I have to say I disagree with this type of thinking...I don't think being an artist has much to do with your ability to draw (or sculpt/paint...etc)This idea is super common- when I disclose that I am an artist, often the response is "Oh I can't draw a straight line!". This way of thinking is stifling many people's creative flow. And it's a crying shame.
Because really, there’s a difference between Art and Technique.
Many people (even those with little creativity) can master technique with enough practice and determination.
In my opinion, an "Artist" is someone who has rich creative ideas and is able to translate their thoughts into something that communicates to others.
Yes, in the past an artist's mastery of technical skills was essential to their success as an artist. The hand of a painter is immensely important- a Van Gough painted by anyone other than Vincent just isn't the same thing...
However, I'd be remiss to ignore the fact that the artists of the Renaissance often had teams of assistants working with them on their large fresco commissions- often this was an apprenticeship position, where the young artists learned their craft)
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| http://www.domenico-ghirlandaio.org |
A 14-year old Michelangelo had been apprenticed to the great Italian painter Domenico Ghirlandaio
Contemporary Art is less about the execution, and more about the idea. Sometimes the Creatives (aka Artist) have those precious skills that are used to create a piece of art, sometimes the skills are lacking- so they send out the job.
Having great technique which you can use in your piece is a wonderful bonus, but not every artist is a great technician- and in today’s art /design world some artists even pay others with the skills to do the work for the artist. Sometimes the artist employs an apprenticeship/ artist assistant for their techniques/ability to carry out instructions.
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| http://www.damienhirst.com/for-the-love-of-god |
Occasionally, the artist is primarily the origin of the idea...and the artwork is produced by those who have the ability... (Believe me, Damien Hirst did not set those diamonds into the skull himself!)
I think my favorite description of what an artist is was from the novel "Skinny Legs and All" 1990 Tom Robbins (when the "non artist" boyfriend of the artist protagonist surpasses her artistic aspirations when he creates a turkey out of his travel trailer which makes him the new hot artist at a popular gallery) He explains that to him, ART is having an idea that you just HAVE TO see in reality. It's the IDEA that PULLS the art into reality. The artist is the one who is so obsessed with seeing the idea come to reality that they go to all lengths to see it completed.
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| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinny_Legs_and_All_(novel) |
I like that... It's how I operate. I become obsessed with seeing my ideas transformed into a tactile reality. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't...sometimes I wander into a rabbit hole...and sometimes I find a new door in the process. It's an exciting process and I wouldn't want to live any other way.
So please, don’t tell yourself that you aren’t artistic if you “can’t draw a straight line”...that’s what rulers are for😀
