How do you define 'Artist'?

:[ aww..sorry jean rivera *gives a gold sketchbook*

Yayy! I will treasure this >:D *Runs and hides gold sketchbook*

-Art --------- expression -Art-ist --------- expressionist -Being an Artist / Artist's life ---------- die poor -Reality challenge ------------ broke and starving -Art Critique -------- usually not taken seriously by modern artists.

Well, throughout history, people have been trying to define what is art in the first place. An artist is someone who creates art. But what is art? Clement Greenberg (an art critic) believed in strongly of, "art for art sakes." He believed in medium specificity that art was made up of raw materials that were made specifically for art. Such as a painting was wonderful because it had the qualities of a painting: it was made with paint on a flat canvas. This is why he loved Jackson Pollock's paintings. http://www.jackson-pollock.org/images/paintings/convergence.jpg http://www.jackson-pollock.org/ But, this is not what I believe. My own ideas most match more of Joseph Beuys (an artists who did a variety of things such as sculpture (3-D), graphic art (printmaking) (2-D) and performance art) who said, "Everyone is an artist." He believed that everyday acts can be art. He put on performances that were't plays or dance but part of visual art. His speeches were considered art. I believe this strongly that if someone says something they made is art, then it is! http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=540 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPRaCrb6QKU ^one of his art performances But what makes something more, that is art, is a conscious decision to make it art. Everything should be on purpose. If something is by accident, then it is their conscious decision to leave it cuz the artist likes it. Knowing all this, this is what I believe is art: a piece that makes you think in a different way than before or makes you feel differently than you did before. Based on my definition, an artist is someone who create works that make you think or feel in a different way than before. My sources art above and where I learned about this was from Alison Pearlman,my art professor who is an art historian and critic. http://www.alisonpearlman.com/ edit: I focused mostly on visual art but the definition can be applied to performance art (musical, theater etc.), and other stuff such as literature etc.

I think of an artist as a visionary(like an artist) or a creative thinker(like a writer). For music, I consider composers as artists, but if the person only sings and doesn't compose or write lyrics, I wouldn't consider them one unless they did something unique, whether by fashion or "singing style"...

As a fighter I have to chime in to not forget the martial arts. Bruce Lee when he was doing his thing... Pure art. It's hard to say I've seen anything that comes close to that benchmark today.

Someone who utilizes what they think and Think about what they utilize before them, the act of artistry is not a matter of what a person can create but what a person can uitlize, imagination to me is the thought of creating something from nothing, Artistry is the taking of what you know and making a piece to the best of your ability then after adding new pieces; as you learn and grow while become better at your craft. Theoretically to me an artist is not someone who can draw a beautiful flower but... Somebody capable making due with what's given to him and improving along the way, i believe the Word "Artist" has a much larger definition then what it is perceived to be, It's a matter of perspective really.

Although i would still agree that painters, Drawers, sculpters are Artists in every aspect we musn't forget the builder, The martial artist, The Blacksmith, The gunsmith, the Swordsman, the hunter and etc. Art was made when mankind thought two sticks placed in a certain pattern looked pleasing, as of when man Created the wheel, the Sword, The bow, a house and a boat or even fishing, all of which started from imagination and a thought but in time became an action, actions that make us ponder and reflect about things or subjects.