You Are an Artist

Do you doubt whether or not you are an artist? Spend any amount of time in academia, or around museum curator types and you’ll doubt that you are. There are also enough haters in the world that will tell you that your work is crap. So why should you believe that you’re truly an artist?

Photo Credit: Pixabay-bodobe

The fact is, artistic skills such as drawing, painting, and sculpting do come much easier to some than to others. But art is a learned skill so there’s always room for improvement. In addition, art is subjective and always in the eye of the beholder.

So, if one can learn to improve, that doesn’t negate the artwork in the learning process. The most renowned artists in the world are in a constant state of learning and improving. There isn’t a benchmark that lets you and the world know that you’ve reached the “artist status.”

Others will say that if you’re not making money from your art, you’re not a true artist. I beg to differ. If you’re not making money as an artist, then you are an artist…you’re just not a professional artist.

Also, think about how art is subjective.

For example, I for one am not a huge fan of abstract art. I personally don’t see the point. However, art curators and museum docents the world over all agree that abstract art is art. These will be the same individuals who claim that if your art is not like the art of the masters, then it also misses the mark of being art. On the other hand, Dictionary.com defines an artist as “one who practices one of the fine arts or performing arts.” That definition makes no indication of artistic talent being a qualification of whether or not one should be considered an artist, nor does it mention having to resemble the art of the masters. Rather, it’s the one who practices one of the fine arts (drawing, painting, and sculpting) that is an artist.

Art is hugely subjective to personal tastes. (Photo Credit: 123RF.com Image ID: 75664374
Copyright: Alexander Cherepanov)

If we only go by what academia, curators, and docents say, where does that leave tattoo artists, graphic designers, typographers, non-traditional sculptors, concept artists, character designers, etc.? Do you see my point? None of the works produced by these types of artists will ever hang in the Louvre, for example. So does that mean that the work is not considered art and the people who created them, not artists?

I would also argue that talent alone doesn’t make someone an artist.

I have friends who definitely have the eye and the talent for creating amazing drawings, but they hardly ever draw. They don’t have the passion for it at all. In my humble opinion, if you’re not creating, you’re not an artist. Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.”

So, where does that leave you? If you’re a beginner, and you’re wondering whether or not you are an artist, I would suggest considering the following:

• Remember that the (constant) learning process (from beginning to end) is part of being an artist.
• Talent alone does not make you an artist. You must be actively and regularly practicing art to count yourself as an artist.
• Not selling art only means you’re not a professional.
• Don’t forget that art is subjective. These days, far too many people feel free to judge unkindly. You don’t have to listen.

If you’ve always wanted to be an artist but don’t know how to get started, I have a FREE, very basic class on Skillshare that will run you through the absolute basics of drawing. It’s not about how naturally talented you are. Art, in whatever form you choose, is a learned skill and experimentation is a big part of it. Not all experiments turn out as well as one would hope. That’s why they’re called experiments. So be patient with yourself and enjoy the learning process on your path to becoming an artist.