“Most artists can’t draw. But all artists can see.”

“Most artists can’t draw. But all artists can see.”

“Most artists can’t draw. But all artists can see. We can see what’s right and what’s wrong. We can see opportunities, and we can see around corners. Most of all, we can see art. Art isn’t only a painting. Art is anything that’s creative, passionate, and personal. And great art resonates with the viewer, not only with the creator. Art is about intent and communication, not the medium you work in.”
— Seth Godin, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? 

I recently finished the Linchpin audiobook, and the passage above hit me like a ton of cliché bricks. For years, I avoided thinking of myself as an artist. I couldn’t draw — not really. I’d doodle shapes or play with color, but nothing close to what I believed “real artists” did. Once Yo Miami became more of a presence in my life, people would ask if I was an artist. I’d deflect with a joke: “I’m an artist in the sense that I use other artists as my brushes.”

It was part self-deprecation, part armor.

But over time — and through a lot of inner work — I’ve come to see it differently. Yes, I write. I photograph. I design. But more importantly, I see. I’ve always seen. Seen potential in empty spaces. Seen people who needed to be heard. Seen beauty in what others overlooked. Seth (and others) helped me expand my definition of art to include the act of seeing itself.

Art isn’t just about execution. It’s about vision. About noticing what’s missing, what’s fragile, what’s quietly but undeniably true.

Seeing is the art. Staying with it is the practice. Both are necessary.