.:Free Range Lashy:.

I was just reading on a blog I'm subscribed to, and I found this really interesting. Basically she was in a taxi, and she started talking to the driver about passions and art. He said that he loved the bongos, and even though he didn't make any money off of it, he considered himself an artist. He asked what she did, what her passion was, and she said she was a writer, but she didn't know if she would call herself an artist just yet. I'll just quote the rest of this.


"He asked me what kind of writing I did, and I told him I liked to write novels and films, but that I was trying to pursue a career in television. I told him that I wasn't sure if I could be considered an artist.


Now here's the inspiring part. He told me that he had a favourite Iranian writer, and began to quote a passage in Persian. Firstly, cool sounding language. I'd never heard it before. And then he translated it. The gist of it was that no matter what you create, as long as you create what you love, you are an artist.
I think that's an important thing to remember. I've heard a lot of talk lately, in this tiny little industry we have, about people who consider themselves to be an artist, but don't consider others to be. Some people are 'too commercial,' and others are apparently complete wanknuts. Some don't like genre films, some don't like emotional films. Some people are sell outs. Some people are indie kids. But who gives a shit? It's not important what other people label YOU as a filmmaker (or a writer, or a musician, or an actor or any other artistic type), so long as you put your heart into your creation and make things that you love, you are an artist. You love genre films? Excellent. Make them. You love soaps? Make them. Be true to yourself and your vision, and you're an artist."


I really liked this. I'm not exactly trying to make a career out of any of my artistic hobbies (the few I have), but I like this idea that, it is YOUR art, and you are YOUR own artist. Even if you only do something once, that one thing can be the best peice of art you will ever create. Even if other people don't consider it so, if you've created something you love, you are an artist.

Maybe no one else cares, but that was my mini-rant for the day.