aren't we all artists?

Yesterday my friend invited me to an art showing at the Detroit Artists Market. Her mom had a couple pieces on display alongside work from many various local artists. Nothing struck me as being outstanding except for one set of five pieces which were so good I had to take pictures of them. If I had $1500 lying around (they were $300 apiece) I would love to have them...

After I had looked around at everything and was feeling ready to leave, yet not so anxious that I was going to pressure my friend who drove into taking off, I started looking around at everyone in attendance.  I commented to my friend's other friend who was there with us that everyone was "art lovers", which I was using as an intentionally vague term.  There's a good chance that a large portion of the room was populated by the people who had pieces hanging, but unless you tried to notice patterns of people frequently standing around certain pieces, you would never know who was the artist and who was simply an admirer. With that thought came a realization that we're all artists of sorts - as well as critics and fans.  We use different mediums, but we all enjoy creating.  Sometimes it's okay to stand back and be an appreciator, but it's more important to never forget that we all have the ability to express our emotions in an inspired and uplifting way, and it will never matter whether it sells or is hanging on someone's wall.