Being rather than seeming: an artist's journey

I recently spent a day babysitting my fiance's niece. She's five, which is exactly the age that little kids seem to do and say the CUTEST, most memorable stuff.

So there we were, splayed out in her classroom on a fluffy rug, coloring Clifford the Big Red Dog with two of her friends in her class. One of the room mothers asked what all the kids wanted to be when they grew up.

Without even looking up from her page, Maggie replied, "A snake."

'A snake?! Don't you want to be something more exciting, like an artist? You love to draw!'

Maggie looked up at all of us exasperatedly. "I don't need to grow up to be an artist, I already AM one. A snake would be much harder."

...from the mouths of babes, ya'll.

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It’s tempting to claim the role of artist.

'One day, once I've earned my degree...'

"One day, when I make it into that YAP..."

"As soon as I sing that role, I'll know I've 'made it'...'

Except, of course, that's nonsense.

No one can tell you exactly when you start being a real artist--because you already ARE one.

Even Maggie knew that.

Now that that question is out of the way---go make good art.