Sometimes I notice people are hesitant to label themselves as artists. It has become a phrase of prestige or even pompousness. However, real art has no elitism. You want to know if you are an artist; you, the reader? You, the Voice speaking in your head as you read these words? The answer is simple: an artist is one who realizes that thinking and creating are two verbs to describe the same action.
To think is to make. Your thoughts *are* creation. Once you realize this fact, you become an artist. In our basic instincts of thought, questioning and desire to be unique, we often forget, or fall unaware of this truth that frees us. Not only would I say it frees us, but it serves as an example of how we are all connected by a precious gift. It enhances our abilities to think, question and fulfill our desire to be unique. This simple acceptation of the creative potential we all hold comes with a realization that the ability to be an artist is not limited to any one person and the triviality of ‘artist’ as a title becomes equally clear.
Some such as myself may argue that creation and the creative ability is a divine gift. I believe it is a way in which we are created in the image of the One who first created us. Though we may not form matter from nothing, nor the earth or stars, we are given an imagination from birth.
Keeping this in mind, being an “artist” may come down to a matter of intention and realization. When one realizes the spiritual gift that he or she is bestowed, the individual is equalized and unison elevates over these marginalizing levels we place over ourselves and other artists.
A sense of residing in a state higher or lower than anyone by deduction of comparison has no place in the world of art. This means that whether you are the one feeling a sense of more artistic ability, or the one feeling a sense of less artistic ability, the point was missed.
As with many misunderstandings in life, the illusion of the presence of a negative is simply the lack of a much-needed positive. Darkness is no more than the absence of light, just as cold is the lacking of heat. Fear is the absence of acceptance. In the present case, we are lacking humility, or on the countering end, confidence. This lacking manifests when one insists on the superiority or inferiority of one’s or another’s expression. Authority to place value isn’t our own. Maybe it is just a case of tunnel vision. We should be diligent in embracing His gift in all its beautifully subjective forms.
Such is the rainbow of humanity and art together. We may argue our favorite color in a rainbow, but is your choice better or worse than that of anyone else?
Artistry is found when a realization is made regarding the ability of creating and the human mind. It is not a tactile element or a learning requirement. Being an artist is as simple as recognizing yourself as such, accepting our natural impulse for creation through both thought and action. I say impulse because we never cease from thinking. Embrace this with peace, and you may have yet to find a hidden spring of creativity given to you through the thumbprint of the Creator. Be noble to express the creativity He gave you!
Grace Gaines