our role as artitists.

I agree with TD. I do not consider myself an artist. I can play some stuff and know more than someone who doesn't play. My role as I see it, because of the knowledge and some might say gift, is to teach, encourage, and inspire others. For the past year or so I have been leading kids guitar workshops. While I don't get very deep with them, my hope is that at least one of them will be bitten by the guitar bug and pass it on when they are able.

Hopefully that someone will like my playing and that I can inspire others too play music and also when I was younger too help me attract lady's.!

For me, the highest calling for all art forms is to make people think.

That thinking may be reflective, imaginative, introspective, emotive ... whatever, but if it exercises the mind and motivates further thought, then it's mission accomplished. Really good music, either playing it or listening to it, has the ability to absorb a person completely. For the musician, the need to concentrate so much is good mental exercise, especially if singing and playing something simultaneously that is somewhat complex. Motivation to think ... final answer!

"The reason so many people get lost in thought, is that it's unfamiliar territory for them."  - Anonymous

I was actually pondering that whole thought as I fell asleep last night.  Not considering myself an artist that is.  I guess the truth is that I DO consider myself an artist, just not one that's good enough to be paid for it.  LOL!  Now, if we're talking about coloring hair... I'm all over getting money for that because I KNOW I am better than a lot of the people around doing it.  I don't do it as a job though these days, as it's a difficult schedule to keep with my family.  Oddly, I find that each year I become more and more interested in different arts.  I enjoy the things I do, and I do like to share in hopes that others will get some fulfillment out of it too.  I never thought about it before from the view point of "my role in society" though. Feeling that I am perhaps a bit less inspiring than others, it certainly is some food for thought.  Thank you very much for raising the question.    I know for my KIDS, I do feel I play an important role in appreciation of the arts and in teaching that ANYONE can enjoy participating in them... you don't have to be amazing, you just have to be feeding someone's soul.  If it feeds your own, then chances are it will also feed someone else's.  It is to be shared, not hoarded. 

This whole art/artist thing has been a conundrum I've contemplated for years.  To me, "art" is the creation of something new that has an aesthetic quality (for lack of a better term) and an "artist" is the person who is the creator of such art. To me, a painter who creates a new painting (regardless of quality) is an artist whereas someone who copies the painting is a "replicator" regardless of their painting skills, since they did not produce anything new or different.  Songwriters are creators of new art.  I consider songwriters who perform their own songs as "performing artists" whereas those that perform songs written by someone else are "performers".  A gray area exists when the "performer" takes a song from someone else and makes changes to it to create something different than the original. 

I do not mean to denigrate those who learn and play songs written by others - in fact many times the "artist" who created a song does not have the necessary skills as a performer to display their art in public and relies on skilled "performers" to do it.  How do my fellow chordians define an "artist" as related to music or to sculpting, painting, dance, acting etc?

Having known you for years Zurf, I consider you a competent musician and respect your opinions.  Like most of us, you play for your own enjoyment.  Do you think of yourself as an artist? A performer?  Or something else? What defines what we do? 

In my opinion, the role of an artist is creation of art. Doing what they feel is right or what they enjoy can affect their artistic creations just as negative emotions can also have an effect, but the bottom line is they feel the need to create something which did not formerly exist, whether it be a painting, sculpture, music, poetry, or whatever medium they work in.

Am I over-thinking this whole "artist" thing?

DE

Not an artist either. My job is to do what makes me happy. And that is to play and learn more songs and techniques. And to play and sing for anyone who will listen, expanding my happiness even further.

I also agree - do it for yourself and if others appreciate it, then you  are an artiste and artist - you paint the pictures that mean something to you, you tell the story of the picture (from your perspective) through the music and lyrics. It's why we all gravitate to songwriting on chordie - we share our stories.

This is a site of an interview by Butch Walker - talking about his song entitled    21+over   It is an awesome song - but his explanation in the interview before he plays it is awesome - just what many of you were saying here.

the link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MHDNmtK6w8

He has a new album called afraid of ghosts - its really good.

I think artists' role in society is two fold. First, it is to entertain, give people a break from whatever is occupying their mind. Second, is to make people think although there is a lot of fluff out there that is not worth thinking about. Bottom line - An artist's role in society is to entertain and make people think while they are being entertained.