Mike Barr - You know you're an Artist when ...

When we take up art we never really know when we are allowed to call ourselves an artist.  Rarely does anyone tell us"You're an artist now - well done!" In fact,  when do we start believing that we have become anartist?

The art world has a quaint label for up and coming artists and uses the term 'emerging artist'. Again, no one ever tells such artists when they cease to be an emerging artist!  It's a term that keeps artists in their place until the 'art world' elevates them to a higher station, which may never come and often doesn't.

So, in real life when do we become artists? Here is a list that I know many could add to!

You know you're an artist when:

·         You really love being in art supply shops or trawling through their online offerings!

·         You come out of an art shop with more than you intended to buy.

·         You know what a red dot means and the inexplicable satisfaction of a sale.

·         You know what your favourite type of art is and the artists that inspire you.

·         You've have, or nearly have dipped your brush in your coffee or tea.

·         You've drank your painting water - by mistake!

·         Hours have disappeared effortlessly at the easel.

·         You have clothes that you paint in.

·         A lot of your everyday clothes gradually become clothes that you paint in.

·         Someone has told you that you have paint on your face or elbow.

·         Paint smudges appear in strange places in the house and car.

·         You love being with artists and talking shop.

·         You start becoming good friends with certain colours on your palette.

·         You've already had some paint accidents.

·         You notice art on the walls in every TV program.

·         You love popping in to see an art exhibition.

·         You love squeezing paint out of a new tube.

·         A day or so without painting has you longing for the easel.

·         You start imagining many things you see as paintings.

·         You believe that Facebook, Instagram and Youtube were specially designed for artists.

But, when do you really know you are an artist?
I believe it's when we start seeing the world through the eyes of an artist. We notice things like shadows and light and we start guessingthe colours in a landscape or sky. We see things that we just need to paint and generally we appreciate the visual world more than most people do. When we start thinking like an artist, that's when we know we are an artist!

Happy painting!