In my last blog post, I was intrigued by the Departures Tarot Kickstarter campaign by Nick Jacobs. I’ve seen quite a few traditional, whimsical and licensed decks in the past few months of Fortune Teller’s Gazette but Departures Tarot offers a stark, unflinching look at life’s transitions. I’m absolutely thrilled that Nick has taken time out of his busy schedule to speak with me about his artistic and philosophical underpinnings behind this unique tarot experience.
For Nick, visual art has always been a deep passion. Growing up near the St. Louis Art Museum, he was particularly drawn to the works of Max Beckmann, a German painter associated with the New Objectivity movement. This artistic style rejected idealized beauty in favor of stark realism, an approach that deeply influenced the deck’s design.
“Tarot is often seen as a mystical tool, but I wanted this deck to feel grounded—unapologetic in its portrayal of life’s transitions,” he explain. “I embraced sharp contrasts, stripped-down compositions, and direct emotional depth, channeling the honesty that Beckmann’s work taught me.”
Visits to the St. Louis Art Museum, often in the company of his grandmother who loved art, were formative. Max Beckmann’s paintings left a lasting impression, though the full depth of their impact wasn’t understood until much later. “His paintings weren’t concerned with idealized beauty—they captured something more visceral, more human. That idea stayed with me, even if I didn’t have the words for it at the time.”
Around the same time, a fascination with tarot was ignited by pop culture. A chance viewing of Live and Let Die and its enigmatic tarot-wielding character, Solitaire, set the stage for a lifelong relationship with the cards. A Rider-Waite-Smith deck, purchased at age 12, became the first step in a journey that would evolve over decades.
A key theme in Departures Tarot is the acceptance of all emotions—hope, sorrow, joy, sadness, excitement, and even depression. “Many of us have been conditioned to believe that if we’re not happy all the time, something must be wrong. The term ‘toxic positivity’ comes to mind,” he say. “With Departures Tarot, my intention was to honor the rawness that can sometimes emerge in a tarot reading—the truth that not every message is light and easy, but all emotions are valid and worth acknowledging.”
Artificial intelligence played a role in the creation of Departures Tarot, a controversial choice in today’s artistic landscape. Nick, however, was mindful of maintaining his own artistic interventions. “For me, AI provided the base—the foundation for what I had in my head, what I had in my soul. Once that foundation was set for each card, I went in with my own hand via Photoshop to further refine and push the imagery.”
AI, however, isn’t as easy as just entering a prompt, using AI presented unique challenges. “Temperance was a tough card for AI to understand. Maybe it’s the concept of water or ether flowing from one cup into another. The Suit of Blades was also tricky since AI platforms have strict guidelines around depicting weapons.”
He also highlight that a tarot deck is more than just its imagery. “Creativity in a tarot deck doesn’t stop at the images. There’s the design of the cards, the back, the guidebook, the box, marketing assets—it’s a full experience that should be a reflection of the artist’s vision and care.”
Speaking of artist’s vision, many of the cards in Departures Tarot feature ghostly figures and fragmented human forms, a visual choice that represents the weight of personal histories. “So much of tarot has been overtaken by the idea of ‘seeing the future’ that we often forget the answers we seek can already be found in our past.”
The deck also draws parallels between history and the present. The themes explored in New Objectivity—sadness, greed, strife, and the struggle of rebuilding after war—resonate deeply today. “With the cost of living soaring and no relief in sight, I thought about how art has always been a mirror to society, reflecting both its fractures and its resilience.”
Among the Nick’s favorite cards is The Hanged Man. “Maybe it’s his ruggedly handsome appearance, or perhaps it’s the neutral tones punctuated by pops of color, but I absolutely adore this version of him.” The Knight of Swords is another standout, with his airy, ethereal presence lending new depth to the traditionally aggressive card.
Departures Tarot follows the success of The Haptic Tarot, and one major lesson from that experience was the importance of pacing. “The excitement of creating, producing, marketing, and launching my own deck completely took over. By the time I shipped out the very last deck, I was exhausted. This time, I’m making space to enjoy the process—and my personal life, too.”
“There’s a saying from Mark Twain that encapsulates Departures Tarot: “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.” I believe this applies not just to world history but to personal history as well. Humans often make the same mistakes over and over again, and tarot can serve as a tool to help break that cycle by offering insight, reflection, and awareness.
When people use the deck, I want them to understand that sometimes the best answers lie behind them—within their past experiences, choices, and lessons—waiting to be acknowledged and understood.” He adds.
For aspiring Kickstarter creators, his advice is simple: “Slow down, do your research, and make something you genuinely love. People can feel when something has heart.”
With its raw, unfiltered perspective on life’s transitions, Departures Tarot stands as a bold statement in the world of tarot. At time of publication, Departures Tarot is fully funded and still available on Kickstarter. Nick is also helping his friend and tarot confidant, Hannah Levy, with her print publication, The Rebis. This yearly literary journal focuses on a single tarot card and invites writers, artists, poets, and other creators to contribute their work.
He also owns and operates his own tarot reading business, Page of Cups Tarot Readings in San Francisco, California.
Leave a Reply