The big "Aha!" moment has arrived.

Where is the line between the artist who is a craftsman and the fine artist?

Craftsman-A man who practices craft with great skill. A person who makes something very well artistically. It may be functional, it may not. The work of a craftsman is all about the aesthetic beauty of the piece. It can be greatly appreciated, but there isn't always a depth to it that's present in other works of art. A craftsman can sell his work for a great amount of money, get it put in books and galleries, but in the end his work may be a means of supporting himself or driven by deadlines and a paycheck.

Fine Artist-Someone who uses tools and materials in a new way or shows something in a new and ground breaking way. The fine artist is all about fame and glory in a museum and about changing the way society thinks about art and the world around them. There is always something driving the creation of the art. Art historians will write about it and find something deep and interesting within every layer of it. There is always something new to notice every time a person returns to a work.

These are the definitions we argued about today. That's a shocking way to break things up between craft and fine art if you ask me. Which category am I looking to put myself in? Well I realized today that I don't want to be a fine artist. The goal of my work isn't to get myself into a museum and to become a part of art history. I don't want to be necessarily famous. I make art because a creative job is the only way I'd want to earn a living in this world. I wouldn't be happy in another profession. I don't think that's a crime and I don't think that makes me devoid of passion in any way. It doesn't mean that I don't have something to communicate in my art.

I think I finally understand what Matt meant when he said he was in art school to become good at a specific skill. That's why most of us are here. I mean, honestly, how many people will make it as fine artists that I know at this art school? Probably none of us. What I will have is a background in whatever I choose to study. I could make artistically interesting dance videos until I die, but what the hell am I going to do with them? I need to make them because I have the vision and the capability and the resources but how does that turn into a profession. I'm grappling with a lot of things right now.

So what professions interest me? What career could I possibly want to have? Well, in a dream world I'd be a photographer for a band, design t-shirts, make album covers, work in photojournalism for a newspaper or magazine, become a graphic designer and make programs for events, design a book, write a book...I don't even know. I'm also fascinated at this point by installation work and performance art for the camera. So now what do I do? That's most certainly a start. Well maybe I should take photography, graphic design, performance for the camera, and classes that fit into things I'm interested in doing. I'm in college to explore exactly that. Then I'll have experience to find a job and I'll know more about what I like. Aha!