Artists: Born or Created?

These are questions that has been debated throughout human history. Are certain individuals somehow given a trait at birth that allows them to excel at creativity? What about others that desire to become an artist? Can these individuals be taught the skills necessary to become an artist. Or, is it a melding of both inborn talent and knowledge gained from the study of artistic techniques?

"Are artist created or born?"

Becoming an artist takes education and practice.
Artists are born with a natural creative ability.
Both!!!
I don't know?

_{If you have not participated,}
^{feel free to jump over and cast your vote!}

We decided to take a poll here on deviantART through the #seniormentors group to see what the community thinks on this subject. The question was posed...

At the time of writing this, 80% of those who participated said 'Both!!!', 13% said 'Becoming an artist takes education and practice', 8% said 'Artists are born with a natural creative ability.', and fortunately everyone had an opinion about the poll and nobody voted 'I don't know?' So, it seems the large majority believes that being an artist is shaped by both skills we have at birth and skills we gain through education.


There is great news for anyone who wants to become an artist. All you need is the drive to pursue that dream. Sound too good to be true? After all, don't you have to be born with talent? Unfortunately, this is a very common belief and the biggest reason for failure in the world of art.

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."- Pablo Picasso

At first glance at the quote to the left it would seem as if the great artist, Pablo Picasso, believes that artistic ability is a trait with which we are born. However, there is more to the artist's quote than that. Have you ever watched a child play? Perhaps you can even remember back to your own childhood. Running around with friends playing, creating a world in which we can play, seeing things that while not really there are vividly real in our imagination! Our experience isn't limited by our physical world, but rather by the limits of our very own imagination.

As we continue to grow and develop, if we  desire to hang on to these incantations we are able to create within our minds, we must learn how to turn them into something real, something tangible. This is where the education and learning process comes in. If we can teach ourselves how to take the natural creativity that live within each of us and outwardly display it to the world, that is when we have achieved the status of artist.

This realization has a profound meaning for anyone who desires to express themselves through a creative medium. It give hope to all that we can, if we apply ourselves, learn how to draw, paint, dance, sing, play music, write, and turn those wonderful creations that currently only exist within our own mind into art for the world to see. For some, learning the skills needed may be easy. For others it may be a time of much trial. However, with focus and will power, anyone can become an artist!

At #seniormentors our mission statement is: "To help the members of deviantART to better themselves in the artwork they produce." The members, mentors, and administration at #seniormentors are a diverse group, from many walks of life, spanning many unique genres of art. Some of us are professionals, some are not. We all have varying degrees of skill in our own artistic mediums. But what unifies us and brings us together as a group is the belief that through education and support, we can make a difference in the lives of others and help them become better artists.

If you have a desire to learn more and continue to grow as an artist, we welcome you to watch our group, #seniormentors. We would love to share our experiences and knowledge with the hopes that it will assist you in finding a deeper connection with your art.

If you are a senior member of the devinatART community, we encourage you to consider joining #seniormentors as a member or even taking the extra step in becoming a mentor in your genre or even writing inspirational and educational journals, tutorials, etc... for the deviantART community.

And, if you found this article to be inspirational and informative, we ask that you add it to your favorites , share it with your friends, and submit it to other groups to help us spread the word! We want to reach as many people as possible and you, the community, are the key to our continued success!

Please take time to ponder these few questions and share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

• As an artist, or aspiring artist, how has art education shaped your artistic abilities?

• In what way has deviantART and it's community played a role in your development as an artist?

• In what ways can #seniormentors expand to play a bigger role in assisting people in finding their artistic potential?