Saturday, August 1, 2009

I Am An Artist


I'm planning to visit my campers next week to see how they're doing with their journals. I'm going to offer a couple of more prompts to help keep them inspired. One of the things I plan to do with them is to invite them to leave a message to themselves in their journal that says "I am an artist." Knowing how hard that is for people to say to themselves I thought I would suggest that it could be a secret message, hidden in the journal, in a sealed envelope, written in code or even a picture or a doodle that when they look at it says to them "I am an artist." I want them to know that being artist isn't about how well you draw a picture or sing a song. Being an artist is an approach to life, it's about the way you see the world, it's about expressing your own unique self. You don't have to wait for someone else to validate you to claim the title - you must claim it for yourself. So, taking my own advice, I've written myself a message.

3 comments:

Hybrid J said...

You're a great teacher! I wish I had one like you when I was a kid.

I relate very much to this: "Being an artist is an approach to life, it's about the way you see the world, it's about expressing your own unique self."

Being creative (or artistic) is not only about practicing one or a few art forms, it's a way of living.

And I thank you for reminding us to re-claim our creative self.

BTW, probably you don't need me to tell you this - you are an artist! ;)

Kim said...

Thanks, you're an artist,too, Hybrid J but here's another message for you: You are a writer ;)

Anonymous said...

I love this post! I certainly, most definitely, don't think of myself as an "artist" in the traditional paint-and-drawing kind of way. But I do think of myself as an...well, "idealogical" artist - I guess. "I'm an artist in my own mind."

I will have to come back and visit more - you have some great posts, here!

My own little place to explore my creativity and imagination