Video Journal #2 - What is an Artist? Am I one?
- Sara Isherwood
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
Am I an artist?
It is a question I've been asking myself my whole life. Am I good enough? Do I do enough? Shouldn't I be making more? Writing and performing more? I've always felt like an impostor in the Arts Industry, especially at "industry events"; even when I am definitely there as an artist (other people said so and I got emails and contracts about it).
But I feel like an impostor anyway because I haven't done many shows, I'm not employed by a company, I haven't had anything published lately, and everyone else around me seems to be hustling or about to put on an exhibition, and they are amazing, many of them...
But...but...HANG ON! Isn't this Arts Industry just another particularly insidious form of capitalism that marginalises artists and forces them to compete for grant money and do weird corporate things like risk analysis and acquittal forms? I've been spending time and energy prioritising those things over the last year or two and to be honest it kind of sent my creativity spinning off somewhere into the universe. I need to call it back. It's a part of my soul and I want it back.
*Just as an aside, and because I am very impressed by this, the Irish government has just initiated a program called Basic Income for the Arts (that's a link to more info). I want to campaign for this in Australia.
I have a suspicion, and lots of anecdotes, that other artists also feel like this, so maybe it's normal? But anyway, I have to find where I left my creativity. Is it down some black hole out there in the cosmos, or did I leave it lying around somewhere in the kitchen?
- by the way I also lied about all these videos being under two minutes, but hey, they are still pretty short.
So the short answer to this week's question is Yes. Yes I am an artist. But I want to make it clear that there are so many others out there who have way more talent, skills, aptitude and artwork out there than I do, which is why I struggle with the label "artist". Who knows, maybe I am more of a bullshit artist than an actual one!!!
See you next Sunday. Please comment if you have any thoughts, share this blog around if you like as well (but please don't put it on Facebook).
I feel spiritually nourished by these conversations and I'm pretty sure other artists do too, so it would be nice to make some new connections there.
Cheers.
Hi Sara!
This prompted a thought from me - I used to get annoyed when people in the music scene referred to themselves as artists. I gave up reacting to it, but for me someone in music should be called a musician, not an 'artist.' An artist in my mind is someone who works in art, i.e visual arts, painting, sculpture etc. but this goes over the heads of many. I don't know if acting is an 'art', but these should probably be again referred to as separately, actors and acting. Most people wouldn't be so concerned about the defintions, but it matters to me.
PS great videos, keep up the good work! Rob x