What Makes Someone An Artist?

I've been having an inner conversation with me and my muses about what it means to be an artist. I did some research, I read all the dictionary definitions, and I thought about it myself and you know what, I still don't have a firm answer. 

A part of me believes in the ubiquitous and subjective nature of art which ends up  making us all artists at some point. But another part of me knows that, even though everything can be art, it takes a special ingredient to be something called an artist; whose creations and expressions can also be called art. My answer to this is: intention.

But the title of this post isn't "What Does Syrah Think An Artist Is?". I want to know and share what you think. Since it's such a subjective idea there is no true one correct answer, and I think the more perspectives you can see from, the clearer you can understand something, even if it's an elusive shapeshifting magic called artistry.

A few weeks ago I opened up this conversation on my Instagram story and asked my always insightful readers what they think an artist is. And WOW, you guys inspired and impressed me with your answers, so I want to share them here along with my thoughts. In the end maybe we will have a community definition of an artist. Or maybe we will conclude that, it is what it is. 

What do you think an artist is?

I asked you guys "What do you think makes someone an artist? Do they have to be a professional? Is it an obsessed hobby? A side hustle? A craft?" and I got over 60 responses, all unique and all felt correct in their own way. So I wanted to share some of the responses that resonated or challenged me the most.

(I did not include the usernames for who said what, I wanted to respect privacy. But if you'd like to have your username added to your answer please let me know!)

Artists share their soul

"Anyone who invests time making their soul into something tangible"

"If they create something from their soul"

"Creating something from deep within whether for themselves or others."

A lot of you mention the soul when defining an artist. This is really interesting to me. It makes me feel like being an artist is so much more than "creating anything" and it brings me back to my last blog post where I say "art isn't in you it is you". Now the definition and concept of the soul is even more complicated and difficult to unpack. But for the sake of brevity and conversation, let's assume the soul is that ineffable essence inside of us that not only gives up breath, but gives us conscious awareness and a sense of more. 

I agree in many ways with these sentiments. I think art is everywhere and almost everything we do can be seen as art by an observer. But to be an artist you need to have that extra layer of intention and so often that comes from deep within. 

Artists aren't just trying to express surface level feelings, they are trying to give a piece of themselves to the world. A piece of them that may live longer than their body, a piece of them that others can connect with and recognize as also a piece of themselves. 

Adding your spirit to anything you do, in my mind, elevates it from just doing something to creating something with intention, art.

Passion produces artists

"Someone who loves what they make and take pride in it. It isn't work for them and inspires."

"Someone who is passionate in what they do even if just for enjoyment"

"Someone that can take that passion and use it in life. In any form. Makeup, art, food."

"A desire/love of creation"

Passion is absolutely a pre-requisite when it comes to being an artist. You have to have passion, even if all light is lost in life, something has to drive the artist to create. 

This passion makes me think that being an artist isn't a one person job, it's a joint venture. This passion, the fire, the muse within, they all play a vital role in creating the artists' vision. And oftentimes the vision is unknown to the artist and it is passion that leads the way. I can't count the amount of times I felt the urge to write or paint or draw without knowing what I wanted to end up with, but not being able to stop until it reached a certain point where it felt done. I had no control over the outcome, I was just the vessel. This makes me think that passion is more than just a desire...it's a demanding business partner. 

Artists are obsessed

"Someone who makes art the centerpiece of their life"

"Practicing constantly"

"The perpetual, obsessive need to create"

"An artist is someone who is constantly thinking about their craft"

"Who pay no heed to their surroundings and just write write and write"

With passion comes obsession. I find it interesting to see a glimpse of how people view artists and some of these answers draw up mental pictures of artists locked away in towers, toiling over portraits and poems. It makes me think of The Hermit in Tarot.

I think there is some danger and cliché in the obsessed solitary artist trope. But I also think it takes a level of obsession to keep working on something without worrying about what people think and more importantly, what you think. You need to be a little crazy, a bit insane, you need to eat, sleep, dream, and make love to your art. Creating something new is scary. The world doesn't have a good track record on welcoming new art, thoughts or ideas. So you kind of have to be a little mad to pursue until the very end.

On a less extreme, I see this obsession more as focus. Hyperfocus maybe. Focused on one thing, the final product, the perfect sonnet, the exact capture of emotion or story you are trying to convey. That focus can last hours, months, years. It takes a level of discipline and eventually it can become an obsession, which can become very unhealthy (artists are known for having their coping mechanisms), but before it crosses the line into lunacy, hyperfocus and consistency turn apprentices into artists very quickly.

If you ever want to try a new creative outlet or art form this is how you should approach it if you want to see progress quickly. You can't rush it, but you can push it a little. Do whatever the thing is you want to do every single day, repeat it, do it again, do it more, try it another way, and so on. You'll see creative growth and feel all the emotions an artist feels, excitement, doubt, anger, and pride. Welcome to the wild side!

Artists are vulnerable

"The ability/will to share their gift...which I am afraid to do"

"Showing parts of them most people wouldn't through art expression~"

You know what separates good art from bland art? Vulnerability. 

So far we have seen that artists share their soul, and what could be more vulnerable than that? 

Shallow, empty, superficial art that just grazes the surface leaves too much to be desired. Doing this doesn't make you an artist. They have words for people to imitate depth and fake their way into art and philosophy, a few come to mind like charlatan or sophist. 

To be an artist, and to feel like an artist, you need to expose your soul on a regular basis. And trust me, this is not easy. This is what hurts the most. This is what is scariest. Getting your art rejected is one thing, but getting your inner child or mental struggles rejected is a whole other world of pain. And that's why so many artists keep their work to themselves.

I truly wish more people could open up and share their art with the world. This vulnerability is a huge obstacle and so many of my readers come to me asking how they can overcome this fear. And truthfully, I could design a workshop series on this, but really the thing you have to do is just...do it. And go from there. But I will also provide more materials on this challenge so stay tuned!

Artists say something

"Tell a story through their creative medium in a beautiful way. You feel it and see it. "

"If you have something to say and you express that in a unique way whether its professional or not"

 Do you know what you call art that doesn't have any meaning? Decoration.

Now, not all art has to have a profound and complex conceptual backstory and moral. But it needs to mean something. It needs to say something. 

I've tried to create and write for the sake of aesthetics and it is as uninspiring as a process as is the final result. 

But decorations are beautiful, and the people who design them are artists in their way. This is not to discredit their passion and work. Even then they are telling stories through colour and shapes. Creating ambience. Setting a mood. Changing the way you feel with use of colour and lighting. Sounds like art to me.

I think what you guys were getting to is that artists have something to say. And whether or not you know what it is exactly they are saying, you can sense it in their work. And that's what separates an artist from a person who just throws things together.

CHALLENGE: Next time you are making something mundane, like dinner or coffee, try telling a story. Use ingredients that means something. Put it together in a way that says something. Find the story in you, and include it as an ingredient. Feel it out, listen to your inner muse and see how they guide you. You might be reaching for a new spice, or resurrecting an old cultural dish, you might elevate something you do all the time in ways you didn't imagine. Have fun wit hit, and let me know what you come up with. 

It takes perspective to be an artist

"Visions, thoughts, presentation of things in different aspects"

"For me i like capturing moments like sunset with oil pastels or just pencil portraits"

"The ability to see life through a different pair of lens & then expose a new reality."

Ah! What is more artistic than perspective? 

I agree fully and whole heartedly with what you are all saying here. Artists flip things on their head to show a new perspective. I think this is such an important responsibility of art and artists. How we see the world, and what the world really is are usually not the same. And it takes special minds to open our eyes to see the nuances of truth, to break through the black and white, to give light to other perspectives, to force us to see in new ways. 

Do you know what I call art that confirms the status quo? Propaganda.

Be an artist.

Artists make you feel

"An artist makes you feel something through a chosen medium."

"someone who can take their emotions to poetry, art, music, to feel without the story behind it"

I think if there is anything an artist does, it's make the observer feel something.  That feeling can be emptiness or apathy, or it could be disgust, excitement, or peace.

Art moves people. Artists move culture. 

What is most interesting about this is that it's all about making others feel something, not the artist themself. But in order to influence how people feel we need to understand their emotional states before they consume or observe our art piece. This takes empathy. 

Even when you are trying to communicate your own emotions, or tell your very personal story, it's not about you. Ever. It's never about the artist. It's about the art, the story, and the observer. When we want to make people feel a certain way, we have to approach things differently. 

For example, if an artist wants to make people feel hopeful in a time of hopelessness, throwing bright colours might not resonate with the audience. It may require some acknowledgement of the current state in order to help the audience shift into a new emotional state. It might mean reframing hope to give it a new perspective, telling a story of hope, showing that hope does for the world. The artist may need to make the audience feel hopeless for a moment right before the artist reveals their art of hope.

Anyone who creates or expresses themselves is an artist

"Expressing themselves through words, sounds, shapes, or motio, to share emotion"

"If you create something, you are an artist. Simple as that."

"Anything you do is considered art"

"Anyone who defines themselves as an artist is one in my opinion. art is subjective"

"Art & creativity are the breath of life. Cooking, conversing, painting, ogling the moon = art"

"Definitely doesn't have to be a professional. Do you create? Yes? You're an artist."

"We are all artists in some way. We all create."

This sentiment was the most popular and I understand why. The root of art is creation, and creation is born from creativity. Therefore, if you create anything, anything, it could quite possibly fall into the category of art making you an artist!

But unfortunately I think I have to disagree on technicalities. I agree that creativity is a driving force in our lives and I also agree that creativity is at the root of art, too. But not everything we create is art, because then everything would be art and if everything is art then nothing is art. The same applies to poetry, an art form that has been greatly democratized in the last decade. I am happy to see poetry reaching masses, nothing thrills me more. But not everything is poetry just because someone wants it to be. Not everything is art. It just can't be. 

Just because I can wear a blanket as a toga doesn't mean it is clothes and should go in my wardrobe. 

But at the risk of contradicting myself, I have to say this—I understand why people feel this way. Life is bursting full of art and humans have such immense creative power and potential, it's hard not to see each one as an artist as they make their coffee beautifully and coordinate the perfect outfit to match the weather that day.

It's easy to be romantic and see the world as artists bumping into each other making art by accident. But we need structure and definitions and parameters to understand and differentiate concepts. So when people say "anything you do is art" I have to think, "yes, but only if you want it to be".

Without intention we are just happy accidents. 

But screw me, what do you think? Do you firmly believe that everything we do or make makes us artists? Share your thoughts as always, my email is syrahkai@gmail.com and I'd love to hear your thoughts even if they disagree with mine (especially if they do)

When are you an artist?

Having seen all this qualifications for an artist, I truly believe we all play the role at some point in our lives. When do you embody the characteristics of an artist? When do you put your soul in your work? Where do you do your story telling? How do you change the way people feel without direct force?

Take some time and meditate on your inner artist. Recognize when it comes out and what it is drawn to. Feed that part of your soul and let it be known.