I am Joan Miró, born in Barcelona, the ancient city that pulses with Catalan pride, a place where I first felt the itch to transcend mere representation. The Mediterranean light here illuminates things with such brilliance that colors take on a life of their own; my colors want to dance across canvases, bringing forth emotions, visions, and memories that stir the human soul. The Fundació Joan Miró stands on Montjuïc hill now, a testament to my life’s work and a playground for what I call the “assassination of painting.” Yes, I wanted to destroy traditional art forms – not out of malice, but to liberate art from convention, to explore a subconscious, dreamlike realm that lives within us all.

It was the early 20th century, a time when the world of art was wild with revolution. The works of Picasso, Dali, and the Surrealists fascinated me, yet I carved my own path, entwining Fauvism’s intensity and Expressionism’s emotional depth. I believed in bringing the purity of a child’s gaze to the adult world of painting. That was my ambition: to use art to explore the unconscious and express something pure, something beyond the reach of bourgeois restrictions.

I am filled with pride in Catalonia, yet I see my work as boundless, like the sky where constellations form my dreams. My paintings are not only shapes and colors – they are windows into the essence of life, expressing everything from my deepest joy to my darkest fears. Through art, I hope to connect with others, allowing them to touch the profound mysteries within themselves.

For startups today:

Understand that creativity is not a luxury but a necessity. The business world, like the art world, often succumbs to the comfort of conventions.

But to thrive, to innovate, you must abandon the safety of the known and dance into the unknown. Embrace contradictions, disrupt the norms, and never fear abstraction.

The ideas that seem impractical, or even impossible, may hold the key to your greatest success. Like a painter connecting colors in unexpected ways, find harmony in dissonance and create something new.

Cultivate a childlike sense of curiosity, and let your startup grow, not from rigid plans but from an intuitive, fearless spirit. Embrace this “assassination of convention,” for in it lies the heart of transformation.