What is an Artist?

A new year is upon us, and as we reach the end of January, I’ve been reflecting on the past few months since my #inktober review last year. Whilst not much would appear different on the surface, (apart from entering my 3rd decade…what even is time?) But if you were somehow able to take a peek inside my brain, you would observe a positively prominent shift in mindset that can only be described as the most nourishing breath of fresh air I've inhaled for quite some time. What this clarity has revealed though, is one question…what is an artist?

It’s about to get pretentious, so strap in…if you’re into that sort of thing.

I have recently taken up therapy again, and I’m happy to say, things are going very well. Yey to better mental health! However, this does make me think about our perceptions of art and the creators behind it. I have on occasion fallen victim to the tortured artist trope, and while this has proven to be a great catalyst for ground-breaking works throughout history, it does leave a glaring downside. 

Poor mental health often leads to limited or scattered productivity, which can have an adverse effect on the artist and how they see themselves and their craft. Through first hand experience I’ve learnt that difficulties in life and their effects on us, can often be invaluable when it comes to creativity and idea generation (perverse I know) but in classic, double-edged sword fashion, that same fuel for creative ideas can often be poison when it comes to turning those ideas into a reality.

Like putting diesel fuel in a petrol car, it just ceases to function.

“You’ll be one of those artists that never draws…”

This was something I’d heard in the past and has stuck with me ever since…can someone with minimal tangible output even be considered an artist? I certainly have more ideas than finished works, so at what point along the creative journey are creators considered an artist, once the work is done or at the point of the idea’s inception? 

The creative process is widely perceived as inherently turbulent and uncomfortable, and when you throw poor mental health into the mix, it can lead to a lot of distress and negative self-talk; and in a world where ‘perception’ is more prominent than ever, this is further compounded. When those around us are constantly sharing moments, achievements and thoughts by tossing them out into the void along with the influx of fabrications of the reality we find ourselves in (I’m talking AI art, but that’s a topic for a whole other blog…stay tuned) it can lead any artist to question their place and whether they feel what they have to say should be added to the already deafening noise.

The creative process is unique and sacred to each creator, that’s the beauty of being an ‘artist’, as it can really mean whatever the hell you want it to.

Stripping it back to basics and limiting the consumption of, and comparison to others' work, has helped me to reconnect with why I gravitated towards art and creativity in the first damn place. It was my own space, my refuge, a place with no noise where I could hear my innermost thoughts and honour them in kind.

I often say that, for me, art is any medium that evokes some sort of emotion, or intrigue, one of the most subjective criteria there could be. So why should we feel the need to commodify and categorise ourselves as ‘artists’, it feels so counterintuitive to the act of creative expression, at least for me.

What is an artist then? I don’t know, and neither does anybody else really…kinda takes the pressure off doesn’t it?

Bring that order to chaos, or don’t, bring more chaos to the chaos, there are no rules!