Artist

Another look at the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary:

Main Entry: art·ist
Pronunciation: 'är-tist
Function: noun
Date: circa 1507
1 a : obsolete : one skilled or versed in learned arts b : archaic : PHYSICIAN c : archaic : ARTISAN
2 a : one who professes and practices an imaginative art b : a person skilled in one of the fine arts
3 : a skilled performer; especially : ARTISTE
4 : one who is adept at something

Art

Years ago I attended a lecture by a collage artist. He started off by defining "art" as "what artists do."

What is called art has become so broad. Thus the definition is rather fitting.

When?

Just when does an idea hit you?

Morning?

Noon?

Afternoon?

Evening?

Night?

Middle of the Night?

Many times, I get ideas just as I start to wake up. I turn on the shower and my brain starts spinning the old wheels.

Other times I'm working on something else when lightning strikes. Out of nowhere an idea comes.

Once in a while the ideas simply come in an adrenalin rush. So many ideas fill my head at once that I have to make a brainstorming list. These hyper-brained instances will last a number of hours. Boy, those are exhausting.

And now it's time to stop. When . . .

There Is No Box!

The phrase "out of the box" has been so over-used. Sometimes there are reasons to consider something that is "old" or "in the box." Why ignore anything "in" or "out" of the box. Then again some folks will argue that "nothing is new". I prefer to just say "there is no box." Why impose an unnecessary limit?!? Why even have a box?!?

What Is Art?

I begin with the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary:

Main Entry: [1]art
Pronunciation: 'ärt, &rt
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English eart; akin to Old Norse est, ert (thou) art, Old English is is
archaic present 2d singular of be

Main Entry: [2]art
Pronunciation: 'ärt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin art-, ars —more at ARM
Date: 13th century
1 : skill acquired by experience, study, or observation (the art of making friends)
2 a : a branch of learning: (1) : one of the humanities (2) : plural : LIBERAL ARTS b : archaic : LEARNING, SCHOLARSHIP
3 : an occupation requiring knowledge or skill (the art of organ building)
4 a : the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects; also : works so produced b (1) : FINE ARTS (2) : one of the fine arts (3) : a graphic art
5 a : archaic : a skillful plan b : the quality or state of being artful
6 : decorative or illustrative elements in printed matter
synonyms ART, SKILL, CUNNING, ARTIFICE, CRAFT mean the faculty of executing well what one has devised. ART implies a personal, unanalyzable creative power (the art of choosing the right word). SKILL stresses technical knowledge and proficiency (the skill of a glassblower). CUNNING suggests ingenuity and subtlety in devising, inventing, or executing (a mystery plotted with great cunning). ARTIFICE suggests technical skill especially in imitating things in nature (believed realism in film could be achieved only by artifice). CRAFT may imply expertness in workmanship (the craft of a master goldsmith).