Do you write? Or make? Or sing? Or dance? You must be a creator. An Artist. a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria
That's a word that took a long time for me to accept as a description of myself. Artist. That was other people. Not me. All I did was write a few words occasionally on this blog. Or in my journal. Once in a while I get inspired to write poetry. But none of this is very consistent. It just....happens.
And yet! All that adds up to making me an artist. I can acknowledge that now. Oh, I don't think I'll ever be a famous artist. I seriously doubt I'll do much that people other than my friends and family will appreciate. But still. I am an artist. Simply because I create. It isn't always beautiful. It isn't always worth sharing. It isn't always lovely or amazing. In fact, most of the time it's not good at all. But oh.....that moment that the words come together. That moment when things just flow and I know. I know that it's good. No one but me may ever read it, yet that takes nothing away from the knowing it's good.
What about you? Do you question it, like I did? Have you ever even imagined that word describing you?
Then you need to read this post: An Anthem For An Army
Even if you already know you're an artist, you should read that post.
It's "To the ones who dare to create, to the ones who are almost brave enough to try, and the ones who still seek." Doesn't that describe you? I bet it does. Go. Read.
Just want to say I love this!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jamie! :)
DeleteI really love this post. And, yes, I don't consider myself an artist even though I crochet and knit. I think it's because I mimic. I don't design my own designs.
ReplyDeleteJenni, do you choose the yarns, their colors and so on for the things you crochet and knit? Because there's artistry in finding the right textures and colors for a piece too. I crochet and knit as well, and one of my favorite parts of that process is finding the right yarns to use for a project.
DeleteThanks, Jenni! And I agree with Hamlette. Even if you only copy a pattern, you still start out with a ball of yarn and end up with something awesome. And picking the colors and the pattern you'll use, that's part of the creating process. At least in my opinion. :)
DeleteI've considered myself an artist for a long time, but I do relate to this post because of my mom. When she was a little kid in grade school, a teacher criticized her drawing and told her she was not very creative, and she has spent the rest of her life believing that. Damaging words, those.
ReplyDeleteHamlette: So damaging! It's amazing how words can stick with us all our lives, isn't it? And how very sad that it came from a teacher who should have been encouraging it, regardless of skill or talent! Not everyone is going to famous, but that does not make any of us any less of an artist or a creator.
DeleteI don't have a certain moment like that where I can look back and pinpoint as to why I never considered myself an artist. I guess I just never really dwelt on what it actually meant. And also, my writing didn't really take off until I was an adult, so...perhaps that's part of it as well. Whatever the reasons, I would never want to discourage someone, like what happened with your mom. Words are powerful!
That happened to my mom in various ways, too! How horrible, to be shut down! I love this post but don't consider myself an artist. I'm more of an art appreciator, reading a lot but not participating in creating the words myself. But I encourage my son, and that is the most rewarding action I could do! That kid makes up new songs every day about things that happened to him or that he dreamed about--it's beautiful, and I hope he keeps it up!
DeleteThe world needs art appreciators too, Hannah! And I love that you're encouraging Gabe that way. Children should absolutely be encouraged to use their imaginations as much as possible! At least in my opinion.
DeleteI agree!
DeleteOooh, yes. Very good. Never thought of it that way. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou are so very welcome, Ganise! :)
DeleteWell, this was one of those moments--you wrote this so beautifully and eloquently!
ReplyDeleteAw. Well thank you, Olivia! Words of encouragement are most definitely appreciated! :)
DeleteHowever uneven I work on my creative projects and however often I question my output, I do consider myself an artist. Lovely post, Kara, and thanks for posting that link too :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Liane! We artists need all the encouragement we can get, right? At least I know I do. And no matter how often or how little we work with our creativeness and imaginations, each little sliver of time is valuable beyond compare!
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