: I've been drawing ever since the age of 2. I majored in Illustration/Book Design in college. Al- ways having an interest in tarot, I decided to move forth in that department after some of my customers the past, but the ongoing suggestions encouraged me to give it a shot. I liked the creative challenge that the Paulina Tarot brought, which was a new direction in regards to focus, and the interconnection of a large body of work. Joie de Vivre followed soon after, and the process began again. However, I had a different perspective with the second tarot based on what I learned from the first. Of course, each deck had taken me two years to complete, but they were both well worth it.
QJ: After producing your first tarot deck, the Paulina Tarot, what was your overall concept or theme for the newly released Joie de Vivre Tarot?
Paulina: Second time around, I wanted to delve into something playful. I loved creating the Paulina Tarot, Joie de Vivre, and I like working with that sort of childlike from serious to fun when it comes to projects; I have a serious & private side as well as a childlike, social
side to my personality. You could perhaps say that the Paulina Tarot is the serious side of me, and Joie de Vivre is the child within.
QJ: One of the unique features of the Joie de Vivre Tarot named in the accompanying booklet. Did developing these characters help you connect in any special way with the energy of each card?
Paulina: The beings of Joie de Vivre very much play the role of friend to anyone who connects to the deck, I think.That is my intention. Joie de Vivre is strongly character-based, more so than Paulina Tarot. The names correspond in meaning with the respective cards, and the characters were named after the deck was complete. It just were longing for names! After all, the beings of Joie de Vivre exist in a parallel dimension.
QJ: Artis's style rarely remain the same over time, and the Joie de Vivre Tarot shows some stylistic shifts from your first deck. Are there any new artistic (or other) influences that are currently feeding or inspiring your inner muse?
