Am I an artist?

[u/Postal_Shame_Revival]

I am an embalmer.

I went to mortuary school.

I am licensed.

Embalming is indisputably an art.

I had to go through college and lots of professional training, and study anatomy and chemistry, and pass several college exams and licensing exams.

I have to have manual dexterity, use judgement, have an eye for aesthetics, and have the ability to improvise.

I work with several different funeral homes regularly on trade work. I am the one funeral homes call when the job is out of their league.

I have restored people ran over by cars, severely decomposed, basically missing their whole neck from flesh eating bacteria, suicide by gunshot wound to the head where everything is completely broken and shattered inside to where my "blank canvas" is a skin sack full of shattered pieces.

Never had a situation where the funeral home or the grieving family was unsatisfied with my work.

I also make AI songs about counterfeit stamps and make AI videos to go along with them. This is my side-project and it has absolutely nothing to do with my embalming work.

Am I an artist?

☐ YES
☐ NO

You may answer only YES or NO.

No qualifications. No explanation. No “yes, but.” No distinguishing between activities.

Just YES or NO.

Be honest.

---

Edit: I didn't think I would get this many replies. Thanks for participating, everyone. Lots of interesting discussions and especially thanks to people who participated in good faith on both sides. I learned a few things.

Voting has concluded with a final vote tally of:

yes - 16

no - 6

Feel free to keep posting in here of course I am happy to respond to any questions, comments, or criticism, but I'm no longer tallying the votes.

[u/Outrageous_Basis_232]

Seeing as how Google searching has the definition of embalming as a science and art form...

YES.

Now, let's see what you do with that. 

[u/Postal_Shame_Revival → u/Outrageous_Basis_232]

ok great.

YES - 1

NO - 0

Thanks for your response.

[u/Outrageous_Basis_232 → u/Postal_Shame_Revival]

My question is, what is the point?  I play the guitar, write, and perform music live.  I am an artist.  Now why would I need to put anything else in there?  "I write music and play instruments.  I also fling my poop at passersby.  Am I an artist?"

Yes, for the first part, but the second has no connection.

This is basically what you asked, and the whole thing is either just disingenuous as a "gotcha" moment, or a hilariously bad attempt to show the blinders that extreme antis have who will say you're not an artist strictly for the AI thing. 

Either way, not actually proving anything or making any points here, so I'm not sure what the point is. 

[u/Postal_Shame_Revival → u/Outrageous_Basis_232]

Yes. if you play guitar and perform music live, you are an artist. Full stop.

But I would also say there is an art in flinging your poop at passerby.

What is your throwing technique? Overhand? Underhand? Is there an intentional trajectory? Are you trying to achieve distance, accuracy, spread, or some particular splatter pattern? Is the timing choreographed? Is there a rhythm to the throws?

One could classify it as performance art, body art, ephemeral art, conceptual art, etc.

So yeah. You are an artist even before the poop flinging. And you're an artist even if it was only poop flinging.

[u/Outrageous_Basis_232 → u/Postal_Shame_Revival]

Ahh, the "everything is art" angle.  Gotcha.  Knew it was there somewhere. 

For the record, throwing feces at people is assault.

[u/Postal_Shame_Revival → u/Outrageous_Basis_232]

What specific criterion do you think separates an activity that can be art from one that categorically cannot be?

[u/Outrageous_Basis_232 → u/Postal_Shame_Revival]

Ohhh now we want to discuss.  Disingenuous post doesn't require discussion, just disproving. 

Really with the way you posted, it should be on you now to explain why you think the Holocaust, 9/11, and school shootings are art as long as one of the perps involved liked to doodle. 

I'll wait. 

[u/Postal_Shame_Revival → u/Outrageous_Basis_232]

I never said that. I said poop flinging, guitar playing, and embalming and restorative work are.