Kahlo’s line treats longing not as a weakness to outgrow but as a potent substance—like pigment or clay—waiting to be shaped. Rather than asking us to suppress desire, grief, or yearning, she implies these feelings can be worked, refined, and given form. In that sense, longing becomes less of a private ache and more of an energy source.
From here, the quote pivots our attention away from what we lack toward what we can make. The ache remains real, but it is no longer inert; it becomes the beginning of a process. This reframing sets up the next idea: craft is the bridge that carries inner intensity into the outer world. [...]
