As a teacher, I’ve often heard from students who aspire to become artists.

I always say, “You cannot aspire to be an artist. Because you already are one.”

An artist is someone who makes art. 

So what’s art?

Art is anything creative that expresses what you have to say – whether that’s an overt statement or simply an expression of your personal style. As soon as you start designing your own work – even if you’re only changing a color or two – you become an artist, someone who expresses themselves through their art.

Being an artist doesn’t mean you’re a skilled artist, or a professional artist, or that your work will sell. But everyone who creates is fundamentally an artist, because they’re making art.

Some people argue that this definition makes it impossible to distinguish artists (however they define it) from non-artists.

That is exactly my point. Creating art is something that is universal to the human experience, and why should that – or the title of “artist” – be arrogated to a few select people? So many people are hesitant to create their own work because they don’t consider themselves “artists” or “artistic”. That’s a shame. Everyone is creative, and everyone who creates their own work is an artist, of some form or another.

Does that make everyone a skilled artist, or a popular artist? Not necessarily. You can be an artist who practices solely for her own delight. Or you can be an artist and produce works that sell for millions and that people line up to see. But neither outcome changes the fundamental fact that you are an artist.

Once you see that, then becoming an artist who sells their work becomes much easier. It isn’t a matter of being “worthy” or “good enough” to be an artist. You already are. It’s simply a matter of developing the marketing skills to sell your work, and the technical skills to make something salable. This is logistics, not identity.

Similarly, getting your work into shows and museums doesn’t require being specially anointed. You don’t have to be “deserving” or “an artist”. If you want to get into shows, you have to enter your work, accept that you’re going to get rejected most of the time, work hard at improving your art, and submit to more shows. If you keep at it, eventually you will start getting into shows. There is nothing magic about the process, and anyone can do it.

Perhaps you’ve heard someone say, “I’ve never been artistic in my life. How can I be an artist?” Or maybe you’ve compared your work to someone else’s and thought, “My work isn’t nearly as good as theirs is, so I can’t possibly be an artist.”

Next time you hear that – from yourself or from someone else – tell impostor syndrome to take a hike. Then, create something for the sheer joy of making something that has never existed before, something that expresses your spirit and your personal style. 

Because you’re an artist. We all are.

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From the Course Catalog: