![The media file [Christian] is by CallahanFreet.](/artists/christian/christian_head_hu5cef231d8f4180b7a037182f38f41a4e_11594_800x0_resize_q82_h1_box_2.webp)
Why is the word “artist” so uncomfortable? Is it because of its connotations, or due to the label itself? I often wonder.
![The media file [Not A Photographer] is by CallahanFreet.](/works/52weeks/2023/0923/20230923_hub9683568bdb9a3c126199cd60efb9d96_788108_800x0_resize_q82_h1_box_2.webp)
We each despise the use by others of labels on us. It is a unifying quality that generates many conversations. I don't fully understand my aversion for 'terms', so our talks are also a self-discovery.
Attending her shows still makes my palms sweat. Being in front of people doesn’t really bother me, that aspect isn’t nearly as stress-inducing as the frequent short and shallow conversations about what I “do” in parallel to her accolades.
What the fuck do I do? Am I an engineer, am I a writer or an artist who moonlights as an engineer? I don’t really understand — and sensing the approaching need for an explanation makes me nervous.
But, I know that I’m definitely NOT a photographer. It’s a necessary assertion only because I in the past used that thought to escape my reality, not because anything I’ve ever produced begs the question.