I’ve taken various art classes growing up: oil painting, water-coloring, drawing, poetry, and photography. In college I’ve dabbled in poetry, photography & photo-editing, cooking, and drawing, yet I’ve never really considered myself an artist.
I went out to dinner with a friend and her mother last week and we began talking about art. Her mother said she asked a professional artist friend of hers what makes an artist an artist and he replied, “You just never stop doing art.”
“You just never stop doing art.” Powerful words containing powerful meaning. It is a statement that could be true for any hobby or passion but one that undoubtedly reignited my will to keep making art. I hadn’t produced any drawings since last spring, because drawing always seems like a daunting project for me, but the day after that conversation, as I was filling out my day-planner I decided to take 20 minutes to draw an eye. It wasn’t my best work and I could have spent more time on it, but the process of creating and finishing something beautiful that I came up with in my mind felt so good. I think I get too caught up in the busyness of my school, my work, and my relationships to remember that making art is something that makes me feel good.
My S/O writes some of the best poetry I have ever read, and he does not consider himself an artist or poet because of the infrequency of his writing. We had a discussion about the eye that I drew and concluded that pursuing the passion of creation is one of the few ways to break out of the monotony of everyday life.
I suppose I’m writing this article to hold myself accountable to my dream to be an artist. Not necessarily someone who makes a career out of art, but for sure, someone who never stops doing it. I’d encourage anyone reading this article to give it a try, whether it is going out and taking cool pictures, buying some colored pencils and YouTubing basic drawing techniques, or even trying to make your own recipe for pie. We are all artists in our own way; we just have to never stop doing art.