Have you ever asked yourself, "Am I a real artist?" I will answer this question with something that a friend of mine told me many years ago.
Here's a bit of the back story. I was working at a hardware store and would draw on every break and lunch hour. One day I was at lunch drawing, and a friend of mine came into the break room.
My friend: "So, you're an artist."
Me: "Well, that's what I want to be."
My friend: "You either are an artist, or you are not. So, you're an artist."
Me: "Yes, I am an artist."
From that moment on, I have considered myself an artist. I know that I am not as good as some, but I am the best artist I can be at this time.
Now let me ask you the same question; Are you an artist? It's okay if you say no. Heck, I did all those years ago. Now my 7.3 readers, comes the secret. Say I am an artist. If you say it, you will come to believe it. Then you will have the confidence to look at a blank piece of paper and see the image waiting to come out. The need to release that image that starts within you is what makes you an artist. It isn't skill or style but desire.
That is what makes an artist.