Can I call myself an artist? Exploring the definition of an artist
Can I call myself an artist?
I have recently had reason to question whether I can, with all honesty and integrity, call myself an artist. The reason? Because a rather unkind person, safe in their Facebook group anonymity, told me that I wasn’t an artist and “just because I paint every day does not make me one”. Interestingly, this was on a group supposedly intended to be for artists to support other artists. I wasn’t feeling very supported! Somewhat annoyed, I decided that I would explore what exactly is an artist. The answer is straightforward but let’s explore some ideas.
Let’s first look at the dictionary definition:
Artist: “A person who creates paintings or drawings as a profession or hobby”
Now, you’ll notice that this definition contains no caveats on how long one should have been creating, or how qualified one should be. It only says “a person who creates paintings…” I think that’s fairly straightforward. But is it really that simple? I decided to look a bit deeper.
An artist is represented by a gallery
Okay, I have heard this said several times and indeed I have even been told directly that for me to be a serious artist (as opposed to a funny one?) I would have to get accepted by a gallery. But why? If my work is selling (and I have sold over 200 pieces in the last 4 years) why would I need a gallery? Sure, if I had gallery representation, I wouldn’t have to do all the marketing, advertising, and promoting that I do to get my work found, they do all of this for you. In return, however, they also take around 50% of the sale price. No, I think I’ll keep my other 50% thank you.
Maybe it is the validation that is needed. Perhaps people think that one cannot be called an artist unless some stuffy gallery manager deems the work good enough (for them). Often, failure to get into a gallery has nothing to do with the quality of the work and instead can be simply because the artist’s style doesn’t match the gallery’s requirements.
So, I would argue that one doesn’t need gallery representation to be an artist.
An artist must work full-time in their studio
The internet is awash with this kind of statement. A real artist (as opposed to a make-believe one?) spends all their working day (or night) in their studio creating art. Well, wouldn’t that be great? I think all artists would love for that to be true, but it simply isn’t. There are many acclaimed and accomplished artists out there who have day jobs to support them.
Even full-time professional (meaning they make their livings from their art) artists don’t spend every waking moment creating. There is all manner of other jobs that have to be done including answering emails, looking after clients, doing research, packing and sending artwork and not to mention the financial management side of things. Unless one is fortunate enough to have a team behind them doing these things, it is very unlikely a full-time artist is creating full-time. So, this can’t be the definition of an artist either.
Your job title must say “artist”
This is a strange one and someone did honestly try to tell me this. I run my own art business which makes me the owner, manager, CEO, HR manager, marketing chief, and tea boy, to name just a few job roles I have. Oh yes, and I could give myself the title of ‘artist’. That’s great! I don’t need to create anything at all, I’ll just knock up some business cards and call myself an artist. Alternatively, I could go and work for someone else’s studio and have them call me an artist. Seriously? I don’t think we need to explore this daft idea any further.
An artist is one who has painted for a long time
This was another of the challenges thrown my way by the keyboard warriors of the internet. Apparently, painting almost every day for the last four years does not make me an artist. Equally, it was argued that just because I started off by developing a daily habit of painting (I started by painting every day for 30 days) my habit does not make me an artist. I will refer to the dictionary definition above about artists creating art.
Is there a period during which one must create before one can be recognised as an artist? Is it five years? Ten? Twenty? Who decides? Does one have to sit a test at the end of the allotted time or provide evidence of all those years spent creating?
Clearly, this is nonsense as some artists will be creating prolifically over a period whilst others may work more slowly. Time then becomes completely irrelevant.
An artist must have qualifications
This is a particularly interesting one and reminds me of a terrible conversation one of my colleagues at work had with a former manager many years ago. The manager had a PhD in chemistry (just as I do) but my colleague ‘only’ had a Master’s degree in chemistry (on top of his 1st Class Bachelor’s degree). During a development interview, the manager told my colleague that he was not a true scientist because he didn’t have a PhD. Even worse, because his degrees were from a less popular university in the midlands, he was advised to think about doing his degrees again at more prestigious institutions! Needless to say, my colleague ignored the advice and, thankfully, the manager didn’t last long.
Is it necessary to have a formal qualification or education in art to be called an artist? Well, training and education are clearly of huge benefit and every artist must learn their craft and skills somewhere. This doesn’t necessarily mean they need to learn them formally. These days there are multiple ways of learning including short, informal courses, local art groups and workshops, residential courses (fancy a nice two weeks in a French chateau?), and of course, the internet. YouTube has so many tutorials that one could easily, with a lot of dedication and practice, learn almost anything and become quite proficient.
It is a fact that many acclaimed artists did not go to a famous art school or achieve a Master’s or Ph.D. in art. Sure, there are some that did and this has certainly helped their careers but I suspect that has more to do with being with the right people to make the connections needed to climb the art world ladder.
An artist is one who creates – full stop
Art is a very subjective thing. Some will love what we create, and others will absolutely hate it. Abstract art is a very good example of this. Some people ‘get it’ whilst others think it is all a load of pretentious rubbish that anyone could make. They are, of course, entitled to their view and that I guess is the point. Anyone can say you are not an artist, but this probably says more about their lack of understanding than it does about your ability.
I didn’t begin to recognize myself as an artist until I began to sell my art to people that didn’t know me. Friends are great at giving you a confidence boost but, for me, selling to complete strangers and having repeat customers, was real validation. People don’t go out with the intention of buying a painting from someone who is not an artist. They go out to find artwork from an artist.
Ultimately, I think calling oneself an artist is all about confidence. If you feel that you are an artist, then call yourself an artist. In fact, I would go further and suggest that if you create, whether it is to sell or you just do it for the sheer fun of it, tell everyone you’re an artist. Shout it out loud – I AM AN ARTIST! I know I do!
