The Artist's Handbook Part 1

Let us broach the conundrum of what it means to be an artist or an artiste? I see no discernible difference between the two . To be an [Artist] is a state of mind so the latter term "artiste" becomes redundant and unnecessary . Think of this concept as such, the notion of the [Artist] itself is like a tree and the different types of professions that stem from this tree are like branches . The Poet, The Painter, The Musician and The Writer are all branches of the same tree . The legend of the [Artist]; inclinations to perfect a craft, to have a voice, to start with pure intentions that begin to blur within months of stardom . To be afflicted by amplified human inadequacy . To be afflicted by sensual pleasures, To dance with the devil but yearn for a touch of the "Old-One". Is this not the "tears of a clown?" the "tears of an entertainer," the "tears of the artistic visionary," the tears of an individual who sees the world through a different lens . The water is rising and that individual is an enclosed tank .