I am an artist

This morning, I had an epiphany.
I woke up, I picked up Rick Rubin’s book, The Creative Act, and started reading it.
Then it hit me.
A realisation that feels as real as a rock. You can pick it up, touch it, inspect it. You know it’s there.
A true AHA! moment.
Non-debatable.

I am an artist.

After 37 years of trying to fit in, find my place and my way, today, I found out why.
And now that I know, it’s time to embrace it. Understand it better. And build my life in line with this undenyable fact.

What’s an artist?

An artist is a truth seeker.

A creator who shapes their life. Who shapes their surroundings. Who shapes the world.
An artist strives for authenticity.

Artists are sensitive.

More so than others.
Sensitivity breeds curiousity.
This is why artists are interested in their surroundings. They study it carefully.
Be it objects, shapes, nature or people.
Especially people.
Why do people act the way they do? How do they think? What do they really think?

Artists find their biggest joy in creating.

There is a story my old boss used to say.
During a television show, the host asked him what he wishes for his daughter to become when she grows up. His answer: whatever the job is, it should involve creating. Creating is the most fulfilling feeling in the world.
I told this story many times, and always wondered why it didn’t resonate with everyone. It made so much sense to me!

Side note: a subtlety of life I found out rather late is that if something seems obvious to you, but does not for others, it tells more about you, than about them.

Artists come in different shapes.

Growing up, I never considered being an artist.
Artists were not highly regarded in my family.
There was the stereotypical picture of what an artist is.
Producing something, usually with their hands, like painting or music.
This something is often not understood and has no real value.
They also don’t work hard and drift in life.
Their main merit comes from a skill that they were born with.
They’re poor.
I was wrong.
Artists do come in many different shapes.
And the term evolves together with technolgy, as new creating entirely new types of things becomes possible. At the same time, it also stays all the same.
Artists can be great at logical thinking, maths and engineering.
Some of the greatest polyglots (or as we like to say this today, generalists), were artists.
I know, this is nothing new. There are many famous examples in history (Leonardo da Vinci, anyone?). I didn’t connect the dots until now.

Artists work hard.

I found out about the daily routine of Haruki Murakami.
It is from an interview from 2004.
He has periods of intense work when he creates, then rests.
When in creation mode, he keeps a routine every day, without variation.
He gets up at 4am, works for five or six hours.
In the afternoon, he runs 10 kilometers or swims for 1500 meters.
Then reads and listens to music. He goes to bed at 9pm.
This typically lasts for 6 to 12 months.
This is how he reaches a deeper state of mind.

This schedule looks glaringly familiar to me.
I’ve created a similar one for myself, after many years of trial & error.
Sticking to it requires a tremendous amount of mental and physical strength.

I am an artist.
And in 2025, I will follow the Artist’s Schedule.