Egyptians had a belief about sculpture: If they did a good enough statue of someone, they would remain alive after death.
Of course, this has 2 meanings: the literal and the metaphorical.
Akhenaten, an Egyptian pharaoh, asked Thutmose (a sculptor) to make a bust of him and his wife because he believed that way they would be able to roam free in the afterlife.
None of us can actually prove if this is true or false, so it does not add much to our discussion.
The metaphorical meaning though, that’s far more interesting.
Even though Akhenaten may be a “foreign” name to you, you probably have at least heard of “Nefertiti”, right? Usually, that resonates much more than Akhenaten.
Maybe that’s because you’ve seen Thutmose’s sculpture of her face:
I don’t know about the afterlife but thousands of years later Nefertiti stills inhabit our discussions and conversations, specifically in the art realm (sometimes leaking into pop culture).
The Egyptians got it (partly) right.
Using sculpture may help you live longer. But it is not just about sculpture. Or yourself, actually.
Any kind of art can immortalize the subject but also the one that created it.
By writing “Hamlet”, Shakespeare immortalized himself and the character. By painting the Mona Lisa, DaVinci followed the same path.
This opens the possibility for our own immortality, through creation.
Personally, I see this as a great gift.
May all of us find out something that we’re willing to create, carrying the chance to become immortal, while expressing beauty.