Kosme Millán is an artist well known for his paintings and his career in advertising and marketing in Venezuela. How did a graphic artist got interested in martial arts?

Kosme Millán is an artist well known for his paintings and his career in advertising and marketing in Venezuela. How did a graphic artist got interested in martial arts?

I have always had great admiration for the dedication that martial artists have. To learn this modality requires a large investment of time and dedication to reach a high level, however, anyone can start this mode regardless of their age group, given the wide variety of styles that Kung-Fu has, enables us to have an active life until you die. I and other older people who are also attending classes are a living example, although we started at an advanced age.

When did you discover Wu-Shu / Kung-Fu?

I discovered Kung Fu through Bruce Lee films, at the time I was fascinated with the images and fighting techniques. The body mastery of this type of athletes is fantastic.

Why did you start training Wu-Shu / Kung-Fu?

I trained Kung-Fu in 1978 in Venezuela for a short time, I always wanted to train this kind of martial art, however for work reasons, I had not had the opportunity to do so. When I came to Madeira, already retired, I tried to look for where they had these classes and found in Porto da Cruz a group that trained with a master trained at Shaolin Kung-Fu School of the Dragon Dance and decided to give it a try.

In addition to Kung Fu, what other activities do you perform or have performed, what are your professional activities?

I worked as a graphic designer in a construction machinery sales company and was always working in the marketing area of this company for 43 years until my retirement. At the same time, I was developing various techniques of fine arts and I have been working hard for over 10 years in the fine arts.

I see art in martial choreography, the harmony of the movements are often of great beauty, so I fully agree with the designation of "martial art".

What are the benefits of Kung Fu training?

Kung fu is beneficial for learning to be disciplined, methodical and contributes greatly to our physical and mental well-being. Above all, it helps our physical coordination, flexibility and concentration. So start training in Tai Chi Chuan and Qi-gong, and other styles of kung fu.

With age our strengths, flexibility, balance and other physical conditions are degrading, with these classes I have been able to improve a lot, in every way.

What do you think it takes to become a good athlete?

A good athlete needs perseverance, not giving up or skipping training, being able to accept the limits of their body and working it gradually to slowly get better. It is an ongoing work that the sooner you start the better. I feel sorry to have started this late, however, I feel a great joy because it is never too late to change lifestyles, so I am very pleased now.

How do you see martial arts today?

Nowadays martial art is a method to achieve inner peace, to be well with oneself, with one's health, it is not an aggressive sport, its effect on those who train is totally opposed to aggression, makes the person calmer, with dominance of their feelings and emotional states. For example, the control of anger, that of an impulse originating in a moment of anger. Our society, too, is different from the past, there is more violence, we have cases of crimes where violence is increasing, for example, robberies and other cases, which we think only happen to others, and if we know how to defend ourselves, if necessary, we will be prepared.

Young people today easily fall unconsciously into addictions such as drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Kung fu instils healthy habits. An athlete who engages in this sport hardly gets into these addictions.

What advice would you give to anyone who is thinking about starting Kung Fu training?

The only advice I can give is to be persevering, Kung fu is an art that you do not learn in a day and, like any art, needs to be worked on to bear fruit.

For the first time, you have an exhibition of the two arts you like the most (martial and plastic). Tell us a little about the exhibition "Porto da Cruz, Madeira and its Mysticity" that will take place from October 21 to November 3, 2019, at the Madeira Shopping Center.

Arriving in Madeira and looking for some leisure activities, besides the fine arts, that were useful to improve my physical condition, I became interested in the classes of Tai Chi Chuan, an ancient martial art, a Chinese gymnastics and Qi Gong, modalities available at the Porto da Cruz Village Center, sponsored by the Porto da Cruz Trail Team Association. Classes that normally take place by the sea in front of the Costa Linda Hotel, very close to the Praça do Engenho restaurant, companies that welcomed this project and made an important contribution to make this exhibition possible.

During my subsequent visits, I gradually discovered the beauty of Porto da Cruz, one of my sources of inspiration, a place I frequently visit, and started painting landscapes of this picturesque parish and the whole of Madeira Island. After my last exhibition at Santana House of Culture, Master Nelson was very impressed with the quality of my work and ordered some paintings of the Masters of his martial lineage from the Taiwan-based Wu-Tan Chinese Martial Arts School, where the Masters who founded the school Shaolin Kung-fu The Dragon Dance were formed and they learned the martial and therapeutic aspects. Nowadays with delegations from all over the world, and now also represented in Madeira (Porto da Cruz).

I would like to thank you all for this opportunity to spread my work. To Dr. Emídia Loja, representing the Regional Directorate for Culture and to Dr. Leonardo Marques, representing the Parish Council of Porto da Cruz, for being present at the exhibition; as well as all the inhabitants of Porto da Cruz who made time to also be present. To the painter Mr. Rui Soares, for also coming to the inauguration, to Dr. Nuno Alves and the Madeira Shopping Administration, who accepted our proposal and gave all the needed support, which made it possible to hold this exhibition in a renowned space, which today is also known for promoting culture and not only commerce. And a special thanks to Eng. Nelson Gonçalves, one of the managing partners of Hotel Costa Linda and Restaurant Praça do Engenho, for the invitation and all the support, for contributing and improving not only my professional life, but also my personal life, Thank you very much, master.