An Artist's Life
Recently, I have been thinking about what it means to be an artist and to live an artist’s life, which was sparked by personal events that made it necessary for me to clarify my priorities and values. For me, the fundamental difference between being an artist, and living an artist's life, hinges on two basic elements: intention and focus. I am of the opinion that anyone who creates art is an artist. However, when an artist decides to give special priority to their own creativity, as much as their life reasonably allows, they are choosing to live an artist’s life. As an artist, as much as I am able, I organize my life and my time around my artistic pursuits. The amount of time I am able to allocate to my art will change depending on life circumstances, which is where the element of focus comes in. If something is important, we will make time for it, often at the expense of letting go of something else. Focus is required in order to make the most of the allotted time. To me, living a...