Aehem.
When can you call yourself an artist? Is it when you sell your first painting? When you obtain a medal for your antics? Maybe it is when you are given a paid endorsment to perform, or perhaps do it out of free will, for the better of others?
I think not. Artistry, to me, is a state of mind. Let me elaborate on my further ramblings.
You may be secluded, hidden from society; an outcast, even. No one likes you, no one knows you, and no one cares about your measely existance. But every morning, when you wake up, only to find you are misunderstood, shunned or hated by civil society, you have a thought in your mind. Whenever you have an unoccupied moment in your busy life, or perhaps when you are unable to sleep during the night. When you think, to yourself, “What can I create today?” “How can I improve this and make it spectacular?” – That. That is what, to me, defines an artist.
When a thought or idea to finish/create/elaborate a creation of yours never leaves your mind, your thought process. Then you are an artist. You are an artist, when your creation is a motivating force for you, when it gives you, and perhaps others, something to think about.
Passion is art. Being passionate and creative is what, to me, defines an artist. You may not be famous, or renowned, you may not receive any physical compensation for your troubles. But when you complete something, something you created yourself, you are an artist.
I understand, most of the people here just linger around the forums, never quite too passionate about the art to let it live through them. But there are a few. A few who are passionate, as well as loving, towards their own creations, their own art. And these, are what we can call artists.
But does it matter? Does it matter whether or not someone sees you as an artist?
No.
Maybe you see me as an artist, you hold me praised so that I feel like I’m special. Or maybe you don’t. But because art is my own state of mind, I believe the idea of you being an artist is your own to bear, not someone else’s.
Art is a vent through which you express your emotions. An artist, he expresses his emotions. thereby, he who expresses his own emptions has the right to think of himself as an artist.
That is art, and that is artistry. A thought, a state of mind.
I hope I have made enough sense to provide you with an alternate point of view, one which I have yet to see in this disscussion. Please, feel free to take it apart or ask me to elaborate.
Gustav