Happy International Artist Day, You Beautiful Creative Human!

Today we celebrate International Artist Day, which basically means it’s one day a year we all get to collectively shrug, hold up our paint-covered hands, glue-stained fingers, clay-dusted aprons, and say, “Yeah… I did that.”

Whether you’re a painter, musician, sculptor, jewelry maker, doodler, filmmaker, or you just made something awesome out of macaroni and pride… you are an artist.

Let’s Talk About That Sneaky Little Stickman On Your Shoulder Named Imposter Syndrome

Ah yes, imposter syndrome, the voice in your head that whispers things like:

• “You’re not a real artist.”
• “You don’t have a degree.”
• “You don’t sell enough.”
• “Your art doesn’t look like their art.”

First of all, that voice is a liar.
Second, it has the audacity to live rent-free in your head, and today’s as good a day as any to evict it… or muzzle it.

Here’s the truth, you don’t need anyone’s permission to call yourself an artist. You don’t need a gallery, a blue checkmark, or a magical scroll that says, “Congratulations, you now officially make art.” If you create, you’re an artist. Period.

Art isn’t a club with secret handshakes. It’s a wild, messy, beautiful rebellion against the ordinary.

Here’s Something I’ve Learned On My Artistic Journey

1. Stop waiting for validation.
   No one else gets to define your creative worth. You could hand your masterpiece to the universe and someone, somewhere will still not “get it.” That’s okay. You’re not creating for them.
2. Make bad art.
   Seriously. Ugly, weird, glorious disasters are part of the process. Every creative masterpiece is built on a mountain of what-the-hell-was-I-thinking moments.
3. Remind yourself: you belong here.
   Not because you’ve proven yourself, but because you’ve shown up. You dared to create something from nothing, and that alone makes you a badass artist.
4. Don’t let fear disguise itself as humility.
   Saying, “I’m not a real artist” might feel modest, but it’s actually self-sabotage in fancy clothes. Own it. You are an artist. Say it out loud. Scare your cat with it.
5. Persist.
   When that stick man in your head tells you to quit, make one more brushstroke. When the world feels indifferent, keep showing up. Persistence is the secret weapon of every artist who’s ever made an impact. It’s not talent, luck, or having the right connections, it’s the sheer stubbornness to keep creating no matter what.
6. Put yourself out there.
   Don’t hide your work in a drawer, a folder, or your camera roll forever. Share it. Show it. Let people experience it. Yeah, it’s scary, but so is every meaningful thing in life. The moment you put your work into the world, you claim your place as an artist, not because it’s perfect, but because you were brave enough to show up.

So, on this International Artist Day, raise your paintbrush, your mic, your hammer, your camera, or your creative weapon of choice and celebrate the fact that you are doing something courageous: you are making art in a world that desperately needs it.

Now go make something weird, beautiful, and unapologetically you.
Happy Artist Day, my fellow creative human! you’ve earned it.

— Rafi and Klee