Outsider

This pretty much sums it up for me-I would add "and shares them with you"

I have been thinking lately about myself as an individual artist and my art as a career lately. I have also been thinking of popular culture and my un-popular childhood. It seems as though my definition of an Artist is not in line with the actual definition:

art·ist

–noun

1.

a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.

2.

a person who practices one of the fine arts, esp. a painter or sculptor.

3.

a person whose trade or profession requires a knowledge of design, drawing, painting, etc.: a commercial artist.

4.

a person who works in one of the performing arts, as an actor, musician, or singer; a public performer: a mime artist; an artist of the dance.

5.

a person whose work exhibits exceptional skill.

6.

a person who is expert at trickery or deceit: He's an artist with cards.

My personal definition includes parts of the 'Artist' especially in creative expression but my definition is closer to the common definition of Beginner, Outsider, Thinker and Innovator. It seems like an oxymoron to be considered an "outsider" and "popular". Which makes the notion of being a high selling artist in ones lifetime almost obsolete. It would appear that innovative and new work is harder to sell because naturally we are less likely to trust what we don't already know as good. Its not the masses who try something new, its the few outsiders, and for successful commerce you wouldn't focus on the few! I suppose we can say Lady Gaga is an artist according to our dictionary's definition. But I would like to say that Lady Gaga is a successful re-packaged blond doll, created by and for our current popular culture. As an individual she is a willing pawn, sacrificing herself for fame.
The thing is that I am happiest when I make new things, learn new things, and think about these things......I think I may just be an outsider!

think·er

–noun

1.

a person who thinks, as in a specified way or manner: a slow thinker.

2. a person who has a well-developed faculty for thinking, as a philosopher, theorist, or scholar: the great thinkers.

out·sid·er

–noun

1.

a person not belonging to a particular group, set, party, etc.: Society often regards the artist as an outsider.

2.

a person unconnected or unacquainted with the matter in question: Not being a parent, I was regarded as an outsider.

3.

a racehorse, sports team, or other competitor not considered likely to win or succeed.

4. a person or thing not within an enclosure, boundary, etc.

in·no·vate

–verb (used without object)

1.

to introduce something new; make changes in anything established.

–verb (used with object)

2.

to introduce (something new) for or as if for the first time: to innovate a computer operating system.

3. Archaic . to alter.

be·gin·ner

–noun

1.

a person or thing that begins.

2.

a person who has begun a course of instruction or is learning the fundamentals: swimming for beginners.

3.

a person who is inexperienced; novice.