MANILA, Philippines ? It's more than just a house. Located at the end of a narrow alley in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Balai ni Mitu is a nondescript dwelling in bamboo and nipa that musician, painter, artisan and entrepreneur Mike (Mitu) Tupas and his wife Susan call home.

Surrounded by greens, its walls bedecked with paintings and handcrafted decor, the house represents conciousness or awareness, kamalayan in Filipino, according to the psychological studies of Carl Jung. In Mitu's house, the chimes singing out in the breeze, the color of the paintings on the wall, the exotic drums and even the herb tea on the breakfast table express the artist's heart and hand and, more importantly, his philosophy.

But Mitu does not consider himself an artist, much less a philosopher. ?I might have long hair but I'm not an artist,? he laughs. ?I've always looked up to artists' -they exhibit in galleries, perform in concert halls, get interviewed.?

Wife Susan interjects, ?But you are all that!? He shakes his head and recounts that when they let him through the artists' entrance at the Cultural Center of the Philippines where he was performing, he was surprised and bemused. ?I'm just doing what I need to do,? he shrugs.

Music lovers who have heard him before would disagree. Although Mitu is presently a cast member at Hong Kong Disneyland's Jungle Trek, where his group provides ?atmosphere music,? his skin drums with their primal rhythms speak of a deeper source of inspiration within. A regular performer with the Pinikpikan and other local bands, he has gathered together indigenous musical performers in several albums. A seminal work on native Christmas songs from all over the country by village musicians has resulted in a CD album distributed all over the world. His paintings have also been exhibited in Manila and Palawan galleries, while his murals grace public buildings.

Mitu also crafts drums that are sought after in many parts of the globe, though he never had formal schooling in any of these expressions. The creative spirit he traces back to his childhood in Negros when he would gather empty milk cans and turn them into toy trucks. ?My family did not have money for toys so I made my own,? he recalls. Using matchboxes and leftover wood, he put together a miniature village that he would play with for hours. In his young hands, discarded bamboo became flutes, papaya stems turned into trumpets.

He comments: ?Today's kids have it all with their high-tech toys. But there's no more room left to challenge their creativity. So they take things apart instead. Creativity starts from the home, and it usually comes from the lack of material stuff.?

His creative crafts saw him through school and bought him a boat ride to Manila, where he took on whatever jobs he could to survive. Eventually he ended up in a non-government organization where his responsibilities included giving classes in alternative education at De La Salle, specifically an experiential Humanities lesson patterned after his hands-on self-learning.

?My students graded their own work. They needed to realize that life is not a race track where you had to finish first; what is important is how you see yourself,? he says.

But it was a stint in Sagada that brought focus to Mitu's artistic expression. ?This is my livelihood. I realized that I did not need other jobs. I can make a life from these creations.? Expression and survival needs eventually resulted in craft stores in Palawan, Boracay and several Manila mall outlets.

Mitu can now afford to build a better house, but his overseas job prevents him from being in Palawan to enjoy the process of creation and play that go into building one's home. So he and Susan have decided to put off construction.

In the meantime, Balai ni Mitu remains an open house to others who are following a creative track in their lives. ?We are open to anyone who wants to learn, with free board and lodging, accommodation and inspiration,? invites Mitu. He observes that living together inspires artists to learn like a family, to practice ?pakikipagkapwa-tao? (compassion), openness and ?pagiging tao? (being fully human). This is all part of the slow process of appreciating the essence of who you really are. ?And when you know this, you yourself will find your own expression. We support that expression,? he says, telling the story of Mel who eventually went into fire dancing, and Johnson, an aviation technician turned drummer and artisan. Johnson and his family live in Balai ni Mitu now.

Says Mitu: ?My life dream has been accomplished. I'm rich even though I don't have much money. I'm able to express myself and to create a livelihood at the same time. So many people put off doing what they have a passion for, and instead work at tedious jobs to pile up their savings in the bank. I say, point and shoot. Just do what you do best, and happily, things will work out.?

Only 39, he chuckles: ?I'm on early retirement.?

His work in Hong Kong opens up new vistas as well, says Mitu. ?It gives me a chance to project dignity and self-esteem as an overseas Filipino presenting our culture to global networks,? he remarks. Mitu's drums now blend in with a group of percussionists from different countries, interweaving sounds from different cultures and creating oneness where new musical rhythms merge and interplay. The consciousness expands and a bigger Balai is created.