I Am An Artist
The older I get, the more I come back to my roots as an artist.
I started out in ballet…
Next I found creative writing…
Eventually I found photography.
My passion for telling meaningful and impactful stories can come through in many different ways and ultimately I was an interdisciplinary artist before I even knew what that meant. However, I eventually found myself in a box labeled “photographer.”
At first it was a comfort. I had found what I was passionate about and did well. Yet as the years went on, I became more and more unsatisfied with the label. What once felt comforting began to rub the wrong way and feel uncomfortable.
Artists can often feel growing pains in association with labels.
As we grow in a way that is fluid and metamorphic, boxy labels with no wiggle room soon feel suffocating. We must allow ourselves to develop over time even if that means outgrowing the boxes we once called home.
I believe the moment I knew I’d outgrown the label of photographer was after performing this original choreography in front of an audience.
It felt right and honest with my creative mission and values. Audience members sought me out after the performance to tell me how touching, moving, or impactful the dance was. Everything about it was exactly what I stood for as a creative individual…yet it wasn’t photography.
I found myself asking this question: Is it possible to be true to your creative expression and work in different mediums?
As comfy as my labeled box was, I knew what the answer had to be. Yes, it is possible to remain true to your creative voice and expand into more than one medium. That’s what being an artist is all about. Exploring creatively and experimenting with curiosity.
We grow and shift over time. One label may no longer fit and sometimes we need to take on more than one label to feel comfortable. Sometimes we need to throw out the boxes entirely for a season and simply be an artist. Free flowing, expressive, and interdisciplinary.
There is a time and a place for a labeled box. There is a time and a place for free flowing form. We’re artists after all and it’s impossible to tell us what to do or who to be or what to create. If you find yourself cramped in a box that is too small, I encourage you to move out. If you find yourself floating aimlessly around, I encourage you to move into a box.
Labels and boxes are there to be worn and tossed out simultaneously.
We’re artists through and through and that can mean whatever you would like it to mean to you.
For me in this season, that means I am no longer just a photographer or just a dancer or just anything. I can be anything and everything I dream of being and can explore wherever my creativity takes me.
I am an artist.
What are you? Labeled or unlabeled tell me where you stand today. Anything and everything is okay as long as it is serving you on your journey.
“Epilogue”
Choreographed and Performed in 2022.
Song: “Epilogue” by Ólafur Arnalds
