“Everyone is an artist.” There is something in this statement that I find amazing and wrong at the same time. How can we all be an artist? Is this even possible? Of course it is in an existential way, because we are all creative beings, and I am not negating the power in each of us to create. It does exist in all of us. But there is a difference between those who do and those who are what they do.
I started to ponder these questions because I have met so many people who say what they are artist because they have a show, win a competition. Perhaps this is all that there is to being an artist. But then I meet the people who study, not all at university, but throughout life their work and focus is their art. When their art is put against the art of others, who claim the title artist, it is clear that one is an “artist” and one is not.
Photo by Ernestine Louise in a cafe somewhere in New York City February 2019.
These artist struggle to make ends meet because they are focused on the work that they are producing without thought of how it will pan out for them. They speak about their work in a way that makes it clear that it is not an option but a necessity to exist. A few find success while living and others never taste it while living. But ultimately getting it outside of their studio or off their screens is a goal. It is always the goal to share the work, to give it a life outside of the bubble that it is created in. Finding success and having someone buy work is also essential in order to continue doing the work. Validation, having it is stated, acknowledge, is important. And it often is not given.
This is not meant as a judgement but rather an observation of how I myself am operating in this space. As much as I despise the notion that I must/should measure up and somehow be validated is a reality in the creative community. If no one reads you, sees your work, buys your work is it any good? I know that calling myself a writer is a huge mantle to place on my shoulders. It is not simply books sold, movie adaptations or best sellers list, it is the craft itself that stands as the proof – it is either good or it is not. And yet I call myself a write and I have yet to publish my first book.
My reveries on this topic, what makes an artist, is more about me than anyone else. I know that everything is subjective except for facts (and often we treat them as such too), and that art is valued in ways that is often confusing to this end. Even the best artist ask if they are indeed an artist. At some point some know it without having to state it. It becomes not a title but a way of life, of experiencing the world around them, and engaging in the experience of what it means to be a part of the world.
Perhaps everyone is an artist. However, I believe that there are some who are art and find a way to make themselves more tangible for the rest of us.