I was blessed by being born into a very large family. Three sisters and two brothers. Everyone in my family is an artist. I know that if any of them reads this post, there will be a snort of derision over that statement.
I was talking to a total stranger the other day in a fabric store. She overheard me talking about making hand dyed fabric and 'landscape' quilting and asked me if I were a 'fiber artist'. I, of course, said "No way! I just play at being one!" Ever since that conversation, I've been thinking about what it means to be an artist....
What is the definition of art? To my mind it is simply any creation that causes the viewer to react in some way, or feel something. Whether that feeling is dismay, fear, joy, or any of a myriad of things....doesn't matter...it
created a feeling in you or someone else and expanded your horizons in some way.
When one gets into a frenzy of cleaning the house and ends up rearranging the furniture...that is your inner artist at work. Don't you wait for someone (hubby, child, sister, mom) to come in and react to what you have created? When you have made something.... a dress, a quilt, a scrapbook page, a sparking clean house, you are an artist!
Would I admit to anyone today that I am a "fiber artist"? No way! That would be embarrassing and I don't have to tell everyone everything I know....
Now, I'm off to finish a work of art!
