What does it mean to be a "real artist"?

In college, one of my drawing professors used to repeat the mantra, "No one can hold you accountable except yourself." What he meant by that was, if you are going to try to make art, there's not going to be any hand-holding or rulebook to follow. You are going to have to hold yourself to an exceptionally high standard if you are going to make exceptional work. 

When I am painting in my studio, I keep this thought in the back of my mind because it helps me to create exceptional work at an exceptional standard. I never want to settle for just "good enough." Someone is going to pay money for this and hang it in their home. They will see it or interact with it nearly every day of their life. That's not something to take lightly. It's important. 

So...Much...Time...But it's worth it...

Non-artists may not realize exactly how much time and energy goes into the making of art, not counting additional time for photographing it, sharing it, shipping it, etc. This isn't a normal 9 to 5 job. Real artists live and breathe for the art that we make. We are constantly working, thinking, dreaming. I suppose I can only speak for myself, but my paintings are wrapped up in my soul. They pull from years of formal and self-study in art, design, philosophy and, yes, baking. I can think back on myself as a young girl dreaming about being an artist, and you know what? These are the paintings I would have wanted to make back then. This is the lifestyle I wanted to have, where my art envelopes me in something beautiful and magical, and gives me an escape from the troubles of the world. 

Beautifully decorated desserts, imaginative sugar cookies and gingerbread houses, melting ice cream cones -- each of these things remind me of happy occasions from my life. My hope is that my paintings can do the same for others -- provide a joyful escape, calling on happy memories of the past and hopeful dreams of more memories to come. 

I am a "real" artist. This isn't a hobby. It isn't some wishy-washy attempt at painting. This is years of my life, dedicated to trying to create paintings that make the world just a bit more joyful.

Here are five ways to know you're dealing with a real artist:

We work long days and often stay up late at night working on paintings and all that goes into them, including panel prepping, planning, and for me, creating my food models.

1. We paint what we are compelled to paint, not what's trendy. In addition to studying art, I did actually take several post-graduate courses in interior design and architecture. That doesn't mean I'm creating to try to keep up with design trends, but rather that I am aware of how to keep my pieces balanced and eye-pleasing and understand how they would integrate into a space. 
2. We spend many extra hours, days or weeks or paintings that some may consider fine before that, but we want them to be even better. This is where that "no one can hold you accountable except yourself" mantra really comes into play. I don't want to settle for anyone else's standard for my work. I only want to achieve mine, which is high!
3.  We always have paint on us somewhere. If I'm being honest, I don't think I even own a pair of pants that doesn't have paint on it. Even on days when I'm not painting, I often do panel prepping or touch-up, filming clips for social media, live streaming on Twitch, or something else. No matter how careful I am, I always end up with paint on my clothes or in my hair, on my hands or sometimes on my face. This is especially true for Pthalo blue. I really don't know why. 
4. When we make things like prints of our work, we spend an obscene amount of hours ensuring that they are absolutely perfect. I make my own prints, here in my studio, using an Epson 900 archival ink printer and Hahnemuhle 308gsm heavy-weight museum-quality photo rag paper. I photograph my paintings with my Nikon DSLR camera and spend hours editing them in Photoshop until they are perfectly sharp, clean and beautiful. This isn't a scan-and-go operation here. I want my prints to be an extension of my paintings and try to ensure that each one is absolutely exceptional. 

Next time you see someone who has a bit of Pthalo blue paint in their hair or on their clothes, remember they are probably working hard somewhere to make the world just a little bit better. That's what real artists do.