What it means to be an Artist

it's just

my opinion

by Lon Levin

What is being an artist all about?

This is a hard question to answer. I've spent a lot of my life trying to figure that out. When I was a young boy it was about trying to draw cartoons. If I could draw Daffy Duck then surely I was an artist. A few years later it was about drawing JFK when he was assasinated and making it look like him so I could send it to his family as a tribute. Soon it became drawing and airbrushing monster cars like Ed "Big Daddy" Roth or anything else I thought would impress girls. Then came the arrival of The Beatles. Everything changed. Their music was audible art congering up images I could've never imagined before. I drew pictures of them and the images their music inspired in me. I became aware of Alan Aldridge's Beatle artwork, Peter Maxx and others. I ws soon more interested in art than sports and that set off a firestorm of opposition in my father. To him, I was to be an athlete, then a businessman. "No "real man" was an artist!" he proclaimed In fact my father was so opposed to me showing any creativity that I swore off all creative endeavors except photography, which was acceptable to him. It wasn't until I went to college that my interest in art came

back. I soon learned girls were impress with artists as well, so it seemed like a good idea to start being one.

I studied fine arts at UCLA. I decided to devote all of my energy into being the best artist I could be. In my senior year, a girlfriend of mine suggested that if I was serious about being an artist I should go to Art Center for graduate studies. I had no knowledge of Art Center so I set up an interview with the enrollment director. After an hour conversation and portfolio review she asked me if I wanted to enroll in the arts or photography program. "Both" was my response. I officially enrolled as an Advertising/Illustration major. My father was livid! "Who's going to pay for this?" he yelled. Then proclaimed I must be a "homo". I didn't care, he could scream all he wanted to. I was going to be a professional artist. With the help of my mother, a small scholoarship, odd jobs and a fierce determination to succeed I enrolled.

Once I arrived at Art Center I realized that not only would I get a technical education I would learn how to think and express myself thru my art. It took me 3 years to graduate, all the time working at very shops and agencies, doing freelance work whenever I could. After graduation it took me a couple years of freelance work in LA and New York before I landed a job at 20th Century as an art director. In my mind I was finally an accepted and acknowledge artist. The next 25 years I carved a career being an award-winning art director, illustrator, creative director, art department head. I've had ups and downs, I was humbled by my experiences and I've learned a lot. I lived my vision, I expressed it visually and I accepted the outcome. That's what being an artist is to me.

Now as the publisher of a magazine that celebrates art in all it's forms it is my mission to help other creatives on their journey. And the most important thing I can say is believe in yourself and your vision. Rewards of all kinds will come if you're true to yourself. Never give up.