It depends on who’s asking — and why.
But let’s be honest: the answer isn’t always flattering.
1. The Artist as a Profession
Yes, being an artist can absolutely be a job. A real one. With business codes, invoices, taxes — all the joys of adult life.
You can make a living from it. But not from “talent alone” — from work, discipline, visibility, and thousands of decisions about what to show, how, and to whom.
Being an artist today isn’t just painting in a studio or writing poetry into the void.
It’s a system: portfolio, communication, audience connection, marketing, pricing, logistics, legal matters — and yes, social media too.
The 21st-century artist is someone who knows how to balance sensitivity with structure.
With responsibility.
With a plan.
Because without that, all that’s left is a blurry “I create, but the world doesn’t get me.”
2. The Artist as an Explanation
For some, the identity of “artist” becomes a soft shield.
– I’m not in a corporate job because I’m an artist
– I don’t earn consistently because I’m a creative
– I don’t blog or promote myself because I don’t like computers
Sound familiar?
It works especially well on family members who don’t quite understand what it all means.
“Being an artist” becomes shorthand for chaos — and chaos becomes romantic.
But there’s a fine line between a valid explanation and a personal excuse.
And when that line blurs, stagnation starts to feel like a lifestyle.
3. The Artist as an Excuse
Some creatives dream of having a “promotion person” by their side.
Because, you know, they don’t like computers.
They’d rather have someone who’ll do all that annoying stuff:
– build the site
– write the copy
– post the photos
– run the marketing
– “feel the vibe”
– and never ask: what’s in it for me?
The truth?
We don’t live in the age of patronage anymore.
No one hands out support just because they “believe in your inner light.”
You either learn the basics of showing up online,
or you pay someone who will.
If you can’t do either, at least be honest about it,
instead of expecting the world to rescue your potential.
Because when you say “I’m an artist,”
but won’t touch a blog, an Instagram post, or a shop setup —
it’s no longer a statement of creative purity.
It’s passive entitlement in a velvet robe.
Was it easier before the internet?
No.
It was much harder.
In the pre-digital era, becoming visible meant:
- showing up at gallery events and industry meetups
- having the right people vouch for you
- getting invited into publishing houses, magazines, exhibitions
- waiting years for someone “in power” to notice you
There was no way to just launch your own creative corner of the world.
No Instagram.
No online store.
No newsletter where people find you through keywords like “emotional digital art.”
It was quiet, closed-off, and elitist.
You needed access, luck, or legacy.
Today?
You can start with nothing — from your couch — right now.
But that means: there are no more excuses.
Final thoughts
So is being an artist a job?
Yes — if you understand that it involves actual work, not just raw feeling.
Is it an explanation?
It can be — as long as it doesn’t become self-deception.
Is it an excuse?
Sometimes — when you expect others to handle all the parts you don’t want to deal with.
True creativity doesn’t fear responsibility.
And a real artist doesn’t fear showing up.
Because art isn’t just what you make.
It’s how you let the world see it.
