What kind of artist are you?

I am not a trained seamstress.  I have never been to art school.  I don’t use a sewing machine or study technique or know the correct name for stitches.  The last art classes I took were in elementary school with Mrs. Vinzant who was inspirational and nutty and eclectic just like an art teacher should be.  Do any of these things make me less of an artist?

I don’t think so.

I am unconventional and am driven my creativity and a desire to figure things out on my own.  When faced with a challenge I want to come up with my own solution without patterns or instructions.  If you follow my projects then you already know all of this, I don’t do things like other people.  I am a fly by the seat of my pants kind of artist – my work is driven by curiosity more than anything else and every time I make something new I feel as though I have taken a layer of film from the window and my life becomes just a little bit brighter.

Does any of this make me a respected artist in the fine art community? Probably not.  I have never ventured into the fold of museum quality artists to find out.  An interior designer may know intricate technique but I know immediately whether a certain color combination will work and can combine contrasting patterns with ease. Would an experienced tailor be shocked by my sewing technique? Most definitely!  But my methods work for me.  I am quite proud of what I can accomplish with a needle, thread and a little intuition.

I know that with a few classes in painting, clothing construction, graphic design and photoshop I could develop my natural talent into something truly great – something at which other established artists would tip their hats.  But as soon as I become driven more by desire for acclaim and less by passion and curiosity then I need to take a step back and reassess my status as “artist.”

So, the big question of the day is: what kind of artist are you? What reaches out and draws you to your next project, nerves tingling and dying to see the results of your work?

Redesign may not be worthy of a gallery showing, but it is something about which I am deeply passionate.  So here I go, onward and upward, fueled by a need to create.  Will I be trailed by accolades and awards? I don’t know, but with or without them I am still going to repaint my kitchen table and paint a mural on my living room wall.

Because that is what I do.

I am an artist.