To be honest I'm still working on this one but I'll tell you what I've learned so far:
- Stand back and try to look at yourself objectively: If someone you knew was doing the things you do creatively, would you call them an "artist?" Would a random person on the street who saw the things you made call them art?
- Get serious: Do what you need to do to get more serious about your process. See our recent blog post on this topic. This alone could convince you that you deserve the title now because you've earned it.
- How much do you like art? How much time do you spend talking or thinking about it even when you're not doing it? Do you love museums more than most people do? What does that mean about you?
- Has anyone else ever called you an artist? Did you believe it? Why not? Consider if most people would believe you or the person who called you and artist.
- Make a portfolio: It's been very helpful to me to be forced to photograph a lot of my work for this website. It's made me realize how many things I've actually made and I can begin to understand myself and my passion better. It's a lot of work, but if you want to be an artist, you should probably have an artist website with a gallery. Get started taking pictures and writing about what you've made so you can get someone to help you put it all together to present to the public.
What's your experience in trying to call yourself an artist? I would love to know.
May your creativity flow,
--Pam