In this chapter "the Artist", I will try to describe the meaning of the profession "artist". In fact, artist is not really a profession, artist is rather an attitude or a behavior, you "are" an artist or you become the characters or the behavior that makes you an artist. First of all, i have try to define what does it mean to "be an artist" and what the term "artist" means.

 
THE CONCEPT OF "ARTIST"
 
An artist is, by nature, someone who creates something new. An artist is a creator, meaning that he or she will assemble, reshape, mix elements or forms that already exist in order to create or make something unique. This means that every person is more or less an artist, once something new and unique has been created. This new something may be anything in absolute terms. In our societies, painters, sculptors, drawers, musicians, writers, filmmakers, but also architects, actors... and so on are considered as artists. But scientists like physicians, mathematicians, biologists and chemists are also artists as well. The discovery of a new mathematical formula or a new physical law is the result of a creative process; a new mathematical formula is something new and unique "created" or discovered by the mind.

 
The true artist feels great satisfaction, when he is achieving his Artwork, he tries to create new forms that correspond to his sense of aesthetics. For myself, I have a lot of satisfaction in viewing and reviewing my drawings again and again, it gives me a lot of pleasure to admire the comics that i have drawn and developed over the last ten years.
The true artist works first and foremost for himself and for the beauty of his artwork. What really matters for the artist is the satisfaction and the pleasure he feels by admiring his artworks, even though others may see his artworks as not good enough or tasteless. Apart from how others see and perceive his artworks, the true glory of the artist is the admiration of his own artwork; the opinion of others about the artworks are secondary for the true artist. Of course, the artist may consider constructive criticism. He can still learn from criticism from others, in order to "improve" the beauty of his artwork; so, at the end, the artist becomes more satisfied as a result.
 
Here, at this point, I would like to discuss about the fact, how I consider myself as an artist. I have an artistic fibre, because I usually create something new in everyday life, out of my mind and consciousness, most of the time in a natural and spontaneous way. In fact, I had this artistic fibre by nature since childhood, because I have always been an "original" with a very special personality. Even at school, I used to joke around with my classmates,taking the role of the class clown or the joker, making up funny stories , creating situation comedy and developing jokes with a lot of self-mockery. I was very creative in making comedy and every time I had a lot of ideas for a new joke .
I was an artist from a very young age, because I started drawing, for example, since i was 4 or 5 Years old. I also developed a passion for stories with pictures and later, at 6/7, when I started learning to read, I also developed a great passion for comics and for drawing. I was very creative in drawing: with felt pens and pencils I created new shapes on paper. My artistic fibre has always remained: As a teenager and later as an adult, I always did or created some drawings. In recent years, my artistic fibre has led me to spontaneously and naturally decorate my rooms, kitchen and Bathroom with all sorts of things and objects. 
The decoration of my apartment was done with a lot of creativity and imagination. So, every day, I am creating something new out of my mind, whether it is drawing, decorating, but also singing or making music.
 

ARTIST IS NOT A PROFESSION
 
As I said before, artist is not a profession, because an artist does not create a work to sell it or for commercial purposes. The artist works for the beauty of his work, which is why (and I mention this also in the chapter "Finances") the artist's activity should, to some extent, escape the economic context, the artist must not create an artwork because of economic necessity.
One IS and becomes an artist, which means that the artist is creative by nature; being an artist is more a behavior or attitude. The true artist is not an imitator, he usually does not follow the mass movements; on the other hand, we can also observe that many artists have a special personality and are originals.
 

THE DRAMA OF OUR SOCIETY TODAY: CONFORMISM.
THE ARTIST IS AN ORIGINAL.
 
In this section, I will try to explain, why the artist, because of his nature, can be considered special in our contemporary society.
Even though everyone has an artistic fibre to a greater or lesser extent, the truth is that most people in our societies today are not in the creative process, but persist in conformity.
The truth is that our contemporary societies or the system behind the structures, do not support artistic activity. The educational system, the education of the parents and family and the economic system give only small space for creative working, since one must obey the rules and learn what is generally accepted. For fear of not being recognized by the social environment, most people like to submit to what is conformed. That means, they are much more in a process of "copying" than in a process of creating and they may remain staying in their comfort zone. The system forces us to submit to rules, laws and principles without necessarily questioning them. The tragedy of our societies today is that most people are conditioned to be and remain in "copy mode"; they are not in "creation mode", because the system dictates us, how to behave, act and interact with others. The copy mode is a mass phenomenon; most of the people follow the masses, copie what the others are doing , and are not truly creative.
Therefore, because of the nature of the artist, the true artist is usually not a conformist and does not follow the masses. The artist, due to his creative mind, is an original, generally, the artist is someone who is special.
 
 
THE ARTIST IS SOMEONE WHO IS FREE
 
The true artist is someone who is fundamentally free, free in his choices during the creative process, free in the time he allocates for the realization of the artwork. Therefore, it is absolutly necessary in some way that the artist works for his financial freedom and financial independence, if he wants to practice his artistic activity in the best conditions. Because of his nature and personality, the artist is, in a greater or smaller extend, free; since he does not follow a system that dictates norms and principles. The true artist does not follow a doctrine and is master of his own decisions and choices.
 
 
The Artwork, the "mirror of the soul".
 
Generally, the artwork created by the artist is a reflection or a mirror of his inner state. Usually, the artist creates a artwork based on his preferences, affinities and personality traits. The characteristics, attributes and qualities of his artwork are not "accidental"; the peculiarities of his artwork are the result of an inner process in the artist's personality. 
The personality of the artist is changing through time, the artist changes his view of things and the world, he defines for himself new preferences and horizons. As a result, the quality of the artwork may also change, in parallel to the evolution of the artist's personality. Over the years, the artwork may become more mature, the artist redefines his style and certain details of his artwork. 

 
SUMMARY
 
The artist is a creator; he does not work for money, but for the glory of his creation. The true artist is an original and does not follow a doctrine or a system; he is free by nature. During the creative process, the true artist does not make decisions that make him dependent on a system that defines norms and rules. The artwork is a "mirror" of his "soul"; the artwork "reflects" the artist's affinities and preferences. Finally, the true artist is in the love for his creation. What makes a true artist is the deep admiration that he had for his artwork. Therefore, in the choices he made, the artist is not doing any compromise for economic necessity; he does not really seek recognition from others in the creative process; he does not pursue economic goals, his goal is not to sell, the true artist's intention is to admire the beauty in creation.