Guiding the world one tarot card at a time

Noelle Doblado November 23, 2024November 23, 2024 0 Comments

Finding himself at a crossroads not knowing which path to take, Ted Hsu was faced with a life changing decision. After 10 years of pursuing a career in neuroscience, Hsu took the opportunity to completely shift career paths, following his desire to make art.

After the pandemic, Hsu’s now wife, Emily Hsu, was offered a job in Eureka as a Criminologist at the California Department of Justice while they were living in Chicago. At a peak of burnout from his former career, Hsu saw a chance to shift focus to a different passion.

For Hsu, his creative mind has always existed, even while pursuing a career in neuroscience. Hsu recognizes the intersectionality of the fascinating elements of science and art that occupy his mind.

“The way I approach art, I’m like of two minds basically,” Hsu said. “I have the science side and then the art side, but at the end of the day, they mix together.”

Hsu grew interested in designing tarot cards because of his wife’s love for the practice and because each card has a prompt built into it, with every card holding a different meaning. Hsu’s project “Tarot of the Guiding Muse” features 78 unique cards inspired by Japanese art following the journey of Emi, a character inspired by his wife that is seen throughout the deck. The idea that sparked his creativity and passion the most was being able to turn the things he loved into art.

“One of the reasons why I wanted to pursue art is to remind myself of the things that make me happy in life. When I was a scientist that got kind of lost in the weeds, I was very much focused on work and forgetting the little things,” Hsu said. “So I thought drawing my wife, drawing my cats doing the things they do, acted like a reminder for me to not take these things for granted.”

Growing up, Hsu’s mother opened their home to various religions and forms of spirituality. With spirituality and tarot, Hsu found a method of meditation to reflect on his inner self and understand the world around him.

“My interest in tarot has extended beyond the spirituality and fortune telling aspects to more of a tool for self introspection and self reflection on what’s going on in my life,” Hsu said.

With his art representative of the past, present and future, Hsu’s connection to art broadens the relationship with himself. It reminds him to pay attention to the little things he doesn’t want to let pass by unnoticed.

“People say art is a tool for self expression. They do art or paint because they want to say something. Art for me at least is a way to look more inward. My perception of doing art is that it’s a meditative practice,” Hsu said. “It’s a way for me to step into another world.”