"I am an artist."Why is that simple sentence so hard to say?It took me a long time to own those words. I used to say things like "I run a business but I paint in my spare time" (to which people often used to say 'what, like living rooms and bedrooms?')I think it was hard for me to say the words because being an artist was the absolute best thing I could ever imagine. It seemed something that was unattainable for me and therefore it seemed utterly presumptuous for me to call myself one - not without having lots of sales or several galleries or a spread in a national newspaper.But I've come to realize that being an artist is not about any of those things. You can be an artist even if you never sell a piece of work. Because being an artist isn't about sales. It's about a way of being in the world. Artists are not like everyone else. We think differently. We see the world differently. We notice things that others do not. We feel things that others do not.That doesn't make us better than anyone else - just different. But that difference can be hard until you realize why it's there. I know it was for me.But when I finally accepted myself as a born artist, I was able to accept all the things that once bothered me.I used to think I was overly sensitive. Now I think of myself as perfectly sensitive.I used to worry that I lived so much in my head. Now I know that's where I have to be.I used to be suspicious of the ideas that appeared from nowhere. Now I feel grateful to have a powerful intuition.These "flaws" are actually gifts. I am sensitive, day-dreamy, introverted and intuitive because I am an artist. And being an artist is still - to my mind - the best thing I could possibly be.If you would like to learn how to stop the 'compare and despair' cycle, fall in love with your own work, and proudly call yourself an artist, sign up to be notified when I re-open the "Find Your Joy" course. Just CLICK HERE to learn more and scroll down to the form and fill in your details. I'll also send you some helpful tips and fun exercises in the meantime.