What is it that makes you ‘officially’ an artist? Is it a certain completed number of paintings? Having graduated from art college? Being accepted for a group exhibition? Having your first solo exhibition? Winning an art competition? Or is it just a state of mind?
Various opinions have been put forward on this subject on the Painting Forum, starting with Julie, who said: “My husband told me that when I sell a painting to a stranger then he will say I'm an artist.”
“You are an artist when you make art. Many artists spend their lives not selling their work … One of the first requirements for an artist is to ignore those who would define whether they are artists. The only real measure is the person making the art or, if need be, posterity.” -- Jon
“I think being an artist comes from within, like a state of mind. … an artist is anyone who can express what is going on in their head/soul through any creative medium, whether it be spoken, written, sung, played, danced, or put on canvas. It is the act of releasing and documenting thoughts and feelings that makes one an artist.” -- ThomsMinotaur
“Everyone is an artist as a child. It's when they get older and start critisizing themselves that they stop creating art. I consider myself an artist because it's what I am; not for how many paintings I've sold. Maybe that's what makes you a professional artist. ” -- Sue
“I always point to Van Gogh who couldn't sell a painting in his lifetime and now is one of the best known artists in the world. If you read the letters he wrote to his brother, they just have an artist's soul. He talks on endlessly at one point about a particular shade of blue he saw that day. To me that's an artist. It wasn't what was in his pocket but in his heart.” -- Sue
“I think the most rewarding part is that feeling you have when you sit enveloped in your work of art, unconscious of time, competing with your own self to convey your feelings and opinions. Then you finish your piece of art and stand back and look at it and know that you created a piece of art that is a reflection of you and that is unique, even if it is not the best or most skillful.” -- Nohahamed
“An artist makes art, sees art in the world around them and, most importantly, feels art in their heart. If they sell their art or not does not matter. What matters is that they make art. If you never put it down on paper, canvas, clay or stone you only have ideas, not art. Your ideas might be brilliant but until it is tangible others cannot enjoy or appreciate your art.” -- Dianna
“Being an artist is a form of obsessive-compulsive neurosis, if you want to look at it from a purely clinical point of view.” -- Hamlet279
“Whenever the thing that is uppermost on your mind; when you get up in the morning, when you have an unoccupied moment during the day, when you can't sleep at night; is ‘What can I (create) today?’ or ‘How can I finish that (creation)and make it spectacular?’ When the passion to make that painting, photograph, drawing, sculpture, etc. never quite leaves your thought processes and is a motivating/driving force in your daily life...then you are an artist. Many of the greatest artists in history were never famous until after they died. .. It's not about selling, it's all about the passion of creating something new and beautiful! Some artists don't care to share their work with others...it's just for their own enjoyment. And true artists don't care if anyone else thinks they are good or not and they are not concerned with what anyone else thinks of their work. They are strictly in it for the pleasure of creating, and if they sell and make money that's just icing on the cake! Especially if they are still alive to enjoy the income. You decide if you are an artist and don't let anyone else tell you any different if you are one.” -- SkyRamsey
“If you have a vision different from other people then I say you are an artist!” -- Jim
“Selling a painting is just a validation that someone likes your work enough to pay real money for it. You don’t have to sell paintings in order to be an artist.” -- Ruthie
"I believe that art is about communication. When you can express your own vision in such a way that others can grasp and understand what you are 'saying', then you can call yourself an artist. And I believe that this is true no matter what the discipline -- painting, drama, dance, music, writing. Until your audience responds to your work, your efforts are just for yourself. When that audience does respond and your work evokes some emotion in others, you have crossed the line and become an artist." -- Sasha
"I like to compare the word 'artist' with 'musician'. If someone sits down at a piano and hits any key they want without any knowledge of how to create music can they be called a pianist or musician? I don't think so. Can someone who puts paint on a board or canvas in any way they want without knowing the language of art, the fundamentals of design, the elements and principles, be called an artist?" -- Brian Rice
What do I think? I believe that if you paint, you're an artist, period. Perhaps not one who makes their living from their art, nor a renowned one, nor even a good one, but that's not the criteria. It's being creative and making art that defines an artist.
What do you think? Add your thoughts to the Painting Forum discussion about When You can call Yourself an Artist or the one about the Differences between an Artist and a Craftsman.
