I'm a lapidary (gemstone cutter. I think of myself more as a craftsperson than an artist. My wife is an artist (painter), and says I'm full of s#it. I don't know...?
My wife of thirty years is a splendid artist although she has never been able to bring herself to admit it. So, your post certainly caught my attention.
Real artists don't feel the need to call themselves artists. they're not self-aggrandizing, it's not about their identity, they just make stuff. they don't even call it art, they call it "stuff", 👉 the viewer calls it art
like telling people you're "a smart person"..wait for *them* to tell *you*😬🫢
If you’re in Lower Manhattan,
& you need a shortcut to 3rd
Ave, walk by the Cooper Union
building on Cooper Square
cut. Look up.
I walked by this route
1000s of times before
doing this. We don’t look
up in NY. Years later, I was
in crisis over my career.
I remembered this, &
knew I’d survive.
I try everything. Everything from wool to watercolor to plaster to ink to oil to .. anything
Whether I can do it? I dunno - but it gives me pleasure and at times feels like meditation
My start as an artist came almost accidentally, and five years later, still have a little issue with people referring to me as such. I've learned I can't be my best critic, others see my work differently. So it's like putting a little bit of yourself on a table, put it out there, all you can do. 💚
To elaborate, it’s doing the best work of your life, feeling accomplished, then minutes later seeing whole bodies of work by dozens of artists you’ve never heard of that is so amazing, that you ask yourself “Why do I even bother to try?”
I have zero doubt what you do is art. I just don’t see my stuff that way. I mean, it feels like I’m almost embarassed by it, as I almost never display what I do. 🤷
I sometimes get labelled as a crafter, as if there is some lofty definition of artist that is somehow beyond me. I've been at my craft for so long now that I don't question I am an artist. It's not that I am particularly great but that my work makes people smile. That's enough for me.
I Am an artiest of my own style. Not by a standard of others. Art is just a form of style that you make. So yes you can call your self a artist. because you make your own form of art.
When I asked that to myself, the answer was a clear no. I gave up on art after moving to a bigger city and being exposed to legitimately competent artists.
The answer is yes! ✨ Seasons come and go, but we still are who we are. A gardener might not tend plants during the winter months, but they’re still a gardener. 🌱
I suspect any individual who self proclaims themselves to be an artist. Not for them to say. That’s for others. If a person says ‘I’m an artist’ I immediately dismiss them.
Because I didn't start painting until I was 58, and am completely self-taught, it took me a while to be able to tell people I am an artist. It seemed presumptuous and self-aggrandizing for a while, but as time passed and I was in shows, sold paintings, etc., I got comfortable with it.
I think I've asked myself that so many times this year. "Am I am I a developer or something? Am I an artist? Never aimed for those. I guess it doesn't matter." As I spend another full night making weird things on my computer and bouncing ideas with people who seem like they know more than me.
Think about how you would FEEL if you really were satisfied with your art, whatever it might be. Like "HELL yeah! I'M IN MY ZONE!". Then re-live that feeling as much as you need to!!
I vividly remember when some obscure stranger called me an “artist”. I thought I had arrived. Immediately, self doubt & questioning ensued. I find that when I get lost in what I create is the only time I feel found.
i hate it like i know people dont care about me initially but im meant to spout my personality like a commodity to adhere anyone to a blog that no one wants to see because i keep acting like a comodity im too aware of to avoid. just shoot myself in the foot and go to bed
I feel this. My medium is writing and sometimes looking at past work I get imposter syndrome. Doesn't feel like I'm capable of producing something of that magnitude.
Being an artist isn't about asking yourself if your an artist, it's about constantly pushing boundaries and Challenging yourself in ways you haven't even Imagined Yet.
I did art all my life. I could never call myself an artist I was really shy. I didn't have lessons except in high school. When I was 40 & my art was in a juried show & sold I finally felt like I could say it. Just do your art. You're an artist because you love it and are doing it.
I never referred to myself that way, and then I volunteered at ArtBreak in Shreveport. They gave me a name tag on a lanyard. It said "RMoe Artist". So there's that.
That use reasons are exactly why you are an artist or creative if you prefer that term.
Saying that when I first started the idea of putting my art out for others to possibly buy I couldn’t call myself an artist, now 8 years on with sales and record of pieces I can’t deny it. Fun is key.
Took me a long time to just say thank you when someone referred to me as an artist. I would always laugh and say no I'm just creative, but I'm accepting of the compliment now. Not having any formal training made me feel unworthy of the a title
Ah the lack of formal training...yes have that too. I find the exclusive which art school...question annoying and point out I have no formal training and it works
Bro is cooking. But I’m an artist because not only did I want my ideas to become a reality but because an 8 year old with a dream is inside of me and every day I work hard to build up my talent so that her/our dream can become a reality
Imposter syndrome is very real. Be sure to document your art and look at it often. In the beginning I didn't do this and now I wish I had photos of some of those rudimentary pieces to show my growth.
I used (and probably still am a little bit) obsessed by this self obsession. I'm slowly but surely curing myself from it and learning to enjoy doing things again lol.
but yeah, pretty miserable
it's not about your conscious thoughts on the matter,
👉 something inside you needs to get out so let it out and make stuff. Keep making stuff. And making stuff. And refining your style when you wince at something you don't like about what you did, and keep getting better and better at making stuff💜👑
I think it's probably a mix of both :
Why do you listen to music ? Because you like it, not because you want to become better at listening to music. And it's true that you can try to listen to different things, train your ear, learn. But the root of it is and should always be enjoyement
I don't mean to be so argumentative, yes, it's all about enjoyment, but for deeply creative people it's not just enjoyment it's *need*, necessary for health
Attaching one's creative work to one's identity is fraught problems,
it becomes social currency, corrupted by a different need 😎
I'm unsure if my art qualifies as stuff others would call art but i tell myself if I draw and create creative stuff then i must be an artist! I think that's how logic works..
If we make art we are artists. Whether we believe that term applies to ourselves is a label that we don’t feel worthy of.
I run an activity called #ArtForFun where I put markers and paper into anyone’s hands who is willing to try. I do it for #free and I don’t make any judgements, just encourage fun
I consider myself an artist. I am not a professional one, but my Mom went to art school and my Dad went to music school. Going to college in the 90s opened my mind to what an artist can be. I am someone who needs to create to feel alive.
I can never bring myself to call myself an “artist” because I feel like I just can’t apply that label to myself? I say that “I like to draw!” Or “I draw sometimes”, but I can’t qualify anything I draw as “art”, either because I’m too hard on it or because it’s too inter-personal
At some point, humanity should probably acknowledge that imposter syndrome is the sign of a healthy ego and the ridiculously overconfident are not a good representation of the norm. If you think you're an artist while you're doing it, it ain't art.
Comments
like telling people you're "a smart person"..wait for *them* to tell *you*😬🫢
& you need a shortcut to 3rd
Ave, walk by the Cooper Union
building on Cooper Square
cut. Look up.
I walked by this route
1000s of times before
doing this. We don’t look
up in NY. Years later, I was
in crisis over my career.
I remembered this, &
knew I’d survive.
Whether I can do it? I dunno - but it gives me pleasure and at times feels like meditation
It’s why I like math. Math is easy for me and doesn’t make me question why I’m even trying.
yes, identity crises are toxic to the artistic process
But mos def not an artist.
Yet.
Believe in yourself!
Seems much more humble and in line with my skill.
If you answer yes, then you are an artist, if for no one but yourself.
Can't even find the time to game no more.
i wonder if thats annoying to those i play with lol, probably is
"will anyone care about my stories? does it matter?"
Oh well. Such is life, eh?
❤️
If you can make your life art, you’ll never have to ask yourself again.
Don't try to catch the undefined variable.
On error resume next artwork.
When kids dance to my playing, it feels great.
Saying that when I first started the idea of putting my art out for others to possibly buy I couldn’t call myself an artist, now 8 years on with sales and record of pieces I can’t deny it. Fun is key.
I've been making art and music for decades and the thought has never, ever once occurred to me "am I a real artist"
You can't even make good art if this is where it's coming from🫢
but yeah, pretty miserable
👉 something inside you needs to get out so let it out and make stuff. Keep making stuff. And making stuff. And refining your style when you wince at something you don't like about what you did, and keep getting better and better at making stuff💜👑
Why do you listen to music ? Because you like it, not because you want to become better at listening to music. And it's true that you can try to listen to different things, train your ear, learn. But the root of it is and should always be enjoyement
Attaching one's creative work to one's identity is fraught problems,
it becomes social currency, corrupted by a different need 😎
I run an activity called #ArtForFun where I put markers and paper into anyone’s hands who is willing to try. I do it for #free and I don’t make any judgements, just encourage fun