We had the good fortune of connecting with frank padilla and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi frank, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
the idea to start my own business came after a long period of time in my life that was filled with some pretty intense negativity and lack of direction. i was diagnosed in my early 20s as a paranoid schizophrenic. i had an extremely hard time dealing with this diagnosis that lead to the development of a drug addiction in a response to dealing with my symptioms. i spent about a decade trying to put my life back together, i followed the advice of western medicine on dealing with my mental health issues and did everything i could to do what society told me i was supposed to do, by getting a job, any job and sadly none of that worked. i only sunk deeper into my depression and could not figure out a way to learn to cope with the afflictions that i had been born with. it wasn’t until i turned 30 that i stepped away from seeking answers in the world of western medicine and started pursuing other means of explanation. i started looking into the non-western, holistic and metaphysical worlds and started finding answers to my issues. over the course of a few years i had learned a great deal about the true nature of reality and as a result was able to finally start healing myself from the issues i was faced with. i went to college for fine art and as a result i decided to start my own business catering to my passions. it has been about almost 6 years now, and i have formed a business becoming a holistic practitioner, artist, paranormal investigator and researcher and as a result i have managed to become a much happier healthier and more productive individual than i ever was before this. my business now caters to any and everyone looking for answers to their own life issues as well as helping people understand the true nature of reality. this brings me to my current journey that i am on. i am spending a few months traveling around the country investigating paranormal hotspots to decide what is real and what is not. my goal is not to prove to anyone what is true and what isn’t but to instead help people understand who are ready to understand. i have been to some very interesting places thus far, and i have been able to debunk some of the paranormal phenomena ive come across as well as to collect some tangible evidence of the paranormal. this business that i have started has been the one thing that has kept me happier healthier and more productive than anything else and i believe it will help others to accomplish the same thing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
the art i create today is something that seems to stand on the border of photojournalism and fine art. unlike photojournalism, which is supposed to be about presenting images that are clear and un-manipulated, my work is less about presenting an un-manipulated view of the truth. it is more about telling a story that is easy to understand in a way that can help others understand the current situation of the world and how it relates to them personally. for instance, aside from this current trip around the country investigating the paranormal, i am also working on a project i started in 2020, called “AMERICA2020, the reality of the end of the world as we knew it.” i think no matter who one might be, or what one might believe, we can all agree that the global events of the 2020 year have changed the way human society on earth functions. i spent half of the 2020 year documenting the actual events unfolding in new york city and then i spent the other half of the year traveling around the country documenting what was actually happening elsewhere. when this project is finished it will be a documentation of many different walks of american life and communities all over the country and how they have been affected by the 2020 year. it will also tell the story about what was actually happening around this great nation of ours during the 2020 year and then also how our country and our people were changed as we moved past 2020 and into the following years. this is all done from the perspective of multimedia fine art. this paranormal journey i am on right now will also be a document of the true nature of our collective reality through the lens of the fine artist.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
i have been to phoenix a few times now. i have to say there is something enchanting about the desert that i was not expecting. i am not typically a person who enjoys the heat and so i wasn’t expecting to enjoy myself in phoenix, however i found i couldnt have been more wrong about that! i have to say one of my favorite restaurant spots i enjoyed during my time in phoenix was “the fry bread house”. the meal i had there was something i actually come back to. the food was exceptional and the atmosphere and people were nothing short of a magical delight. i also spent my NYE this past december, 2022 at “charlie’s phoenix” and i cant say that ive had a better NYE in my life. the atmosphere was incredible and i think my most favorite aspect of this establishment was that it seemed there were people from every walk of life there. i did not feel like i was unwelcome being an outsider and i thought that this establishment was an open and accepting place for everyone, not to mention the fact that they really understood how to throw an unforgettable party that will never be forgotten on my end of things. i also visited a store called “time bomb vintage clothing” that really blew my socks off. the store itself held an incredible energy and the selection of vintage clothing offered there was incredible. i was able to find things that i never knew existed and that i never knew i could totally rock. the owner of the store was a very fashionable and kind man with a genuine soul who was very easy to interact with. i also got to spend some time in nature at both “north mountain park” and at “the hole in the rock” and i cherish the memories i got from both of these places and their stunning beauty.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
i would say there are a great many people who have come into my life along my journey that have all played a part in my success. i think the one person who has been there for me more consistently and unconditionally has been my mother, laure bridges. she has been someone who was always willing to try and understand what i was going through and she is always willing to keep an open mind as to what the true nature of my afflictions are. it is because of her constant and unwavering support and encouragement that i was able to find the courage to step away from what “i thought i was supposed to do” and take the HUGE leap of faith into the unknown that it took starting a business focusing on the holistic world, my art and the paranormal. her constant support and encouragement was necessary for me to have gotten this far and i don’t think i would have ever gotten this far without her unconditional love. i think in this modern age, the vast majority of society has no real true understanding of mental health issues like addiction and schizophrenia and thus lead their lives with assumptions and misunderstandings of the human beings dealing with these issues. i think because of these gross misunderstandings that it pretty much closes off a large part of society to people dealing with these issues and it is my goal to help people better understand these issues so that sick people will be able to find the resources and information needed to heal and get back to being happy, healthy and productive members of society. i firmly believe that we human beings are all connected and that we will not move forward until we all move forward together. i think if more people were like my mother then we would be much closer to that goal of moving forward together.

    

Website: www.pickledswine.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/pswinepresents

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