When "artist" and "art" come to mean less than the sum of their once revered parts.

Apples and oranges...

Ah, yes....Another populist meme erroneously comparing apples and oranges... Instead of saying that individuals who paint, sculpt, draw, dance, create poetry, compose,  etc. "are not like athletes" (i.e. : those who skate, run, jump, pass & catch footballs or kick soccer balls, etc.), it infers that "artists" (a generic term for those who "are something") and "athletes" ( a generic term for those who "do something") are the same for comparison’s sake. So what’s the hitch? 

The moniker : “athlete” implies “someone who mentally and physically does something" whereas the designation of “artist” describes “the beingness and specialness of someone”, regardless of whether they do something or not.

For all intents and purposes, in our times, artist is a title and a status moniker. Athlete implies action and accomplishment. Rather than being a legitimately awarded title or proof of credentials, “artist” is more often than not a contemporary self anointing which elevates anyone and everyone who ascribes to "being one” as being "more" (or better?) than those who are not. 

Hmmmmmmm. I guess both titles have have something to do with “competing.....”  

Sport is objective... Craft is subjective...

Compiling error upon error, the author of this meme introduces the concept of "there being no right way or wrong way in the arts......” (Sigh)... To be a painter, writer, dancer, etc. takes skill, and skills take time and effort to acquire. They are not a given. And there are right and wrong ways to utilize those skills to execute a crafted object - to compose, to combine the various elements of any art form we practice. Just as there are rules and practices required to achieve well in sports, medicine, architecture, accounting or any other field of endeavour purporting to have a professional component attached to it. There are rules in the world of the arts. To say there are none is an amateurish promotion of inferiority as a style.

I doubt very much that a poet, painter or dancer, (who knows nothing of the grammatical imperatives of their art form language will ever achieve even a modicum of the greatness in communicating through their work - or achieve the true meaning of being an “artist” - i.e. : be perceived universally as excellent at both their craft and expression.

In essence, the craft of artwork making is as objective as any sport analogy applied to it. Every activity, if it has at its heart the search for excellence in execution, needs an objective foundation upon which to build the possibility of  free expression which, naturally, is the subjective component which cannot be at its best unless it respects the objective foundational underpinnings allowing for the construction of the "thing" we make - the artwork.

Add to this, that within a single paragraph, the statement that artists should create "to connect with people who "need us".... Well, creators of imagery are not there as therapists for a damaged soul. We create to express and share what WE have encountered, felt, mused on, discovered, wondered and thought about. To create in the arts (if it is an honest endeavour) - covers the whole gamut of expressions - be they sad, horrific, beautiful, endearing, wondrous and even ugly. No matter the the subject matter, if beautifully rendered it has the possibility of being extraordinary. The arts speak to THE truth and falsehoods around us. They are an equal opportunity search for excellence in communication about what is real and what is not. 

Ours, in the arts,  is a personal adventure in which, through a diligent learning of our art form parameters, we show the world what moves and encourages or disturbs us and possibly might touch them via its expression. And in turn, the viewer may begin to analyse their own perspective  of the image speaking to them.  

It's up to viewers of our “stuff” to find it compelling, or not. If the genie of enigma emerges from what we do, it will reach out and move others. That’s when we will have achieved our goal. But if we didn't, we have a choice... We can either quit or move on to the next step : i.e.: get better at what we “do” in the sharing of what we sense and feel about the world around us.  

In its populist mode of expression, this meme highlights a laissez-faire attitude where discipline and apprenticeship are pooh-poohed. Rather than guide those who “wish to become the best they can be” - (i.e. : become excellent) it encourages an amateurish “what the hey! I’m an arteest because I say so and what I do is art (i.e.: in its lesser context ” affectation”. 

“Take the pressure off” it says. To such drivel I respond with a resounding : NO!!! Facing the pressure and all the challenges is what artwork making is all about! Being an artist is not having fun in an arts and crafts easter-bunny card design sort of way. Artwork making has a greater depth of meaning than a permissive  “I need to be seen to be an artist” requirement. Creating is not a fool’s or a wimp’s game. It’s tough. It’s work. 

As for “focus on your unique brand of magic”. That’s horse radish! Having our own “look”, or signature in the arts, i.e. : that which distinguishes us as "different", as magic, depends on years of practice.  Dali (and I paraphrase) rightfully put it this way: Never look or work to create your own style. (signature). As with a written autograph, style cannot be created. It simply "appears"as it is. It “happens” despite us, on its own and when we least expect it. But we definitely know we have one when "others" see it mesmerizing difference.  

In the end, it’s sad that the once revered title of artist, that the work that we do, that the wonders of creativity at its best have all been so watered down to mean nothing more than some kind of status thing; a kid’s self-esteem participation award..... Real creating is so much more than that.