As an artist, I always find it interesting how broad the term artist is, though how narrow of a term it can be made into. To me an artist is someone who creates and presents their vision and shows you something more then what is right in front of you.
Artists are not limited to painters, photographers, potters, or even those who show their art in a galleries. Artists are musicians, actors, performers, writers, dancers, and on and on. There are so many different practices that fall under the title of artist.
There have been times when someone called me an artist and I could tell that they weren’t sure if calling me that was the correct title. I consider myself an artist and I have worked hard for the opportunity to be called one.
Having run into this more than once, I started thinking about why someone would question giving that title to another. I really feel the uncertainty lies in there being such different types of art. As an example, a painter is almost always considered an artist, though other practices of art seem to have a need to be further defined. For me, the further definition is that of a photographer. Someone will always feel comfortable calling me a photographer, though I may not initially know if artist is the correct term.
Art is such a subjective thing, in how people view it, to how they respond to it, and even down to calling someone an artist. I can see why that would cause some confusion around such a broad term that can also be very narrowed. I prefer to use the term more openly and hope that others will too. I am an artist; I know many artists and I want to continue to see more disciplines added to this ever-evolving term.
