Yes, even more on this topic! I think I'm running out of subjects I feel like venting about though :) I'm using "artist" in a broad sense which covers writers etc.
I don't think there's such a thing as a Real Artist, not in the sense which is in opposition to Wannabe Artists. I think that if you want to be an artist and you put your heart into creating Art then you are an artist, and that's it. Now not everyone is a good artist (though obviously judging the line is very subjective) and certainly not everyone is a professional artist. But that's about all you can say.
The Ideal Artist spends their whole life wanting to be an Artist, and goes to Art School(*), and the moment they can they quit their day job to Create Art all day, and that Art is brilliant, and they make all their living expenses off it.
But a HUGE proportion of people that noone questions the Real Artist Status of don't fit that description. There are people at every space on the continuum between Ideal Artist and Not An Artist At All. This is particularly evident if you hang out in places where there's no common explicit marker of success like being published. Where do you draw the line for Real Artist for webcomics?(**) Or fanfic?
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I don't think there's such a thing as a Real Artist, not in the sense which is in opposition to Wannabe Artists. I think that if you want to be an artist and you put your heart into creating Art then you are an artist, and that's it. Now not everyone is a good artist (though obviously judging the line is very subjective) and certainly not everyone is a professional artist. But that's about all you can say.
The Ideal Artist spends their whole life wanting to be an Artist, and goes to Art School(*), and the moment they can they quit their day job to Create Art all day, and that Art is brilliant, and they make all their living expenses off it.
But a HUGE proportion of people that noone questions the Real Artist Status of don't fit that description. There are people at every space on the continuum between Ideal Artist and Not An Artist At All. This is particularly evident if you hang out in places where there's no common explicit marker of success like being published. Where do you draw the line for Real Artist for webcomics?(**) Or fanfic?