I've got lumps in my artistic soup...

I have recently been spending a lot of time reading in my new car. It helps me clear the mind. Since Bonnie took the Taurus I am leasing an 85 corrola with option to buy. Getting away from the business of our humdrum lives is important for artists. Today I was reading Another Helping of Chicken Soup for the Artist's Soul. I really want to take myself to the next level. To be a star. But I find myself wicked indecisive. You know?

Anyway, I was reading this book and found that Rumi Kitchen, my spiritual adviser, happened to contribute to this particular edition. What he wrote really touched me. I wanted to share with you my online community of friends:

What is art?
by Rumi Kitchen

Art is pretty much whatever anybody says it is, and an artist is similarly anybody who says he is one. This leaves any definition of "artist" and "art" so vague as to be meaningless. Does the act of creation, be it ever so humble or idiosyncratic, suffice to allow one to lift the laurel of "artist" to his brow? Anybody can call himself anything, but the test is whether or not you actually are qualified. A plumber would not dare to call himself a plumber unless he were qualified in the opinion of others to do plumbing, and had experience and credentials to prove it, and actually got paid good money for his work. You can't just call yourself a college professor or medical doctor and expect anyone to take you seriously. You need to have something to back it up. The term "artist," unlike "electrician," or "dog trainer," neither conveys qualification, nor is it specific enough to shed much light on what a person may actually do.












I stopped reading at that point. A policeman informed me that I can't park my car at Target after hours.