Definition of an Artist

I don’t know what your definition of an artist is. Some people might think that a filmmaker is not an artist. They may think that an artist is someone who sits in front of an easel and paints lovely landscapes. And they would be right. But they would also be wrong. I think anyone can be an artist and they can practice in whichever field that they want (or multiple fields if they so wish).

I’m sick of people who look down their noses at someone who doesn’t fit their idea of what an artist should be. For example I consider myself to be an artist within multiple disciplines. I am a filmmaker, a writer, a photographer, a musician, and a digital retoucher. I do all these things (professionally or otherwise) and I enjoy being able to switch back and forth amongst these artistic endeavours. In each of these fields I have styles that interest me and keep me hooked. I also have the themes that fascinate me.

It breaks down like this:

Filmmaking: I enjoy feature films, short films, fiction, documentary, music videos, anything and everything. That doesn’t mean I like it all or see the point in everything I watch, but I think experiencing all forms and styles allows me to decide what I class as my favourite films.

When making films I am drawn to fictional stories more than documentaries. I am intrigued by human relationships and how a film can totally surprise an audience or make a person feel in awe of the images that they are seeing. I believe that a film audience are smarter than a television audience and I love to talk about films and debate with people over their beliefs and feelings relating to films. I believe the rules were made to be broken and I am always looking for new ways to portray a story or a character and to convey the things that are happening on the screen to the audience. I like an audience to have to think for itself and not be ‘led’ to conclusions.


Writing: I write films, stories, songs, poetry, whatever. I find that the most ordinary things in life can be extraordinary through words. I love to create words that an audience can relate to. I love to write scripts that have sharp, smart dialogue and unforeseen twists in the plot. Again I am fascinated by the power of words to convey feeling and emotion. It sounds a bit strange but basically if people can relate to something I write then I feel like I’ve done a good job. And they don’t always have to relate in a good way. Maybe they will totally disagree with my point of view. That is their right as free thinkers.


Photography: I completed my qualifications in Photography and started back in the days when a photographer would shoot on film and then develop the film and then spend hours in the darkroom with chemicals and papers creating pictures. Nowadays I do more digital stuff but I still like to dive back into the traditional methods now and again for fun. My favourite type of photography is portraiture. I think taking a really good picture of a person is a great challenge and when you capture their personality in a photograph it is a great feeling.


Music: I play a bit of guitar and sing badly, but I like writing my own songs and learning songs that other people have written. I think music is the one art form where it easy to share your ideas and work without having to worry that someone will steal it. I love people like the Irish singer Christy Moore who would tour around watching other artists, playing gigs and sharing music and bringing that music to the public arena. I think the art of music is a very social art. It is a great feeling when my friends and I get together and break out the guitars and just have a wonderful time singing and sharing songs.


Digital Retouching: Back in the old days I was against the whole digital photography revolution (I know, I know, look at me now). Then when I left University and needed a job a photographer friend of mine asked me if I would like to come and work at a Photographic studio and be a digital retoucher. I asked him what it was and he explained that it was the person who manipulated digital photographic images using a computer. I said that it sounded like fun. That was a Friday night. I flew to England, he trained me to use photoshop and I started work on the Monday. The rest I learned as I went along. I now do this type of work on a freelance basis. You can see samples of my work in my pictures or at www.viewcreatives.co.uk

Poetry: I am a published poet and that’s all I have to say about that.

Anyway, I just thought I would share these thoughts about what I consider as art with you and if anybody wants to let me know their thoughts on the subject or indeed tell me about their work as an artist, please feel free.

Cheers,

Aaron.