artist who?

[verbmad]

What makes you an "artist"? a clearer definition please...

[MarvelousMartel]

Originally posted by verbmad
What makes you an "artist"? a clearer definition please...

it all depends on how strictly or loosely you define artist... but in my opinion, the criteria in order to be an artist is that he has to have some published work and that he has to be generally accepted... if you're only working on something and you're not famous, then that doesn't cut it... but how about van gogh and emily dickinson? both only became famous after their deaths? so were they not artists while they were alive? i'd have to add this as a qualification and say that they were artists, but if they don't become famous after, then they are not... what if there was someone who wrote great verses but kept them in his coffin or burned them? would he be an artist? i would have to say no--- an artist has to have something to contribute to society... this may sound too strict or flimsy, but that is how it is with most complex words...

etc... MM

[verbmad]

I totally agree that you must contribute to the society, to inspire others to strive hard to polish their craft, but being famous is another thing. Generally accepted?commercialization sucks!( sorry ). I still believe in free will, do what you do best, fame and fortune probably will follow.

[MarvelousMartel]

Originally posted by verbmad
I totally agree that you must contribute to the society, to inspire others to strive hard to polish their craft, but being famous is another thing. Generally accepted?commercialization sucks!( sorry ). I still believe in free will, do what you do best, fame and fortune probably will follow.

no apologies necessary... but for me, fame is a good indicator of whether or not you are a good artist... there are some drawbacks to that definition though... there are many artists that were famous a long time ago but are not famous now, so the question should now be framed as whether or not the fame is enduring... i also would like to add that if only say ten people in the world ever read about a fellow, that doesn't make him an artist... there should be a wider regard for your talents than just with a small circle of friends...

etc... MM

[verbmad]

But does it really matter what people think about your work?
You love your work but they don't give a damn about it, you can't clearly see what you don't understand right? and as far as being an artist is concerned and i think you have to live and breath art to fully understand it.

[Cerberus]

Originally posted by verbmad
But does it really matter what people think about your work?


Since writers are also Artists...

Originally posted by Cerberus

Is winning the most defining mark of a writer's worth?

Yes and No. Winning most certainly increases any writer's sense of worth as an artist. Perhaps the most apt academic explanation for this can be through the "Status Conferral Theory," the need to be acknowledged and recognized. But every aspiring artist should realize that all true works of art can never be first judged by the value others place on it but rather, the value the artist himself has accorded on them in the first place. I think this is the reason why so many aspiring ones fail. They write with the sole motivation of winning. That is why when their works are rejected, they lose hope and are quick to put down the pen. True artists on the other hand can never be discouraged. That is why when their moment arrives, the satisfaction they feel from winning cannot really equal the feeling of self discovery and liberation in creating something both reflecting self-worth and esteemed value in the eyes of others.

Know then what art is: the means by which singular, solitary individuals fulfill thmeselves. What Napoleon was outwardly, every artist is inwardly. One climbs higher with each victory, as if with each new tread of a stair. But did Napoleon ever win a battle to please the public?

---Rainer Maria Rilke



;)

[*happy*phantom*]

Here's a related thread.

What makes an artist an ARTIST? (http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php3?threadid=40435)

:artist:

You may find some interesting points of view there. I encourage you to visit the thread.

[Joules]

Originally posted by MarvelousMartel
[QUOTE]Originally posted by verbmad

i also would like to add that if only say ten people in the world ever read about a fellow, that doesn't make him an artist... there should be a wider regard for your talents than just with a small circle of friends...

etc... MM


Why does an artist need other people's validation to be a true artist? Yes, there's a difference between a wannabe and a great artist, but if fame and other people's approval of one's art are his/her only motivation for creating art, then probably he/she is not an artist at all.

Once, there was this kindergarten kid showing off his latest crayon painting. Asked if he wants to be an artist when he grows up; he proudly replied: "I AM an artist!".

[MarvelousMartel]

Originally posted by verbmad
But does it really matter what people think about your work?
You love your work but they don't give a damn about it, you can't clearly see what you don't understand right? and as far as being an artist is concerned and i think you have to live and breath art to fully understand it.

there are, indeed, problems with my definition, but to define an artist with something that is internal to him (someone "living and breathing art") would classify many other people whose work is mediocre... it would also classify those who burn their works, and i don't think you want that either...

etc... MM

[MarvelousMartel]

Originally posted by Joules
Why does an artist need other people's validation to be a true artist? Yes, there's a difference between a wannabe and a great artist, but if fame and other people's approval of one's art are his/her only motivation for creating art, then probably he/she is not an artist at all.

Once, there was this kindergarten kid showing off his latest crayon painting. Asked if he wants to be an artist when he grows up; he proudly replied: "I AM an artist!".

i think there's a difference between the way by which one creates art and the way one classifies an artist... many succesful artists (writers, namely) advise that aspiring writers should write for themselves... writing for oneself gives the work more "force" because of its honesty and personal insight, at least that's how i understand it... fame usually follows only after the general public "gets" his particular vision of the world... but to classify an artist as someone who writes for himself alone without consideration of his impact to the world at large would broaden the definition to cover mediocre work (xerex's columns for example might fall into this category)...

etc... MM

[pendragon1]

Originally posted by MarvelousMartel
... but to classify an artist as someone who writes for himself alone without consideration of his impact to the world at large would broaden the definition to cover mediocre work (xerex's columns for example might fall into this category)...

etc... MM

all artists at some point or another in their careers have experienced producing mediocre work. it's a necessary phase in their growth as creative and exploratory individuals. the greatest innovations and artistic breakthroughs have had failures and moments of mediocrity behind them. nobody is perfect. not even great artists---or geniuses even.

by the way...xerex is an an artist (artist?). a horrible one at that by the standards were trying to discuss here.

[MarvelousMartel]

Originally posted by pendragon1
all artists at some point or another in their careers have experienced producing mediocre work. it's a necessary phase in their growth as creative and exploratory individuals. the greatest innovations and artistic breakthroughs have had failures and moments of mediocrity behind them. nobody is perfect. not even great artists---or geniuses even.

but what about those who take up the pen for a while, then drops it after failing to publish himself? does that make him an artist? that would make an awful lot of artists won't it?

etc... MM