My daughter turned 9 years-old last week. She requested a Ratatouille-themed birthday cake this year.
I’m a sucker for a challenge.
So on Saturday, we made a tower of cake, then spent a lot of time dying fondant frosting to make her dreams come true. Five hours later, we had a pretty decent representation of the scene where Remy the Rat “fixes the soup” in her favorite movie.
More importantly, I got some quality time being a goofball with my kid. We danced and sang and made a big ol mess. I loved every minute.
I also learned that she and I are both Creators.
I read a lot of Carl Jung when I was a teenager. He often wrote about archetypes. Today, humans have expanded on his idea that our personalities fit into one of 12 archetypes: Innocent, Hero, Caregiver, Explorer, Rebel, Lover, Creator, Jester, Sage, Magician, Ruler, and Orphan/Everyman.
It’s fascinating to think about yourself as one of these archetypes, because it helps us understand why and when we’re happy or sad. Reflecting on it, all the times in my life that I’ve been the most depressed, it’s generally because I haven’t been meeting the deep needs I have as a Creator. Likewise, even just making a cake with my kid can light me up, allowing me to get in touch with the part of me that longs to dream new things to life.
Reader, though I wish I was writing and playing music all the time, this weekend was a nice reminder: you can feed your deepest desires through multiple avenues. Making that cake sent me to the moon. Whatever archetype you fit, I hope you also can find your way to appease that which moves you the most in any way you can. We all deserve to live out our purpose.
Let's do what moves us this week, and I’ll see you next Monday. -Em
