Am I an "Artist?"
Am I an artist? Are you an artist?
Is that man on the grass with an easel and a paintbrush an artist?
What about the kid drawing stick people on the pavement, is she an artist?
The answer is simple, yes. That's it. Just yes.
We are all artists in our own sense. Does it matter if we create something that is so realistic you have to look with a magnifying glass because you're so sure it's a photograph?
No. It does not.
If I've learned anything in my 30 years, it is art has no specific definition, just as an artist has no specific description.
An artist doesn't have to be gifted in every medium.
An artist doesn't have to have the ability to work with any reference photo.
An artist doesn't have to only create original works.
An artist doesn't have to understand all art.
And above all, an artist doesn't have to love all art.
You are an artist if and when you create something. Whether that creation be a recreation of another photographers work, or something you made up in your head. It's art, and you're an artist.
I will stop comparing myself to other artists.
I will stop downgrading my work because I see mistakes.
I will stop thinking I'm less of an artist, or not an artist at all because I can't freehand a perfect human form from memory.
I will appreciate what I can do, because despite my flaws, I love creating art.
I love the challenge of getting key features to match up perfectly.
I love how the process relaxes me, and is almost a form of meditation.
I love comparing my work with my reference, seeing flaws, and having the capability of fixing them!
And most of all, I love seeing and hearing of others reactions to my work.
Is that narcissistic? Maybe. But what is art if it is not being appreciated by the world?
I don't expect everyone to love what I do, or even like what I do. I know there are people who see my work and think, "big deal, she's copying other people's photos" but for everyone person who thinks that, there is someone who has one of my "copied portraits" hanging on their wall of a loved one, and that makes it all worth it.
So yes,
I am an artist.
