What is an artist? An artist is a person who practices any of the various creative arts, such as a sculptor, novelist, poet, or filmmaker. To be an artist, a person needs to have emotions towards the art they are creating. An artist needs empathy and knowledge to create great art. To begin with, according to Anna Deavere Smith, before a person can become an artist they have to understand what the artist is trying to accomplish. “I believe that fundamental to becoming an artist is understanding the position of an artist, rehearsing that position, and practicing that position.” - Deavere Smith (Pg-123) Critics may claim just the opposite and say that art is entirely based on the artist’s own experiences and perspective. Before a person becomes an artist they have to understand what artistic avenue a person wants to pursue. …show more content…
“Empathy is more useful and more important. It requires more rigor. That rigor will make an artist stronger of heart and spirit.” (Pg-124) “Being outside does not mean being without compassion. But it does mean that you may sometimes become clinical.” An artist should put more heart and empathy in their work to make it better. To sum up the discussion whether or not an artist needs empathy or knowledge to become a great artist, the answer is clear… they do. After analyzing the different texts empathy is more beneficial because an artist has deeper feelings towards the topics that they are creating. Empathy and knowledge is necessary to create great art because it will help an artist be more skilled and crafted in their