A while back, a man named Rick Rubin crashed my social media feed, which is usually made up of a mix of art, history, recipes, quotes and astrophysics. I had no idea who he was, but I felt an immediate pull — I just needed to know more about him.
It turns out that he is the legendary, nine-time Grammy-winning cofounder of Def Jam Recordings. One of his teachings is that creativity is our birthright, bringing something to life that wasn’t there before — whether you are solving problems or arranging furniture. He warns us that obsessing over the outcome ultimately weakens the work. As a creator, your job is devotion to the craft: “Create for yourself, not the audience,” he says.
At long last, a reconnection with art
As someone who spent years optimizing my calendar, my career and to-do lists, at first this idea felt intimidating. It had been decades since I’d picked up charcoal and a paintbrush, but I had not forgotten the promise that I had made to my parents and to my amazing art teachers in college: “Don’t worry. At some point, I will reconnect with art.”
The truth is that life got busy with graduate school, work and day-to-day stuff; months became years and years became decades. My wardrobe turned into 50 shades of black and white — it was efficient that way.
But it turns out that I missed color in my life.
In moving to Mexico, time somehow slowed down, as did the clutter in my head. My mind had space to observe, reflect, get bored, wander and get inspired. I found color again. Little by little, I started painting. It did not begin grandly but, rather, with a reflection on what events, memories, surroundings, relationships, habits or activities made me curious, calmer or more relaxed.
Over the past five-plus years, I have been documenting this journey through my art. What has surprised me most was how much painting has changed the way I move through an ordinary day, exploring the fundamentals of the human experience — anxiety, pain, healing, solitude, growth, courage, faith, time, space and the pull of the unknown.
Increasingly, my art has become a bridge connecting the dots between two ancient cultures: Mexico and India — based on my personal observations and listening to various archeological and historical podcasts. It is a reflective journey — a gentle nudge toward the power of stillness. For where there is stillness, space is created for intention. And where there is intention, there is energy to heal, repair and renew.
In my past MND articles, I have always incorporated a piece of my art. Through a dear friend’s insistence, I recently decided to document my personal narrative that inspired my art, piece by piece, and share it with anyone interested in viewing it. If you are in San Miguel de Allende, I invite you to stop by and come say hello at the show, open to the public on Dec. 20 and in 2026 on Jan. 24 and Feb. 7.
The title is “A Pilgrimage Across Cultures.” This is not a commercial event, and nothing is for sale. It isn’t a polished arrival story but rather very much a work-in-progress journey. If you’ve ever felt “between worlds” in your own life — between careers, countries, identities, cultures or even stages of adulthood — something in this show will speak to you. To quote Rick Rubin: “The goal of art isn’t to attain perfection. The goal is to share who we are and how we see the world.” I hope to see you there!
If there is any takeaway from this chapter of my journey, it is this: You do not need a gallery, a grand plan or a perfect schedule to begin; you just need one small decision to “waste” a little time on something that makes you feel more like yourself.
Creating is a fundamental human need, not a performance review. It is a relationship with your own curiosity. And the beautiful thing about relationships is that they can be rebuilt, no matter how many years you’ve spent away.
For more information, visit sanmiguelartloft.com or contact info@sanmiguelartloft.com. The show dates are Dec 20th, Jan 24th, and Feb 7th, 4-7 pm.
Tamanna Bembenek was born in India, studied and worked in the U.S. and now lives in Mexico with her husband, Travis. They are the co-owners of Mexico News Daily.