{"id":2352,"date":"2020-08-28T11:07:41","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T11:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dougburgett.net\/blog\/?p=2352"},"modified":"2020-08-28T11:07:43","modified_gmt":"2020-08-28T11:07:43","slug":"what-it-takes-to-be-an-artist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dougburgett.net\/blog\/what-it-takes-to-be-an-artist\/","title":{"rendered":"What It Takes to Be An Artist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cTo be an artist is to believe in life.\u201d<\/p>Henry Moore<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

First, what is an artist? We need a definition before we can determine what it takes to be one. For the sake of this article, let\u2019s use Henry Moore\u2019s definition when he said, \u201cTo be an artist is to believe in life.\u201d Wow. Perhaps not what you were expecting. Regardless, there\u2019s a lot to work with in that definition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the question becomes, what does it mean to believe in life? If we figure that out, does it mean we know what it takes to be an artist? Is that question any easier to deal with? Let\u2019s focus on some areas where being an artist and believing in life overlap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Art is all about production. If you aren\u2019t actually producing anything, it\u2019s hard to be an artist. The same goes for life itself. Birth is creation. Life is creation. If things are not being produced then life is essentially ceasing to exist, since the path for all things after creation leads to death. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be an artist we must face the blank canvas and create. We must overcome anything that might prevent us from actually producing art. This is the core of being an artist. Forget whether or not what you\u2019re making is \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad.\u201d Simply create. Paint. Draw. Sculpt. Sew. Glue. Mold. Burn. Shape. Do whatever calls you, but do not stop producing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First of all, of course we believe in life, because we\u2019re alive ourselves. Moore isn\u2019t saying we need to believe in life like we believe the world is round. And since we\u2019re believing in something we\u2019re actually a part of, it isn\u2019t like believing in Santa either. Believing in life is about appreciating the beauty of what life has to offer; believing in the magic of what is right in front of our eyes every single day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be an artist, we must constantly observe the world around us. I heard someone say recently the more we draw the objects around us, the better we will be at drawing from our imagination. Study light and shadows. Take note of perspective. Look at the way the human figure moves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observing means watching and listening to everything we\u2019re experiencing. It\u2019s good practice even when we aren\u2019t actually creating. As an artist, you\u2019re constantly taking note of scenes and action, like a videographer capturing footage for a film. This will help improve your skills as an artist and provide inspiration for subject matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep your eyes open and whenever possible take a photo. This will allow you to observe a particular object, scene, or moment in even more detail later on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whatever it is we create as artists, we need to capture emotion, and in order to do that we need to feel emotion. This is the core of life itself. Love. Hate. Happiness. Sadness. Excitement. Fright. Embrace your feelings and think about what they look like. Maybe sadness is a street scene on a rainy day. Maybe it\u2019s a figure, head down and isolated. The challenge for an artist is how to translate the emotion into the art, but first we must feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to get in touch with your feelings, try keeping a journal. Document what you\u2019re experiencing throughout various moments of your day. This will give you a chance to revisit certain points in time and recreate emotions of the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Life is naturally a growth process and to believe in life is to fully adopt this as a mindset. The same goes for being an artist. Instead of operating from a place of fear (fear of risk, fear of failure, fear of not being good enough, etc.), an artist must operate from a place of learning. Every undertaking or project is an opportunity for growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we are open to this way of thinking then everything is easier. Mistakes don\u2019t carry any negative weight because a mistake is simply a lesson. We\u2019re constantly presented with valuable takeaways for improvement, instead of negative critique that brings us down and prevents us from blossoming as artists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Play<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Children are the essence of life, and play is what children do best, therefore we need to prioritize play. We need to embrace our inner child, let go of our critical thinking, and have fun. Play is about experimenting; trying new things. Having a sketchbook can help with this. It provides the artist an easily accessible space to mess around. But play should extend far beyond a sketchbook alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anything and everything should be available for the artist to play with. Garbage, reuse objects, books, pens, pencils, paints, playdough, furniture, wood scraps, sticks, grass, clothes, etc., etc. The more we embrace play, the more we see any and all objects as potential artistic material. Again, think like a child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course this doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re committing to create long term using any of these techniques. Don\u2019t get hung up with that type of thinking. Just play. See where free play takes you. See what lessons you learn, or what new inspiration you find. That\u2019s what being an artist is all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be Free<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is nothing that summarizes what it means to believe in life more so than being free, and there is nothing more essential for any artist. Freedom is letting your spirit guide you. It\u2019s going wherever your art takes you. It\u2019s living and creating without fear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freedom starts to slip away once we attach our art to income. It\u2019s a very difficult path to walk, but it certainly isn\u2019t impossible to achieve. If being an artist means creating art for a living, then you must be aware of the challenges this presents, especially when it comes to maintaining a sense of freedom. Always know that you as the artist are free. Free to play, free to grow, free to feel, free to observe, and free to create. Nothing can ever take those away from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you hold onto your freedom and continue to create, you\u2019re demonstrating what it takes to be an artist. You\u2019re living and believing in life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Henry Moore once said, \u201cTo be an artist is to believe in life.\u201d This is a wonderful guiding concept for those seeking to be artists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2353,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creativity","is-cat-link-borders-light"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat It Takes to Be An Artist - Doug Burgett<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dougburgett.net\/blog\/what-it-takes-to-be-an-artist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What It Takes to Be An Artist - 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