What Makes an Artist?

I would like to start by welcoming you to this blog. This is a great thing because it allows me to share my personal insights with anyone who desires to gain a greater knowledge of what it means to be an artist. And what better way to begin than with the question that inspired me to begin this page in the first place: What makes an artist?

I call myself an artist because I find the little things in life and view them not as insignificant, but as the objects of greatest potential. Words on a sheet of paper change lives; organized noises can be the only thing keeping people sane. An artist is has the ability to create from what was not there before. With nothing but a vision, they are able to bring out emotions in you that you didn't even know you possessed.

I struggled for a long time, unsure If I could actually consider myself to be an artist. I felt that I was never good enough, and the answer would always be to fix what was wrong with me. I would turn out lousy work with absolutely no creativity and then criticize the work like crazy even though I WASN'T EVEN SURE WHY THE WORK WAS SO HORRIBLE!

When I finally got it, I realized that the problem was that I spent too much time focusing on what was wrong with me and never once stopped to appreciate the abilities that I have been blessed with. Even though a critical eye can be useful for improvement, when you can see the good in what you have created, it goes a long way.

I realized that it was the way that the creation affected people's emotions that made it a work of art. And I learned that it doesn't matter the level of difficulty because the simplest things in life can carry the greatest significance.

I find now, that I can never seem to truly leave my art behind me. I always catch myself thinking, 'that would be funny in a T.V. script' I 'this will make a great picture,' lately I've even caught myself doing sax solos in my head when I should be listening to what people are saying to me. My art never leaves me. It's not only a part of me, it is who I am because it's from me.

So if you truly believe that your calling is within the arts, I challenge you to take the next step and make your art limitless. Take your acting studies beyond your classes and study the people that you meet for their subtle nuances and behaviours. discover your musical instrument even when you don't physically have it with you, and watch how quickly your art will jump to the next level.

- The Artist