Nicole Watson on being an Emerging Artist

The over used and oft-maligned term "Emerging Artist" gets its tires kicked by Nicole Watson on this Howlround post.

"I’ll be honest, this whole idea of being an emerging artist drives me crazy.

1. It assumes that I am working in some liminal space—some pre-professional netherworld, between intern and real live theater maker.
2. It allows my work to be undervalued—literally.  In the time-money continuum, emerging artists tend to donate their time and spend their own money on their project.
3. It implies that there is someplace—some magical, legitimate theater place I need to emerge to in order to matter. At the end of the day this idea of being an emerging artist puts the emphasis of my work onto a place that I have to get to to be considered accomplished, rather than looks that the work I am currently doing as accomplishments in and of themselves."