Hello friend! Today I had an amazing experience exploring history and art at the Anthropology Museum here in Mexico City. If you ever have a chance to visit, I highly recommend it. You could easily spend three days there because it’s so huge, and there’s just so much to take in.

The Role of Art in Our Lives

Being in Mexico City is a whole-body sensory experience—art, food, textures, architecture—everything engages your senses. Today, while exploring the museum, I thought about the role of art in our lives. This episode is for you, especially if you don’t consider yourself an artist, because being a creator and an artist is a fundamental part of the human experience.

Are You an Artist?

If you say, “I’m not an artist,” this episode is especially for you. Growing up, I was surrounded by talented artists—my grandmothers and aunties. But I never saw myself as an artist. I could only draw stick figures and had no sense of style. Then, one day in college, a professor asked, “What is the most primal human instinct?” People answered with things like eating, drinking, and having sex. Her answer shocked me: “The most basic primal instinct of humans is to be creative. We are all artists. We are all creators.”

The Primal Urge to Create

She pointed out that every time anthropologists uncover ancient signs of human life, they always find art—cave paintings, embellished pottery, musical instruments, and jewelry. These weren’t just utilitarian objects; they were vessels for creating art and telling stories. Today, at the Anthropology Museum, I was blown away by the beauty and intricacy of tools made from bones and pottery with beautiful designs. These items were created not just to be functional but to be beautiful.

Art is Everywhere

It’s common to discount the primal urge to create and overlook the artistic qualities of what we do. Art is not just painting and drawing. It’s everything—the way we dress, the jewelry we wear, the food we cook, the songs we sing, the color and texture of our sheets. Look around wherever you are right now. Everything you see results from someone’s creative process. They imagined these items, brought them into reality, and made them tangible.

The Disconnect from Creation

In today’s society, we’re disconnected from the creation process. We live in a world of instant gratification. If we want something, we go to Amazon, and it shows up at our door. We rarely appreciate the process of sowing seeds, tending plants, and harvesting. The same goes for our utilities. We turn on the sink, and water comes out, but we’re disconnected from how that happens. Many people envisioned and created the system of pipes and clean water routing. This is another creative process we’re disconnected from.

Being the Artist of Your Life

More importantly than appreciating tangible things, it’s crucial to understand that we are the artists and creators of our own lives. We design our experiences, how we spend our days, how we interact with others, and our relationships. Being an artist isn’t just about creating tangible things; it’s about designing our life and experiences.

Active Creation vs. Reaction

Sometimes, it feels like life is just happening to us, but that’s because we haven’t taken an active role in designing our lives. When I talk about manifestation in other episodes, this is what I’m talking about. We have to create things in our minds before they become a physical reality. Everything is first created in our minds—our art, our life experiences, the money we want, the love we seek.

Often, we react to the results in our lives instead of using our minds to imagine and create a different experience. Think about what it means to be an artist. Do you consider yourself an artist or not? Start with tangible things. Do you have the urge to bake bread, cook something savory, knit, draw, sing, dance, plant something, make jam, or write a book? These are all artistic urges. You can suppress these urges, but they’ll always be there, clamoring to come out.

Designing Your Life

The same goes for your life. You can react to what’s happening around you, or you can step into your power and become the active designer, creator, and artist of your life. What do you want to do? How do you want to show up?

Final Thoughts

Alright, friend. I’m off to explore more of Mexico. I hope you have a great week and take a moment to appreciate your creative power. Remember, you are the artist of your own life.