La pasion como puerta de la magia en la vida: Maria de los Milagros Baylac at TEDxBahiaBlanca
The speaker advocates that true power comes from self-acceptance and the commitment to being an artist in daily life, utilizing the simple act of observation and play. She argues that happiness is maintained through focusing on three constants: playfulness, living in the moment, and fostering innate creativity. The ability to sustain this creative focus is maintained by embracing change and experiencing life fully, as illustrated by her travel and painting. ## Speakers & Context - **Speaker:** Unnamed female speaker (presented at a TEDx event). - **Context:** Sharing a personal narrative about finding self-expression and the magic of daily living. - **Interaction:** Engages the audience by asking them to participate and be artists in their own lives. ## Theses & Positions - The only true power possessed is *"being myself"* after learning to accept oneself. - Being an artist is defined as the ability *"to navigate uncertainty"* and continuously adapt. - Happiness is a constant maintained by three variables: *play, presence (the here and now), and imagination*. - Human nature is inherently creative: *"We are born to be passionate. We are born to wake up every day with a smile, and decide how we want to enjoy life."* - The great invention is believing that everyone can be an artist in daily life and let themselves dream. - The goal is to move beyond representing or portraying others' lives to allowing one's own experience to flow naturally. - When stuck in dissatisfaction, one must ask: *"Why am I here? What reality is this situation showing me?"* ## Concepts & Definitions - **Artist (daily life):** The ability to find moments of creative engagement through small actions, such as simply observing the person next to you and searching for details. - **Innocence:** Defined as *"an emotion. It is a feeling that makes you passionate"* and is recognized as the *"surprise"* that is not lost over time. - **The Three Variables of Happiness:** Time, money, and *energy* (which relates to the ability to stay present). - **Passion:** Must be *"cultivated, nourished."* ## Mechanisms & Processes - **The Creative Process:** Overcoming the initial realization that everything seen is already invented by reframing personal endeavor as a continuous performance of self-belief. - **Embracing Change:** Being accustomed to constant change, like the constant changing rules in her country, is the essence of artistry. - **Overcoming Fear:** Instead of protecting oneself from potential harm (e.g., death), one must *"break that shell, allow myself to be aware."* - **Momentum Building:** Life progresses when one continues to take risks and opportunities, recognizing that delays in action often result in the desired moment coming around again later. - **Emotional Integration:** After significant experiences, one must *"integrate it. You have to embrace it. You have to know your family tree, where you come from."* ## Timeline & Sequence - **Childhood:** Dreamed of flying, utopias, and was a passionate book addict, reading about everything—from art to mechanics and world travel. - **Adulthood/Present:** Focuses on *living* the dreams of childhood rather than just reading about them. - **Career History:** Worked at the **Argentine Foreign Ministry** for **6 years** while wearing a suit, at age **25** (Speaker notes she is now **35** but feels **25**). - **Recent Experience:** Experienced having all money stolen while traveling in Asia. ## Named Entities - **Buenos Aires** — Location where the speaker rode a bike. - **Bahia Blanca** — Speaker's place of origin. - **Holland** — Place the speaker wished to live. - **Paris** — Place the speaker wished to live. - **Japan** — Place the speaker wished to visit. - **Argentina** — Country where the speaker worked at the Foreign Ministry. - **Vietnam and Cambodia** — Locations related to the travel plan the speaker considered sacrificing for a person. ## Numbers & Data - Speaker's current age: **35**. - Speaker's perceived age: **25**. - Duration of work at Argentine Foreign Ministry: **6 years**. - The number of questions she asks herself daily: **3**. - The number of "variables" for happiness: **3**. ## Examples & Cases - **Childhood Dreams:** Wanted to fly, dreamed of utopias, and studied subjects like art, electricity, and world travel like Marco Polo. - **Travel/Worldview:** Has experienced going to the sea and the mountains, which teaches that "Life is easy." - **Artistic Mediums:** Has painted with **fingertips, leaves,** and **ice cream spoons**. - **Adventure Activities:** Has gone **zip-lining** and **parachuting** (where she thought she was going to die). - **Emotional Benchmark:** Tracing the feeling of seeing a sunrise that makes one shed a tear, or smelling a flower again. - **Career Pivot:** Decided she did not want to be an actress or continually representing a story, opting instead for painting because it was part of her nature. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Paintbrush** — The speaker’s "magic wand" and primary artistic tool. - **Paintings** — The physical output of her art. - **Train/Bike** — Used as symbolic elements in describing movement and chance encounters. ## References Cited - None. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Art vs. Portrayal:** Chose painting/art because she realized she "didn't want to portray the life of another" or continually represent a story. - **Planning vs. Present:** Sometimes certain people or circumstances are lies told to avoid action; sometimes the time is *now*. - **Inaction vs. Action:** Passing time can lead to stagnation, while action—like buying a ticket or quitting a job—is necessary for progress. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - Skepticism regarding her supposed "magic" or "power." - The common belief that one must have titles or accumulate things to be valuable. - The idea that life is perfected or that a plan must be followed. ## Methodology - Daily self-interrogation using three core questions: "What dream have you not yet fulfilled?", "What did you want to be when you were a kid?", and "What makes you happy?". - Continuous artistic practice (painting, playing) as a means of self-discovery and emotional navigation. - Using physical experiences (travel, confronting fears) to build a worldview. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - **Actionable Advice:** If dissatisfied with life, ask: "Why am I here?" or "What fear am I not facing?" - **Core Call:** To *"explore, play at life."* - **Final Directive:** Believe that *"All you imagine, all you believe is possible, if you see it, you can have it."* ## Implications & Consequences - **Loss of Innocence:** The process of maturation requires recognizing that innocence is not lost but rather an innate, cultivatable emotion. - **Agency:** Moving from being a "victim of circumstances, nor their master" to taking charge of one's emotional and physical experience. - **Eternal Love:** Love is presented as an unending force that imbues you with experiences that serve as permanent "footprints." ## Verbatim Moments - *"I learned how to be myself. And when you learn to be yourself, you are not afraid of anything."* - *"What dream have you not yet fulfilled? What did you want to be when you were a kid? And most importantly: What makes you happy?"* - *"I only read when I was little. Now I read, but I no longer soak things up."* - *"The only power I have is being myself."* - *"I have a magic wand, and that is my paintbrush."* - *"Creativity is innate in humans, because we are beings that feel."* - *"The magic is in making decisions. Successful or not."* - *"I wanted to be an actress when I was young. But when I grew up, I studied — I never studied art, I mean, I'm a painter because I play, I enjoy it, I have a good time."* - *"I don't want to be giving this TEDx talk after studying for it, writing it 20 times over, presenting 20,000 sentences. I wanted it to flow."* - *"Regardless of the wisdom that each of us has, regardless of the time we've lived, innocence is the surprise."* - *"Life is the same. And, really, being here, the only thing I want to tell you is to explore, play at life."* - *"All you imagine, all you believe is possible, if you see it, you can have it."*