Am I an Artist Yet?

Have you ever heard anyone say that crafters aren’t real artists? I have. The first definition of artist that came up when I Googled it supports that view. Answers.com says an artist is “One, such as a painter, sculptor, or writer, who is able by virtue of imagination and talent or skill to create works of aesthetic value, especially in the fine arts.”

When people say that crafters aren’t real artists, the implication is usually that crafters are something less. Even sadder to me is crafters who say, “Oh, I’m not an artist. I’m just a crafter.”

I had an “ah-ha” moment as I was organizing my digital scrapbooking papers today. The digital paper above was designed by Scrap Girls’Brandy Hackman for her Abstract Expressionism collection (created March 2008).

It reminded me of a paper I had created in June of 2007 which I named TropicalFever_GoldenSkies. This was shortly after I discovered the wonderful world of digital scrapbooking and wanted to get onto the Scrap Girls design team. [That was before I realized how much I had to learn. My apologies to all the graphic designers out there who are going, “Well, duh!”]

Anyway, the paper I created (while definitely a beginner’s effort) bears a lot of similarities to Brandy’s design. It shows creativity and originality (well, until Brandy’s Abstract Expressionism kit came along. LOL).

I like the more inclusive definition of artist I found on Wictionary.com. An artist is “a person who creates art.” My conclusion is that not all crafters are artists; but those who create unique and original pieces definitely are – whether they be beaders, crocheters, cross stitchers, paper crafters or digi-scrappers.