When Do You Call Yourself An Artist ?

Csontvary

As many (if not most of us), have a day job, do you any of you call yourself an artist when someone asks you what you do for a living, or perhaps mention Artist along with your other profession? And if you do, at what point in your journey did you start adding Artist to your title?

toujours

Buggered if I know.   I have resisted for a lifetime and always correct people and say I paint sometimes. 
 This year, I began referring to myself as an artist.   What else am I?  I create things. 
 If I can't paint, I would draw, If I could not draw, I would sculpt....  Goodness, yesterday my chook hatched 8 chicks.  As I finished the enclosure I made for them, I wove a rooster into the chicken wire.   Just a moment of whimsy.   A waste of time, probably/undoubtedly, but I have these compulsions to create something, and since no harm came from it I ran with it.    I am sure many people on this platform find themselves in similar situations.   I think, if nothing else, that qualifies us as "artists".

tassieguy

I usually call myself a painter. But will add 'artist' if it looks as though people think I mean a house painter. I don't know why I have a thing about calling myself an artist. Lack of confidence, maybe.

Abstraction

You're like me @toujours. I have to create. Love your whimsy.

I think there are two versions: 1. Artist as profession. You earn the title even if your artworks are not amazing. 2. Artist as expression. That the level of work you do is very high and moves people in different ways.

Richard_P

Love the chicken wire art! I actually have a piece of art I bought that is made up of black wire twisted into a scene

skutumpah

I don't think I have referred to myself as an artist, in a conversation for at least  the last15 years. When asked, I usually say "My wife and I are landscape painters" - but to the US Government - we are both Artists. (Income Tax Returns)

toujours

Richard_P said:

Love the chicken wire art! I actually have a piece of art I bought that is made up of black wire twisted into a scene

Thanks, yes, a fun way to waste time.   I have done chicken wire sculptures of a koala and a hare and cats.   Also little plain wire silhouettes of a cat and a penguin, which throw good shadows on the wall.

Desertsky

@Toujours - I am in the US, and at first thought your wire sculpture was a cartoon character Snoopy looking right. Only after I read the comments did I realize it was a rooster looking left. More, please!

kaustavM

I refer myself as an artist when it is applicable. Analyst is more acceptable in the regular society. 

toujours

Desertsky said:

@Toujours - I am in the US, and at first thought your wire sculpture was a cartoon character Snoopy looking right. Only after I read the comments did I realize it was a rooster looking left. More, please!

Ah, yes, it does have a backwards snoopy look.....!

I shall try and find some pics and post them in a new thread, so I don't hijack this one!

osiosbon

Thats a good question. I initially used to call myself painter as the term artist felt like a burden of responsibilities. 
Later I began to think, there's no harm calling myself artist as there's something indigenously mine in the work I do. Even if its a work from a reference, the composition is mine. We are story tellers, so one is an an artist if he can convey something to the viewer. 

dencal

Folks

Castillo gave us this fine contribution.

YOU ALSO KNOW YOU ARE AN ARTIST WHEN. . . 


Every­one around you wants to share their thoughts but you just want to be alone with your thoughts.

You talk about your own val­ues as shades of grey from 1 — 10.

When your kids scrape their knee, you spend more time won­der­ing how to mix the colour of blood instead of grab­bing a bandaid.

The only human interaction you have is with Draw Mix Paint forum members.

Your cat eats bet­ter than you do.

You’d rather starve than be out of art supplies.

The bumper sticker on your car reads, “My other vehi­cle is linseed.”

Your idea of liv­ing dan­ger­ously is hav­ing more than five colors on your lim­ited palette.

You’re con­flicted when the “Save The Bun­nies” foundation asks for your sup­port because you can’t help think­ing about the qual­ity rab­bit skin glue that might end up in your studio.

Denis

osiosbon

dencal said:

Folks

Castillo gave us this fine contribution.

YOU ALSO KNOW YOU ARE AN ARTIST WHEN. . . 


Every­one around you wants to share their thoughts but you just want to be alone with your thoughts.

You talk about your own val­ues as shades of grey from 1 — 10.

When your kids scrape their knee, you spend more time won­der­ing how to mix the colour of blood instead of grab­bing a bandaid.

The only human interaction you have is with Draw Mix Paint forum members.

Your cat eats bet­ter than you do.

You’d rather starve than be out of art supplies.

The bumper sticker on your car reads, “My other vehi­cle is linseed.”

Your idea of liv­ing dan­ger­ously is hav­ing more than five colors on your lim­ited palette.

You’re con­flicted when the “Save The Bun­nies” foundation asks for your sup­port because you can’t help think­ing about the qual­ity rab­bit skin glue that might end up in your studio.

Denis

Too good.