Artist, who are you?

Uniquely you — not a clone, not a copy, not a mimic — that’s who you are, and your artwork must reflect that uniqueness.  Otherwise, you are not an artist.

We’re not talking whether you do pointillism — just don’t look like a Seurat mimic.  Or impressionism (don’t try to be the 21st century’s Pissarro). Or expressionism (You aren’t Matisse reincarnated.  Really!).  Do YOU — your soul, your spirit, your personality and personal perspective; your vision and style.

Without that, you aren’t an artist.  Without that, you are either/and/or:

1. a mimic,
2. a copyist,
3. “still developing,” which means floundering around.

The only, and I mean only, one of those three which is acceptable is number three — still developing — which, of course, means you can mimic and copy all you want, as long as you realize that copying and mimicking are tools, usually used to learn technique or break rigidity.  You may use them as tools:

• to explore who, what, and where ”you are as an artist”
• to discover what art lives inside you,
• to keep developing and cultivating your own unique style and vision.

You may not simply keep on doing more Seurat, Matisse, Pissarro, or [insert artist name]  look-alikes.  Why? Because without your own unique style and vision, what you create is not art.  It’s simply making pictures or objects…just like all the other mimics and copyists out there. 

Be you. Uniquely.

Originally posted by DLKeur on her art blog on June 27, 2007. Copyright inheres.

Copyright 2007 D.L.Keur &/or F.W.Lineberry, http://www.zentao.com . All rights reserved. Reprint rights granted ONLY if linked and credited.