Who am I as an Artist?

I had the third person ever find me on the internet today...and book a shoot for this week!  Isn't the internet a wonderful thing.  Ahh, google maps, I love thee.

But this upcoming shoot has me pondering again.  Who am I?

I met with a new friend recently who introduced this question to me.  She didn't ask it, as such, but she talked about her journey as an artist and it got me thinking.  Until recently I didn't even really consider myself a photographer.  Well, not a real one.  I mean...I took pictures and stuff, but I was't an actual photographer.  Having arrived at the conclusion that, yes, I am actually a real live photographer, I now had to wrestle with the idea of being an artist.

I come from a line of accountants and CFO's.  Not that they're not creative people, but numbers just don't tug at the creative fibers of one's soul.

I don't know many artists.  I admire those artsy people I do come in contact with and wish I were more like them.  I want funky shoes and colorful hair.  (Yes, I know all artists don't have those.)  But, alas, it's just not me.

I really am not even sure what question I am wrestling with.  What's my photographic style?  What tone do my portraits have?  Do I like posed or natural?  Backdrop or nature?  Model poses or regular people poses?

They plague me.  How on earth am I supposed to find the answers to these questions within myself?  This is part of the reason I want to study more.  The more I study, the more I will understand myself as an artist.  Well, at least that's my hope.

Right now I am clinging to a quote that I read in a twitter of someone I follow...although I can't for the life of me remember who it was.

"Don't try to be original; try to be good." - Paul Rand

I just keep saying that quote to myself over and over again because it feels like that's all I can do.  The more I struggle to be original, to come up with new ideas, the more I feel like I'm banging my head against the wall.

When I entered grad school 6 years ago, I was sure that I could come up with an original idea to study.  Maybe not a new one entirely, but at least a new angle.  I slowly and reluctantly learned that everything's been done.  Ok, so that's not entirely true, but it's pretty damn close.  I was crushed.  Still am to a certain extent.  How can each person not bring their own unique ideas to the table.  Oh, I know we do in a way...a fresh perspective...our own ideas on the subject.  But when you start digging through the research, there have been thousands, or even millions, of unique individuals who have gone before you and studied it all using their own unique perspective.  I felt unimportant in the field of research.  What could I possibly offer?

I have a very similar feeling now with photography.  How on earth can I take a brand new picture that no one's ever thought of before?  It's simply not possible.  Yes, it will be with my camera, from my perspective, of this moment that has never occurred in time before.  But it will be the same as everyone else's.  There's no way around it.   I know I am a unique individual who brings my own ideas and perspectives to the table, but it's all been done before.  I am just like everyone else (not in my own person, but in my artistry).  How depressing.

How can you make yourself stand out from other artists?  What does it mean to be an artist?

I am left with trying to be good.