When can you call yourself an artist?
“It’s kind of like being in love, no one can tell you whether you are, you just know” –Visaic
It is not uncommon that over your life you will often experience others trying to define who you are, or what they think you should do based on their opinion or their own projection.
And it is by our own stubborn commitment to ourselves that we bloom into the person we want to be.
It’s also fairly commonplace that creatives can struggle to call themselves an artist early in their career. I would say most have experienced this internal battle at one point.
So, when do you get to call yourself an artist?
There’s really only one box you have to check...
The act of creating is what makes you an artist.
“I have a friend who was posting for a while about how pretentious he thought it was for somebody to call themselves an artist. "Shouldn't that be left for others to decide?' was his thinking.”
Can we put this sort of toxic opinion to rest already!
By definition, this person thinks it’s up to others to tell us what we are.
When has allowing someone else to determine who you are ever really worked out?
Artwork by Chet Zar
Do we ever stop being an artist?
Many of us identify ourselves with being an artist.
So what happens if for health reasons we can no longer create art? Are we defined by our physical or mental limitations?
Have we lost ourselves?
I think if you are no longer making artwork, I mean, if you QUIT being an artist... you’re no longer an artist.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t just pick up the brush and become one again.
You can take breaks of course, you can recharge your batteries, travel, have kids, take sabbaticals.. as long as you come back to making art, then you’re still an artist.
But if you quit, it becomes past tense.
You were an artist. Now you are something else.
But identifying as an artist is only one element that contributes to who you are.
So what makes up identity?
Our sense of identity is made up of many contributing factors. And as another friend put it, when comparing to ‘personality’ (which of course is a very strong element in our sense of self), “Identity is a little more fluid”.
We will change and metamorphosize over the span of our lifetime. Some more than others.
Being an artist might be a big part of the experience of being you, but it is not definitively who you are.
“Are you still an artist if you stop making art? If so, how long after you stop are you no longer an artist? I don't know the answers to these. I kind of think it's in us. Our minds and spirits will always be artist minds and spirits, whether we are creating or not.” –Wendy Gadzuk
I agree with this statement, even if we quit making art, we might no longer be an artist, but we may never lose the ‘artist’s mind’.
Artwork by me
What kind of ‘Artist’ are you?
Someone said to me that they feel more comfortable to refer to themselves by what they do, ie. “I am a painter”, rather than saying “I am an artist’.
The term ‘Artist’ is just an umbrella that contains all the sub-genres of what we do in order to make the art, eg. I am an artist, I paint/ sculpt/ duct tape bananas to a wall etc
A tradesperson would respond to this question, "I am a tradie. I build houses."
A professional artist, in my opinion, is one who sells art (or some form of reproduction of their art)
A full time artist is someone who works full time hours as an artist. Having a ‘side gig’ does not change the fact that you are an artist.
In fact, it probably nurtures it (refer to this blog post about how to make a living as an artist)
The act of making art full time is what entitles you to calling yourself a full time artist, just as making money - ANY AMOUNT of money - from your art means you’re a “professional artist”.
There’s no box you need to check, and no one else is going to award you the right to any of these titles.
If you are being paid to make art IN SOME WAY, then you are an artist by profession.
As for being comfortable enough to call yourself an artist, I think that just comes with time.
I used to feel that calling myself an artist was kind of embarrassing. Now, upon closer inspection, I can see I was really just feeling insecure about the judgement of others about my validity to the claim.
I had put the term ‘artist’ on a pedestal, which I felt was somehow related to the quality of the work, or whether or not I sold it.
I don’t see the term ‘artist’ as loaded, but more likely the word becomes a place to project how we feel about ourselves when we say it.
Some people never really feel comfortable with it.
If the title is something you feel you need to earn, then go out and earn it.
And when you ‘get there’ (wherever there is) the truth is, you’ll find you were an artist all along.
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.” –T.S. Eliot
Artwork by Wendy Gadzuk
How to be An Artist
The important factors of the life of being/ becoming an artist are covered hilariously and succinctly by Jerry Saltz in his AMAZING book ‘How to be an artist’
Some of my favourite tips of his are these:
Don’t be embarrassed: Making art can be humiliating and terrifying. It can reveal things about yourself that others might find appalling, weird, boring or stupid.
Tell your own story
Art is not about understanding or mastery. It’s about doing and experience.
Get lost: Predictability is good for computers, but it’s death for artists
Work, work work
Imitate...then separate
Oh, and once a year, go dancing: Because dance is as old as art–and one day you won’t be able to dance anymore.
Mine are these:
Create art as much as you can
Go your own path
Be honest, be raw
Don't let others define you
Consume as much culture as you can
Learn, evolve, grow, take risks
Never quit
Only you can define yourself.
To be an artist, one must be a maker of art. It really is that simple.
Melbourne artist Adnate
Some other opinions by practicing artists, please feel free to share yours in the comments below!
“I used to think there was some kind of achievement level that you needed to reach. Like making X amount in sales each year or having won certain awards or been shown in so many galleries or a sizable client list. At the end of the day, if you write, you are a writer. If you sing, you are a singer, if you draw or paint, you are an artist. Your achievements, client lists, email open rates, the number of likes on social media or hits on your webpage... that stuff is just marketing.”
–Shannon Ololufemi Ortberg
“I started thinking of myself as an artist at age 8. For me being an artist is a calling. Which literally means it's not something I call myself, but something I got called for by existence.”
–Kim Diaz Holm
“I remember knowing I was an artist in the first grade”
–Chet Zar
“The answer is, I cannot be anything else, because that’s who I am. It’s like breathing.”
–Deana Gore
“We're all whatever we say we are. I'm not so sure there is so much as a specific moment when one is allowed to call themselves an artist, but rather a moment when one discovers they are an "artist". Adding to that, I believe every artist has a different reason for why they create.”
–Travis Louie
“When you dedicate yourself to your ‘craft’. You don’t have to make money or do it all the time, but I believe it’s when you are dedicated to learning and growing in that creative field.”
–Tony Brown
“I think it's better to be self aware and comfortable identifying as something than waiting for someone else to tell you. I feel very comfortable being labeled and calling myself an artist. I don't need others' approval. It isn't something they can take away from me.”
–Michael R. Miller
“It doesn’t matter what one thinks of themselves, what matters is the work. What one does. A bricklayer is so because they lay bricks. You are the work you do. No magic to it or any perspectives that invite doubt.”
–Mate Jako
“It took me forever to be comfortable and confident to call myself an artist. It took my first kids art class student to see me in public and yell “hey mom! that’s the guy that taught me to paint monsters”
–Ryan Case
“If you can create something visual, then you’re an artist. Doesn’t matter what the medium is.”
–Joe Tolliver
“I never even understood that some people put "artist" on a pedestal that you must be good to obtain. I think you are an artist if you create artwork. As long as you are always making something, it counts. If you aren't good, then you are just a shitty artist. But you are still an artist.”
–Dusty Peterson
“I was called an artist by my family for as far back as I can remember. I was always creating/drawing/painting. I didn't start referring to myself as such till my late 20's. I had trouble calling myself an artist because I was too busy comparing myself to others. It took my grandmother looking me in the eye and going "You create art right? Then you are an artist child. Stop comparing yourself to others!". I love that woman dearly”
–Rose Antra
Artwork by Travis Louie