Let me start by making one thing perfectly clear. No one has the right to tell someone else that what they consider art may not, by any contrived stretch of imagination or leap of logic, be so. Industry does not determine what is art, only what they think should be popular culture. Art can be defined as good and bad, however, this is purely a matter of opinion and should be based solely on the matter of aesthetics, not 'is this technical, realistic,' or anything else. Art is an abstract concept defined only by the definition of 'is it pretty TO ME?' If art was required to follow some predefined standard jammed into your head by a snobbish teacher, than everyone who does abstract and impressionistic art FAILS, and fails hard. Many 'classical' art greats and legends threw realism and technique to the wind and did what they bloody-well pleased.

Perhaps you are wondering what has brought this rant on. Throughout my entire span as an artist, I have been repeatedly attacked by the 'I've taken an art class' elite because my art style is not 100% real, and not 100% anime; completely disregarding the fact that I've spent years of effort, practice, and pain developing MY OWN BLOODY STYLE, that is unique to me. If I wanted to produce the same thing that everyone else did, with no spark of individuality, personification, or self, then I would have went to the same droning classes that they did. What irks me even further is the fact that half of these people spouting this nonsense at me FAILED THE BLEEDING CLASS! What right does someone who flunked or dropped out of an art class have to tell me what is or is not art? let alone anyone else who is so close-minded to deny the artistic value of anyone, based solely on the premise that they don't like it. Just because you don't like something doesn't make it 'not art.' It simply means that you don't like it, which is perfectly within your rights.

By this measure, this then brings up the point of what isn't art. Technically, there's no such thing as 'not art,' as long as it is an expression of the artist's creativity and contains some modicum of genuine effort. Something that has been drawn to squeeze a buck out of something that is popular, shows no effort to be creative, inspirational, expressive, or unique, or contains very little in the way of aesthetics may be bad art, but can't be said to not be art.

So, before you look at someone and tell them that their artwork isn't art, for whatever reason, take a step back, and ask yourself how you would feel if someone told you that your effort isn't what you feel it to be. Think for a moment of how you struggled to get to where you were. Find a LEGITIMATE reason to say that you don't like it and tell them the truth: that it isn't a type of art that you are in to; rather than trying to tear down and devalue their efforts to try and express themselves.