Artist

This is a journal entry. I found the definition of artist on a website and I thought it was a good one. My wife had a problem with the definition but I thought that it described the best aspects of being a creator. Who is an artist? I don't know. Kiki Smith, an artist, said that all that you have to do is say, " I am one." I have always struggled with the idea of being an artist because I have worked my entire life at it and it seems to me that I have made little headway. When I was in grade school there was an artist in class who drew pictures for others. I asked him to do something for me and he said no. So I did it myself. So I was kind of an artist by default. In later years I would get recognized because I spent time drawing and I improved. But it wasn't until college that I found a teacher who really supported me. Twenty years later she is still doing it. In art school I could not take the idea of competition and left. I have mostly worked in isolation and art school left me feeling as if I were insignificant. I have been very fortunate in that I have always had people who supported me. Recently I have begun to put my work out for others to see and it has been a big risk. I have a lot of acknowledgement but I have also had a few lukewarm responses. Who is an artist? Is it as Kiki Smith says? That we choose as to whether or not we are gifted with creativity. Personally, I would like to think so. But when I was in school studying it just seemed to me that I did not have what it takes to be called creator.  Recently there has been material that has been published about art being a spiritual gift. One individual said that art and healing go together. The artist is seen as a healer. It has healed me in many ways, and there have been times where people have come to me and said that my work has brought them joy. It was only when a determination was made that I was disabled that art came to a place of prominence in my life. It has brought me so much joy. And perhaps that is all it is supposed to do. To create a change of perception in you. To help you to see a richer fuller reality.  Something to think about. GOD BLESS. Dale