Do you consider yourself to be an artist?

General Knitting
21

Am I an artist? You bet I am!

With or without a pattern, I can knit something that brings a smile to a child’s face or warms a baby. I can teach my granddaughter how to knit and create pleasure for her for the rest of her life. I can say “I love you” to my DIL by knittng her a hat to wear on her cold morning jogs.

I mostly enjoy making things for little ones. Things they can cuddle with to take away those 'fraidy times. Or they can just know I love them enough to spend my resources on something just for them.

I also paint (mostly on fabrics, but sometimes on canvas), crochet (not so much now because it hurts my hands and, to me, knitting is softer) and, very rarely, sew.

All of these are creative processes. Art? Yep. :woot: Sometimes. :shrug:

But whatever it is I do, it keeps me off the streets. :yay:

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My initial response to this was no but after reading everyone’s post and thinking about it, yes I am an artist. I don’t design patterns but I create something. I may use a pattern but I choose the type and color of yarn which involves using some artistic part of my brain.

Like Mike I consider myself mostly a crafts-person but really, most of what I do involves eye candy. Whether it is painting, knitting sewing, stitching or any of the other crafts I do, it is art in it’s own way.
Besides, I just love doing these things, it feeds my soul and isn’t that a function of art???

23

So, do you consider yourself to be an artist? If so, do you “just” knit, or do you write patterns, spin, hand-dye, or any other creative goodness?

Yes, I do consider myself an artist. I consider anyone who makes anything an artist in their own right.
I started 10 years ago with ‘just’ crochet. I taught myself, but I had been doing crochet without knowing it since I was a toddler. 7 years ago a sweater unraveled. I helped it along. I memorized the stitch pattern, and found a set of knitting needles that had not been touched since before I was born. I grabbed them and some yarn and after figuring out how to cast on, I started knitting. I’ve been doing it ever since.
I knit, crochet, write patterns, spin, hand dye, and many other things. But I felt that the artistry began before I was old enough to know what it was.

I don’t go around saying, “hey, I’m an artist” but still, that is what I am. Profession: Artist. :smiley:

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Tropicflower, you got it in one! :yay:

Ruthie :slight_smile:

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I love this thread! :hug:

Just another 2 cents worth from me - There seems to be some difference of opinion about what art really is. It’s getting divided into “art” and “craft” when there’s really a simplicity to the whole subject.

Art is, pure and simple, a communication.

The artist wants to say something to others and expresses that message in his or her chosen medium. A writer uses words, but others use different things, like wool or paint or whatever.

Rosemary, what you wrote is beautiful, and believe me when I tell you that all those wonderful communications from your heart go in with the yarn! It’s all part of the package and does get across to others.

It’s not about the practicality of the art, or even the end result. A young child who has limited language capability can still get his or her message across, if only by screeching! :slight_smile: As the child grows and learns, his communication range broadens and he can make himself understood more smoothly. Same with anything you’re using to create art. The first rose I painted took me 2 1/2 hours and ended up looking more like a daisy. Now, about 12,000 roses later (I kid you not!) I can paint a rose in 5 minutes that looks real enough to pluck off the canvas!

Practicality? I’ve probably done nearly as many hand-painted furniture pieces as I have murals and canvases. And it always gives me an extra zing to know that my “practical art” will be lovingly used as well as enjoyed visually for years to come.

So, if you’ve got the impulse to create something, whether it’s from a pattern or not, whether you’re an expert at it yet or not, go ahead and communicate that desire by making it happen.

OK, that’s it for now from the peanut gallery here! :slight_smile:

So, who else is an artist? Let’s hear it…

Ruthie :muah:

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I consider myself one. I make all my own patterns. I like to be original. I take a few stitch pats and make them my own.

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No, I don’t consider myself an artist. To me an artist has to have a vision that he or she wants to get across, and I don’t. I just want to make pretty and snuggly things to keep myself and my kids warm and comfortable. It doesn’t mean I don’t take pride in what I make! I get a kick out of finishing something that someone else can actually use. But I don’t see myself as trying to get a message across to people, other than “look, I made this for you because I care about you”.

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What a GREAT message! :yay:

Ruthie :hug:

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The dictionary defines an artist as one who professes and practices an imaginative (synonymous with creative) art.

It takes major imagination to take string and two sticks and turn it into something beautiful. How is knitting any different than painting? Or playing an instrument? You’re taking an object that, left to its own devices, has no intrinsic value. What you do with it gives it value. Most people would see the words on paper (patterns) and see nothing. For us who knit, we see objects that we can mold. We can create anything we so desire (within reason) with a little time, effort, and education. Doesn’t that sound like any other kind of art?

Yes, I most certainly consider myself an artist.

Edit: I also wanted to ask… If a painter does nothing but reproductions, are they not considered artists? If they [B]are[/B] considered artists, then why wouldn’t we who recreate patterns be artists?

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[B]Agree (1) [/B]