Megan Pimentel

I Am (Not) An Artist

A disconnected self portrait reflecting on what the difference between "art" and "artist" is.

“It's really hard for people to look at someone who objectively makes art, and not consider them to be an artist, but not every person who makes art is an artist. A toddler doing a finger painting created art, but doesn't necessarily feel any passion towards their work. Not having that passion doesn't take away your ability to make art, its just not the same experience. There's a lot more that goes into being an artist besides making a thing. We wouldn't hold the word in such high regard if we thought it could be given to just anyone. This piece came out of my frustration on not knowing how to be an artist when going to an institution focused on art. It became a research project about myself and why I have such a distaste for being associated with the term artist and the art I felt I was being forced to make in order to fit in.”