i will answer this question in two ways, but only for painting or sculpture etc. First, anyone can declare themselves an artist these days and in the context of this absurdity, Here’s the three things one can do to easily be an artist. 1. Have, or display, an excessive amount of unwarranted effrontery, self confidence helped along with delusions of self importance or just shear naïvety and insecur
ity. 2. Choose abstract impressionism as your style because it’s easier to do if you can’t draw and to fool the visually illiterate section of the public. 3. Make sure you title every work with a pretentious, obscure words that suggests gravitas way beyond the content of the work, which has no content other than to be a scam. If you follow my three rules you may make a reasonable amount of money also. Now for my answer if you really find yourself beginning to, despite all the odds, look like “art” is your genuine pathway in life. You may already posses the following personality traits. 1. Have an insatiable curiosity about the world and ideas and be on the constant lookout for ideas that excite you or aspects of the world, or our place on it, that excite you. 2. A real desire to make “things” with your hands as the only way, for you, to explore the things that excite you and not just sit in a chair and think about them. 3. Have, or be prepared to nurture, within yourself, a desire for the true authenticity of yourself in the existential sense. Don’t follow others, do what you really, really want to do in your work and get really good at being honest about who you really are, even if you are mad, by not bullsh*tting to yourself and others. If you follow these three important skills/rules, despite ups and downs, and don’t waver, you will feel better, as an artist and as a person, within yourself and it won’t matter if you get public recognition or not. Attempting honesty, by recognising your real inner proclivities, is the best policy. If you do these three to the best of your ability, it will show through to others no matter what your technical skills in handling your chosen media is. One final rule for good measure, be quiet, don’t talk too much about your work and what it means, because you don’t know, you are on a voyage of discovery by JUST DOING!!! Don’t worry about thinking, you will do that anyway. johnrossmcglade.wordpress.com
