Writer or Artist?

You know the usual greeting when you first meet someone.  You exchange salutations and eventually the conversations goes around to, "So what do you do for a living?"

Generally, when I say I am a writer, I get one of two looks. The "You're kidding me, right?" or my personal favorite, "You write? Oh, that's cute."  When I first started out on this journey, I felt so insecure about my work that when I got this reaction I didn't feel writing was anything special. I ended up labeling writing as a hobby rather than my passion in life. At the time, it seemed a more reasonable answer to inquiring minds.

Writing not only became mundane for me, but I stopped seeing it as an art form. For years, I would tell people sheepishly that I was a writer and not an artist. But, is there really a difference?

Art comes in all forms whether it be dance, music, painting, or even graphic design. Each form uses its own medium to express something in a creative way. But that's also what unites them; the creation of something new.

I don't need a paintbrush to depict a beautiful Italian scene. I have words. And if put in the right order, I can create anything! So, after twelve years of feeling that my talent is insignificant, I've realized that it is one of the hardest and noblest art forms to take. After all, only a writer can carry you off to worlds beyond your imagination!