How do you know you’re an artist?
There’s not a test you can take.
There’s no graduation ceremony.
You can’t even find a definition that everyone agrees on.
That’s because there’s an infinite number of ways to be one, and thus an infinite number of ways to know you are one. Here are just a few of them.
You Know You’re an Artist When . . .
you have a hard time following recipes without adding your own ingredients.
you create half a dozen character sketches every time you attend a wedding or a funeral.
you can’t help but notice the beautiful pattern of veins on your boss’s neck every time he or she screams.
you use the handle of your spoon to draw sketches in your oatmeal each morning.
you suddenly shout, “Wait! I need to write that down.” in the middle of a heated argument.
you can’t stop singing songs about the items on your grocery list.
you tell your children to take some risks today.
you have a house full of crooked picture frames – on purpose.
you dance with each piece of laundry before folding it.
you always see the glass as half sculpted.
you attend a board meeting and suddenly think, “This could be a musical.”
you ask, “What’s my motivation?” when offered the role of bake sale committee chairperson.
you see each day as a brand new possibility.
Now That You Know
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
All great examples. There IS a time when you know. And while the confidence thing is another matter (it comes and goes) you find yourself engrossed in figuring out what is in you that needs expression and what your own way is to do that; your attention to details changes.
I want to say that there is no such thing as boredom anymore. That’s not entirely true – but I rarely find myself in a situation where I would say I’m bored. Uncomfortable perhaps, but not bored.
I think confidence is a matter of trust. You become confident when you start to trust yourself and you do that by keeping the promises you make to yourself.
“You become confident when you start to trust yourself and you do that by keeping the promises you make to yourself.”
Thank you for that piece of wisdom.
Lordy, I needed some inspiration this morning. I have some very annoying cube mates and this morning they were more annoying than usual. I am right now picturing the musical version of the chaos that is ‘working in the cube’. I couldn’t stop laughing. Thank you.
Hmm. Maybe my friend, Mel Hocking, would be interested in doing the costume design.
Ahh…what a great post and list!
This one stood out to me, “you suddenly shout, ‘Wait! I need to write that down.’ in the middle of a heated argument.” …or in my case, THE SHOWER!
Thanks for the great read!
Dayne
The shower. Yes. Now if I could just find a way to keep my notebook dry.
My husband gave me a stocking stuffer one year – paper that you can write on when it’s wet – it’s for field work. Haven’t actually tried it – saving it for a “rainy day” Ha!
I love your posts, Ken!
Delightful!
This was so amusing – and so familiar.
I’ll add mine…. you know you’re an artist when you say, “well, I”m not REALLY an artist, but I make these little paintings/sculptures/ handcrafted lovelies” or I’m not really an artist, but I sing/ dance/ play/ write a little.”
Funny… just the other day I was sitting in a meeting and wondering “does anyone else notice the way the light is streaming in the window?”
I’ve been asked several times if I’ll write a book…
Perhaps it’s a sign that I’m a writer