You may have your own ideas of what it means to be an artist. I do not mind if you do. Telling if you are an artist is similar I think to telling if you are a psychic or if you are a good cook. It is not so much what you think but more what others have to say about your effects. If I were to claim to be a psychic, I would have to do more than to show prescience; what foresight I have would need to be confirmed in your experience: oh, he was a tall, dark and handsome man and he did have a plentiful fortune! If I claimed to be a good cook, my claim would need your gastronomic support and a second helping requested. I cannot tell you if I am an artist, but the world has told me this. I know that my studio life contains my happiest moments. I know that I feel strong affinities with the products of my studio labor. Some people have appreciated my artistic guidance. However, I can still only claim to be an incidental man who makes images out of wood and paint, and that is probably enough.
March 4, 2008 at 9:29 pm |
i dont knwo if I am supposed to leave this here. Self image is deceiving I think. YOu see youself totally different then other people see you. Most people hate taking pictures and seeing themselves. Sometimes its nice to see yourself from someone elses point of view, or try to at least. Self image is important in finding out who you really are.
March 4, 2008 at 11:39 pm |
The common belief is that self-portraiture offers the artist the ability to see his or her essence revealed in the project, but I really wonder if that is possible given that we are changing all the time in response to our surroundings. The portrait making process does become an extension of our response to our surroundings, but what matters is the ability of our minds to separate our consciousness from our experience long enough to behold it.