Reveal: There are 6 https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/semordnilap (words that are other words when reversed) in the grid- 1A backwards is DEER, 5A = ROOM, 18A = AVID, 22A = WARD, 34A = ELBA, 35A = RATS. If you use the first letters of these reversed words, they spell DRAWER (a nod to ARTIST in the meta prompt). DRAWER backwards is REWARD, the meta answer.