Am I an “Artist”?

Before I began my career as an artist, I would tell people that my mother was an artist. We hear people claim it, use it to describe their relatives or talk about artists but what does it mean? We talk about people who cut hair in the same general term but as with any creative endeavor it doesn’t really talk about your level of commitment.

When you tell someone that you are an artist, it can be anyone who crochets salad forks to someone who has hung in the National Museum of Art. No one takes the title artist seriously. I used to tell people that my mother was an artist and one person called me out on it when she saw my mother’s display. She actually accused me of not telling her my mother was an “Artist”. I found the whole conversation absurd. I am the president of a local art organization where we have every level of talent and commitment. Given that I work as a professional artist, they come up to me and ask if it is appropriate to call them selves an artist as well.

Of course you are an artist, I assure them. When you say you cut hair, you could be doing everything from taking shears to you son at the kitchen table to styling models for a runway. It isn’t in the title, it is in how you actually do it that defines you. Art is as difficult to nail down as describing the people who do it. Ultimately, if someone pays for it either through a grant program or purchasing it out right; I call it art. It doesn’t need to justify itself to everyone to be valid and that can be applied to anyone who creates for the joy of making.

An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. (Wikipedia) Artist noun 1 a; a person who creates art (such as painting, sculpture, music or writing) using conscious skill and creative imagination. b; a person skilled in any of the arts. 2; a skilled performer. [a trapeze artist] 3; a person who is very good at something. [a scam artist, a strikeout artist. (merriam-webster.com)

Here is the deal, I believe with all my heart that if you create it for aesthetics whether useful or not; you are an artist. I am a professional because I enjoy creating and selling but that is where I find my joy. I never want anyone who labors to create to be diminished because they were judged by one person’s opinion. If you don’t want to wear the badge of artist, don’t be offended if someone hangs it on you. It means they responded to what you create. Ultimately, create; anything! and remember how difficult it is to define an artist. Don’t let anyone pigeon hole who you are and what you do.