What Is a Visual Artist?

A visual artist is someone who creates work that is experienced primarily through sight—and in film, television, and theater, that label can cover acting, directing, cinematography, writing, and editing. Mark R. Kochanowicz, an actor, filmmaker, and owner of Liberty Bell Films, describes his own work this way: his "passion to work in the visual arts is on-going, whether it is as an actor, producer, director, cinematographer, writer or editor." The term is therefore best understood as an umbrella for image-making roles rather than a single job title. It fits you if you make or shape visual work; it is less useful if you need to describe one specific task on a set.

What a Visual Artist Does Across Media

In practice, a visual artist's work depends on the medium and the role:

• Film and television: acting in front of the camera, directing, shooting as cinematographer, writing screenplays, or editing footage into a finished cut.
• Theater: performing principal roles and building character work that carries to live audiences.
• Independent production: owning or running a production company, as Kochanowicz does with Liberty Bell Films, and moving between creative and producing duties.

Kochanowicz's background shows how these strands connect. He began making movies in Philadelphia at age 12 after a neighbor lent him an 8-mm camera for short films, played in indie-rock bands during college in the 1990s, and graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in General Arts & Sciences. He joined the Screen Actors Guild in 2003 and soon booked a principal role on The Wire. He later served a two-year term on the Philadelphia SAG board during the 2012 merger that created SAG-AFTRA.

How the Skills Are Built

Visual arts careers are usually built through a mix of hands-on making and close observation of working professionals. Kochanowicz's path illustrates both:

• Early practice: making short films with borrowed equipment, which builds comfort with cameras, editing, and finishing a project.
• On-set learning: working as a stand-in for "many of Hollywood's A-listers in dozens of movies and television shows." He credits this with firsthand experience studying top actors and learning production from directors, cinematographers, and tradespeople.
• Formal and peer training: college study, band performance, and union membership that provides structure and access.
• Public validation: films screened at more than 25 festivals, twice a grand prize finalist for the Greater Philadelphia Film Office's Set-In-Philadelphia screenwriting award, and a Best Director Award at the 2015 Winter Film Awards for his debut feature, Assumption of Risk.

For someone starting out, the transferable lesson is to combine your own small projects with time spent near experienced crews—as a stand-in, assistant, or volunteer—so that observation turns into skill.

Visual Artist vs. Filmmaker, Actor, and Producer

These roles overlap, but they answer different questions:

A filmmaker is usually a visual artist, and a visual artist may also act or produce—but the labels are not interchangeable. Use "visual artist" when you mean the overall creative practice; use the specific role when you mean the job on a given project.

When the Term Is the Right Fit

Choose "visual artist" for bios, portfolios, and introductions that span multiple image-making roles, especially when acting, directing, and cinematography are all part of your work. Choose a specific title—actor, cinematographer, editor—when a casting notice, crew call, or client needs to know exactly what you will do. If you are building a career, the practical path is to keep making work, seek on-set experience near professionals, and let credits in festivals and awards document your range.