The Mexican American and Puerto Rican artist and muralist behind Mr. B Baby speaks exclusively with Topics That Transform about her mural for Rare Beauty, her roots, and the art of finding her own path.
“I feel like I’ve lived so many different versions of myself, and honestly, so many different lives within one.” These are the words of Michelle Guerrero, the artist and muralist known as Mr. B Baby, whose creative universe is populated by characters that explore individuality, self-expression, and the many ways we find belonging. Raised in Chula Vista, California, near the U.S.–Mexico border, and shaped by her Mexican and Puerto Rican roots, Guerrero found in art a way to celebrate what makes her different.
That perspective led her to collaborate with Rare Beauty during Latine Heritage Month 2026. Inspired by “El mar recibe todos los ríos” (“The sea welcomes all rivers”), this year’s #RareConsejo, she created an original mural at Las Fotos Project in Los Angeles. The initiative draws on the advice and words of wisdom passed down through generations within Latino families and communities; lessons that stay with us and whose meaning can evolve over time. In the mural, a female figure representing our inner child plays in the ocean with small boats sailing in different directions. Each symbolizes a dream, an aspiration, or a possible path.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW:
El mar recibe todos los ríos
Michelle Guerrero: It really spoke to every part of my story. When I first heard the phrase, I immediately thought about how many different paths I’ve been down in my life. I feel like I’ve lived so many different versions of myself, and honestly, so many different lives within one.
There were so many times when the path I was on made absolutely no sense to me; I couldn’t understand where it was taking me or how any of it connected. But looking back now, I can see how every one of those experiences led me here. The roads that felt like they were taking me nowhere were actually taking me everywhere.
And I think that’s also what “El mar recibe todos los ríos” says about community. Our lives can look completely different, and we can come from completely different places, but our paths are constantly crossing and shaping one another. Sometimes someone enters your life for a moment and leaves an impact you carry for years. It reminds me how small the world really is, and how interconnected we all are.
At the end of the day, I think so many of us are searching for the same things: to be seen, to be understood, to be accepted, and to feel like we belong.
The First Image Behind the Mural
TTT: Before the mural existed, there was a blank wall. Do you remember the first image, character, or even color you knew had to be there? Why that one?
Michelle Guerrero: The central female figure was really important to me from the beginning because, for me, she represents the inner child; the innocence in all of us before we start putting limitations on who we can be.
She’s sitting in this ocean, playing with these little boats, and each boat is going in a different direction. To me, they represent all the different paths we take: our careers, our dreams, our aspirations, all these different versions of a life we could live.
It made me think about myself as a kid and how many things I imagined I could be. At one point I wanted to be a veterinarian, then I wanted to be an artist, and there was just this freedom in believing I could become anything.
As we grow older, we become more aware of what’s realistic, what’s expected of us, or what we think we’re capable of. So I wanted her to be this reminder of that younger version of ourselves who didn’t need to have everything figured out; she could just dream and explore.
I think the mural is, in a way, saying that the world is still your oyster. You’re still allowed to change direction, choose another boat, dream about something new, and see where it takes you.
¨I feel that I have lived many versions of myself and, honestly, many different lives within one¨
The Girl Behind the Artist
TTT: If you could bring the little girl you once were to stand in front of this mural—without explaining Rare Beauty, the campaign, or who you eventually became—what do you think she would immediately recognize as her own?
Michelle Guerrero: I think she would recognize the feeling of dreaming. We all played in the bathtub as kids, turning little toys into entire worlds, and I think she’d see herself in that little girl playing in the water.
Maybe she’d look at all the little boats and find one carrying a dream she had for herself and realize that there were so many places her life could take her.
Growing Up Between Two Cultures
TTT: You grew up in Chula Vista, near the U.S.–Mexico border, with Mexican and Puerto Rican roots. Where did you first learn what it meant to belong?
Michelle Guerrero: I feel really fortunate that I grew up in Chula Vista, so close to the border, because I was able to embrace my roots really early on. I could visit Tijuana, experience the culture firsthand, and grow up understanding that there were connections on both sides of the border.
For me, it never felt like my culture stopped at a line; it existed in the people, the food, the traditions, and the community around me. I was also surrounded by people who were really proud of where they came from, and that taught me to be proud of where I came from too.
A lot of that started with my family. Watching my mom, who came from Puerto Rico, and my grandmothers work so hard and build lives for themselves gave me such a deep sense of pride. I saw how much strength and sacrifice existed in the generations before me.
So I think belonging, for me, came from realizing that my roots weren’t something I had to choose between or fit into perfectly. I belonged to all of it. And being surrounded by a Latino community that celebrated those roots made me feel like they were something worth carrying forward.
The Lessons We Inherit
TTT: The advice we inherit can change as we do. Is there a piece of advice you received as a child that you didn’t fully understand then but carries a different meaning for you today?
Michelle Guerrero: Growing up, I think I inherited a lot of ideas about what a girl was supposed to be: how we were supposed to behave, what our lives were supposed to look like, and what choices were considered the “right” ones. I don’t even know if it was always said directly; sometimes those things are just passed down to you, and as a child, you accept them as truth.
For a long time, I internalized that. When I didn’t fit into that mold, I carried a lot of shame and wondered if there was something wrong with the way I was choosing to live my life.
What’s changed for me as I’ve gotten older is realizing that there isn’t just one truth or one right way to live. So much of the life I’ve created for myself came from questioning those old ideas and being willing to go against the grain. I think I was always meant to do that.
Now, when I think about the things we inherit, I don’t think honoring where you come from means you have to carry everything exactly as it was given to you. You’re allowed to question it, reshape it, and decide what still belongs to you.
And for me, one of the biggest lessons has been learning to embrace who I am without feeling ashamed of the ways I might be different.
Rare Beauty and Self-Expression
TTT: Rare Beauty has built its identity around an idea that goes beyond how we look: feeling seen, accepted, and part of something. Where did you find the most authentic connection between the brand’s philosophy and what you have been communicating through your work for years?
Michelle Guerrero: I think the connection is really about self-expression and finding beauty in what makes us different. I created this whole world of characters because my own life never really followed a conventional path, and art became a way for me to celebrate that rather than feel separated by it.
That’s what I connected with in Rare Beauty: the idea that beauty can be another form of expression, but underneath it, we all want to feel seen, valued, and like we belong.
¨Our stories become complete when they cross paths with those of others¨
Beauty, Identity and Representation
TTT: This collaboration brings your work to a new audience and places you within a broader conversation about beauty, culture, and representation. After working with Rare Beauty, has anything changed in the way you understand beauty—or even in the way you see yourself?
Michelle Guerrero: I think it’s made me realize how much being seen can change the way you see yourself. Growing up, I didn’t always feel like I fit the traditional idea of what was considered beautiful. I was made fun of, and it took me a long time to really grow into myself and feel confident in my own skin.
So as a little girl, I never could have imagined being part of a beauty campaign, especially with a brand like Rare Beauty. To now have my art, my culture, and who I am embraced in this space genuinely means so much to me.
It makes me feel like anything is possible, and I hope another little girl sees it and feels that way too.
A New #RareConsejo
TTT: After turning “El mar recibe todos los ríos” into a work of art, if you could add a second line to the #RareConsejo, what would you say to the person who stops in front of your mural?
Michelle Guerrero: None of our stories exist alone. We’re all connected, and it’s the people we cross paths with who become woven into who we are.
There is something profoundly beautiful about that little girl playing by the sea: she doesn’t yet know which boat she’ll choose, how many times she’ll change course, or who will come along for the journey. And perhaps that is where the beauty of growing up lies; in discovering that we can evolve without losing who we are, honor our roots without giving up our own dreams, and find new ways of understanding our own stories through those of others.
In the end, all the lives we’ve lived have one thing in common: they’ve brought us here.
