How to know if you are an artist? Maybe you are full of artistic talent and you just don’t know it… Identifying yourself as an artist can be daunting, because there are lots of misconceptions around what qualifies someone as an artist and what doesn’t. This post is meant to help you get rid of some popular misbeliefs about artistry and figure out at what point you can be considered an artist!
How to know if you are an artist? You may have artistic talent and just not know it.
Maybe you are asking yourself questions like, “Can I call myself an artist?” or, “Am I even good enough to be an artist?”
Well, you are not the only one.
Declaring yourself an artist is still something incredibly challenging for a lot of us, because we are told that being an artist means being extraordinarily gifted. We believe that being a “true artist” requires other-worldly talent.
But is that actually true? At what point are you considered an artist?
In this post, we’re going to delve into the nitty-gritty of how to know if you are an artist. So let’s go…
What qualifies you as an artist?
When you ask around, people will tell you that some of the criteria that qualify you as an artist are things like having gone to art school, having your work exhibited in prestigious galleries, and being able to make a living with your art.
But then, when you look at some of your favorite artists, I’m sure you will quickly see that they did not all go to art school, they do not all have their work shown in a gallery, and—although they may sell some of their pieces here and there—they do not all live from art sales alone.
So, those cannot be the only criteria that qualify you as an artist.
However, the one thing that perhaps all artists have in common is a passion for making art. They might all be doing different types of art, at different levels of skill, full time or part time. But they probably all felt a calling to be an artist—and followed it!
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How do you identify yourself as an artist?
Stepping out of your comfort zone and proclaiming yourself an artist can be a scary thing. It means that you must make your art and yourself visible to the world. And visibility may also mean being criticized and judged by others.
Yes, it takes courage to be creative. Don’t stash your artistic talent just because nobody has recognized you as artist, so far.
People may say things like, “What? This is supposed to be art?” or, “How can you call yourself an artist, you’ll never be good enough!”
Well, that’s the downside of the art world. But you know what? The truth is that the “artist status” is available to anyone and everyone.
If you love to make art, you’re an artist!
An artist is simply a person who is in love with art-making. They are in love with creating things, because that’s what they were born to do. To a degree, we are all born artists, because creativity is something innate to us humans.
To be an artist, your art doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, believe it or not, you should give yourself permission to make bad art, too!
Look at it this way: there must be a reason why you are reading this post… So, just consider it as a sign from the universe that you are meant to be an artist. See it as an invitation to come out from the shadows and explore your full creative potential.
To help you unleash your artistic talent, here are 7 signs for you to know if you are an artist!
7 Signs of Artistic Talent:
How to Know if you are an Artist
SIGN #1: You find inspiration everywhere.
Do you find yourself constantly having new ideas to create new artwork? Even the smallest, most trivial things inspire you? This is one important sign to know that you are an artist! Artists are known for finding inspiration even in the smallest of things.
Colors and shapes, lights, words, nature, … things that go unnoticed by others might fuel an artist’s imagination. I, for example, can find inspiration in withered leaves… And some artists even get inspiration from themselves!
If you still find it hard to keep your creative spark alive all the time, I have created a set of 365 printable cards with inspirational artist quotes for you to help you keep your creativity flowing all year long. Feel free to check it out. It’s a great thing for your daily artist self-care routine as well. ʕᴖᴥᴖʔ
Stay inspired all year long!
SIGN #2: You can’t stop creating.
The second sign to know if you are an artist is that you just can’t stop creating. No matter how hard you need to try, no matter how often things go wrong, no matter how many people tell you that you don’t have what it takes to be an artist, you can not quit.
Deep down you know that you are meant to be creating. Your artistic talent might still have to be honed and you might not yet make money with your art skills, but you can’t wait to return to your craft.
Every time you pick up your brush or stylus, it feels like home. Time just seems to fly by when you’re in that sweet flow state in art…
SIGN #3: You feel things differently.
You know that you are an artist when you are different from the rest of the world. No joke. Artists are weird beings, they are not like everyone else.
And there are some really solid reasons why that is so. First of all, artists have different brains. It’s scientifically proven. Neuroscientists found that the brains of creative people are wired differently on an actual biological level.
Secondly, artists tend to have higher emotional intelligence than non-creative people. That makes them more sensitive and lets them feel things differently.
So, if you are a highly sensitive weirdo who sees the world with different eyes, you know that you are an artist! (◕‿◕)
SIGN #4: You love looking at other’s artwork.
You are an artist if you do not only love making art but also love looking at other people’s artwork.
As artists, we do not only seek to connect with like-minded people, but we also enjoy seeing what others create and learn from their work. We are all at different stages of our artistic journey and we all have different ways of approaching the creative process.
Contemplating each other’s artwork is a great opportunity to learn from one another and allow the creativity of fellow artists fuel our own.
SIGN #5: You are your biggest art critic.
This is one of the self-driving signs of artistic talent: you always feel you can do better.
We artists tend to be perfectionists. We would love every single work we create to be a masterpiece. Once we’ve completed a piece, we twist and turn our head and can’t stop judging our art from every angle we find.
Creative self-doubt is a common thing artists struggle with. But it’s also the driving force that keeps us going and getting better with every piece we create.
SIGN #6: You use your art to express yourself.
Visual artists, in particular, are usually poor at expressing themselves verbally. They use their art as a means of self-expression. Hint: I am one of those… (◔_◔)
If you also belong to the club, you’ll know that creating visual artwork is a fantastic way to share your experiences, emotions, and stories with the world. We humans love to hear stories, that’s actually why storytelling can improve your art.
This is an example of the stories I’d like to tell through my artwork. In “Desert Rose,” I’m exploring the concept of heartlessness. The lady I created doesn’t have a heart. Even though nicely tattooed and dressed up, the spot where her heart should be is empty. She’s lost her porcelain heart in the desert a long time ago…
SIGN #7: You want to be an artist.
The last—and perhaps strongest—sign for you to know if you are an artist is your desire to be one!
Awakening the desire in you to be something is just life’s way to steer you into a certain direction where you are meant to be.
As Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke would put it:
“When you wake up in the morning and you can think of nothing but writing… then you are a writer.”
In other words, if you have the desire to be an artist, then you are an artist.
Look at it this way: you are contemplating art, you are visiting an artist website, you are reading a post about being an artist—what else could you possibly be but an artist? (ᴖ‿ᴖ)
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I hope that these 7 signs helped you know that you are an artist. What other signs of artistic talent do you know? Please leave comments and questions below. I’d love to hear from you! Make sure to sign up for my email list below so you don’t miss out on new blog posts and other cool stuff.
I think I’ve always instinctively known I am an artist. I can remember thinking, as a child visiting the Tate gallery, I can do this. But where do you begin? I’ve been dabbling all my life. I love the online artistic community. You give me courage.
Hey Jennifer, I think we all once started out like that. I was also just trying out things and over time my art evolved into what it is today (and still evolving). Most of the time, I find it much easier to just allow myself to “dabble,” instead of expecting my next artwork to be a masterpiece. If you are a perfectionist like me, things start flowing once you take away the pressure. Maybe that’ll work for you too!
Angie,
You are incredibly intuitive. You have a wonderful insight into who we are.
I truly enjoyed reading what you wrote for us. Thank you.
Sincerely,
R.G.
Hey there, that’s so great to hear. Happy you enjoyed the post (:
I’m a artist in wood’s and making handmade, self designed sailing boats, all are unique and only piece. In all 20boatssmal,midsize,big/half hull models.All mentioned qualities sounds true. Looking for it’s recognize.
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this write-up and the rest of the website is very good.
Hi Katarina, thanks for stopping by! Happy that you like the site ♥︎